Automating THT Assembly Processes with Robotics

⚡ Will robots be building control panels in the future❓ 🖐 The manual dexterity required to insert components and wires into a panel has made panel building a poor target for robotic automation. Is that about to change though? I saw three robotic systems recently that indicate it may not be long before we see robots building panels. The three cells were from WAGO Corporation, Phoenix Contact, and ArtiMinds Robotics. While none of them tackled the full problem, all three showed that progress is being made towards automating key tasks in the panel building process. ✅ WAGO showed a FANUC Europe CRX cobot picking and inserting terminal blocks into a panel. The arm would pick them off of a nicely arranged 5s’d workstation and snap them into place on the DIN rail. This demonstrates that the dexterity required to manipulate and snap in components can be done with a robot. Yes, the system ran at a slow pace, but it’s still in development and is expected to be released as a real assembly solution next year. ✅ Phoenix Contact tackled a different part of the panel build process – wire stripping and insertion. This cell combined an Epson Robots robot with a Schleuniger, Inc. wire feed, cut, and strip machine. The robot grabbed the wire after cutting, moved it through the stripping operation, and inserted it into a row of terminal blocks. This work demonstrates that robots plus off-the-shelf wire processing equipment can already be used to solve part of the problem. ✅ Artiminds, a robotics software company, went even further to show a solution capable of handling loose wires. This cell used a cobot from Universal Robots, combined with a Micro-Epsilon 2D laser profiler. The 2D profiler was used to find the individual wire, which was then gripped and pushed into a wiring block. I could imagine this technology being used in the future to find a route wires throughout the panel. What do you think, how long will it be before we see robots fully assembling panels at production speeds? #electricalengineering #controls #automation #robots #engineering #collaborativerobots

Just came back from Germany meeting with one of our F500 clients, and their automation team gave me a clear picture of where the industry is heading. Their software developers and roboticists were coding in Berlin, while the final robot cell was being assembled and deployed in another country by a local team. They never touched the hardware, yet they fully defined the configuration, logic, and performance envelope of a robot cell they would never physically see. Why does this matter? Because it’s the operating model that will dominate automation in the next 3–5 years. You get the right people focused on the right work: - Software teams: Code the logic, optimize performance, test digitally, and push updates. - Mechanical assemblers and electricians: build, wire, and commission the physical cell on-site. You reduce project time. You reduce cost. And you dramatically expand the talent pool by matching skills to tasks instead of forcing every engineer to be a multidisciplinary expert. This separation of duties is only possible with Software-Defined Automation, where every component of the cell is fully software-described, and the complete program can be pushed from the cloud to the edge. To unlock this model, companies need to adopt a unified hardware and software automation platform like the one we pioneered at Vention. When the digital definition matches the physical reality, remote-first automation becomes a reality #SoftwareDefinedAutomation #PhysicalAI #IndustrialAutomation #Robotics

Imagine smarter robots for your business. New research from Google puts advanced Gemini AI directly into robots, which can now understand complex instructions, perform intricate physical tasks with dexterity (like assembly) and adapt to new objects or situations in real time. The paper introduces "Gemini Robotics," a family of AI models based on Google's Gemini 2.0, designed specifically for robotics. They present Vision-Language-Action (VLA) models capable of direct robot control, performing complex, dexterous manipulation tasks smoothly and reactively. The models demonstrate generalization to unseen objects and environments and can follow open-vocabulary instructions. It also introduces "Gemini Robotics-ER" for enhanced embodied reasoning (spatial/temporal understanding, detection, prediction), bridging the gap between large multimodal models and physical robot interaction. Here's why this matters: At scale, this will unlock more flexible, intelligent automation for the future of manufacturing, logistics, warehousing, and more, potentially boosting efficiency and enabling tasks previously too complex for robots as we've imagined in the past. Very, very promising! (Link in the comments.)

The seamless integration of multiple robots for complex part assemblies in automated production systems. The future of injection molding lies in automation, and one of the most exciting developments is the integration of multiple robots within a single automated production unit. These systems not only streamline processes but also take part assembly to a whole new level of efficiency and precision. Here’s how the integration of multiple robots is reshaping manufacturing: 1. End-to-End Automation By integrating multiple robots, manufacturers can fully automate complex workflows, from part ejection to assembly. For example, a robot can remove the molded part, another can perform assembly tasks like inserting components, while a third robot handles packaging or quality checks—all within a single unit. 2. Improved Precision in Part Assembly When several robots work together in a single unit, they ensure that each part is placed or assembled with extreme accuracy. This is crucial for industries that require high-tolerance assembly, such as medical devices or automotive components. 3.Flexible, Scalable Systems Such systems are highly adaptable. Robots can be reprogrammed to handle different types of parts or even switch between tasks depending on production needs. This flexibility is essential for manufacturers dealing with a high variety of product designs. 4. Reducing Manual Labor and Boosting Efficiency With robots handling repetitive tasks, human operators can focus on overseeing the system, troubleshooting, and improving processes. This shift not only boosts operational efficiency but also reduces errors and downtime caused by manual handling. 💡 Interesting Fact: Studies show that fully automated injection molding lines with multiple robots can increase throughput by up to 40%, while reducing labor costs by up to 30%. 💡 Takeaway: Seamlessly integrating multiple robots into a single automated production system unlocks higher efficiency, greater flexibility, and superior part quality. Curious about how this automation could work for your production line? Let’s connect—I’d be happy to discuss tailored solutions for your manufacturing needs. #Automation #InjectionMolding #ManufacturingInnovation