November 2023 Volume 5

AUTOMATION

FIA Member Spotlight: Pickit 3D

Unleashing the Power of 3D Robot Vision in the Forging Industry In the forging industry, systemic labor shortages have prompted a pressing need for automation solutions, in particular for material handling processes. The question remains as to how material handling automation can be introduced in a way that it can handle diverse items, even in small quantities, with minimum downtime and maintenance? The answer lies in smart and flexible automation. This is where Pickit 3D's advanced 3D robot vision automation solutions for billet picking come into play.

the way forging companies operate their plants. Pickit 3D's journey into the forging industry started in 2018, with a customer seeking to automate the tending of an induction furnace with billets. Recognizing the need for a more tailored solution, Pickit 3D decided to complete its solution by developing its proprietary Billet Picker End-Of-Arm-Tool (EOAT), a move that has proven to accelerate 3D robot vision adoption in the industry since then. Timothee Habra, CTO at Pickit 3D, reflects: "Throughout the first projects, we learned that by adding dexterity to the end-effector, we could reach significantly higher performance for bin picking applications which today leads us to a unique offering for the forging industry." The Limits of Traditional Ways of Billet Feeding Despite the advancements in technology, many forging companies still rely on traditional ways of billet feeding. These are either manual or traditional automation methods which both have their typical disadvantages. At the same time, forges are facing an increased need for flexible production, especially those running lower volume, higher mix production batches. Manual feeding obviously implies harsh, straining and sometimes even dangerous labor. For experienced operators that leave, replacements often cannot be found. A mechanical feeder, in turn, introduces a level of automation of the process but has several shortcomings as well. First and foremost, it is not able to cover the full range of different billet types a forge uses. So, for a large part of the jobs they run, forges would still need to rely on manual labor even if they invested in automation. The higher the product mix, the less probable it is that conventional feeding systems address a forge’s needs. Other disadvantages of feeders are noise, dust, and their maintenance requirements.

The Pickit 3D solution can handle billets with lengths starting from 150 mm, diameters ranging from 30 to 170 mm, and weights of up to 60kg. Introducing Pickit 3D: Pioneering 3D Vision Automation Pickit 3D, a leading provider of 3D robot vision automation solutions, offers a unique approach to automating billet picking in the forging industry. Its solutions, a combination of hardware, software, and services, add unparalleled flexibility and intelligence to the most challenging production processes. By leveraging the power of 3D vision and robotics, Pickit 3D is helping to transform

The Billet Picker can extract blocked billets or parts close to a bin wall.

FIA MAGAZINE | NOVEMBER 2023 19