(CercleFinance.com) – In Michigan, at its advanced manufacturing center, Ford can count on Javier, a somewhat unusual employee. Javier is single-handedly responsible for operating the 3D printing systems. Working day and night, Javier does not count his hours. And that’s good: Javier is a mobile robot on wheels, developed by Kuka, and adopted by Ford to operate its 3D printers.
“Javier not only allows Ford to expand its 3D printing operations, but also allows for simplified equipment and even more flexibility on the assembly line,” said Jason Ryska, director of global technology development. manufacturing at Ford. In fact, Javier ‘has changed the way we use robotics in our facilities’, summarizes the manager.
Thanks to Javier, Ford was also able to considerably reduce its margins of error. So much so that the manufacturer has filed several patents related to the overall process, the communication interfaces and the precise positioning of the robot.
In particular, Ford has developed an application interface program that allows different equipment to ‘speak the same language’: the Carbon 3D printer, for example, tells Javier when the printed product will be finished, then the robot informs the printer of its arrival and that the product can be collected.
Additionally, Javier allows Ford to run its 3D printers overnight, even after employees have left for the day, increasing production throughput and reducing the cost of custom printed products.
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