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Realtime Robotics offers software and services to optimize robot movements. Source: Realtime Robotics
Realtime Robotics, which provides motion planning software for industrial robots, today launched its new Optimization-as-a-Service offering. The company said it combines proprietary optimization software with robotics and application engineering insights to help improve manufacturers’ productivity.
“Our Optimization-as-a-Service offering delivers results when you can’t spend months squeezing more productivity from your automation cells,” said Peter Howard, CEO of Realtime Robotics, in a release. “It has the potential to forever change the way manufacturing operations are conducted and optimize them for improved speed and efficiency, without disrupting existing processes.”
Boston-based Realtime Robotics claimed that its technology “generates optimized motion plans and interlocks to achieve the shortest possible cycle time in multi-robot cells.” The company says its systems enable more precise, collision-free operations.
Realtime’s software is also intended to enable robots to function together in unstructured and collaborative workspaces, responding to dynamic obstacles as changes are detected.
Last year, Realtime Robotics released its RapidPlan software to help manufacturers deploy robotics more easily. In June, the company raised $9.6 million to continue its development and scaling efforts.
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Optimization-as-a-Service designed to sharpen operations
Realtime Robotics says Optimization-as-a-Service can quickly generate and test hundreds of thousands of potential robot paths. It can determine the best motion sequences based on target assignment, robot range and other parameters.
Automatically calculated locks allow robots to operate much closer together, the company said.
Customers simply send their simulation CAD files for bottlenecked cells to Realtime Robotics. The company said its experienced engineers will then use proprietary algorithms to optimize the work cell in weeks, reducing cycle times with better paths and sequences. Once the results are validated, they can be immediately transferred to the production floor, the company said.
Realtime said the Optimization-as-a-Service enables closer robot operations. Source: Realtime Robotics
Volkswagen tests Realtime Robotics service
Realtime Robotics said companies, including major automakers, can use Optimization-as-a-Service to get more from existing or new automation and consistently exceed revenue goals.
Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles in Hannover, Germany, wanted to quickly and efficiently improve cycle time in a dual-robot cell that was welding car doors for its ID. Buzz vehicle line. It used the service in a proof-of-concept project for the production of electric vehicles.
Optimization-as-a-Service analyzes a customer’s existing digital twin, identifies bottlenecks and recommends improvements based on the customer’s desired parameters, according to Realtime Robotics. The company said it analyzed the Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles simulation file without stopping or disrupting ongoing production.
The agency’s recommendations helped the automaker reduce cycle time by several seconds, Realtime Robotics said.
According to Technavio, the global robot simulator market could experience a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 18.04% between 2022 and 2027, amounting to $1.12 billion. The research firm attributed that growth to system integrators’ need to save time and money and to the increasing demand for virtual commissioning in manufacturing.