TAPAS Robotics-enabled logistics and assistive services for the transformable factory of the future

Summary

Today’s automation and logistics paradigms make it difficult, time-consuming and costly to change the type of product manufactured in a given production line and adjust production levels in response to market shifts. Compounded by current market uncertainties, it becomes more difficult to justify new automation lines being added to the overall production chain. To avoid a consequent shift in manufacturing to low-wage economies, TAPAS will make it possible for future factories to engage in more effective and streamlined production, regardless of changes in volumes and product type. To do this, TAPAS will focus on the following tasks: - Development of mobile robots with arms to make logistical tasks more flexible by collecting, as well as transporting, the parts needed at any given time and delivering these to their relevant locations. - Automation of assistive tasks which naturally build on logistical tasks, such as preparatory and post-processing work, e.g. pre-assembly or machine tending with inherent quality control, since the simple movement of parts around the shop floor does not generate value in itself. Through this additional creation of value and faster adaptation to changes, with tasks being completed in a shorter time, TAPAS will yield much earlier returns on investment and as such deliver better results. To fulfil these aims, the project consortium will test and validate the above developments with two pilot installations of increasing complexity and scale. The consortium partners are made up of a robot manufacturer and a systems integrator, who will provide their production environments for testing and validation to take place, and one software technology provider. In collaboration with three research partners, they will develop logistical and assistive robotic solutions for transformable automation which are applicable across the board.

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Web resources:	http://www.tapas-project.eu https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/260026
Start date:	01-10-2010
End date:	30-03-2014
Total budget - Public funding:	5 179 257,00 Euro - 3 400 000,00 Euro

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Original description

Today's automation and logistics paradigms make it difficult, time consuming, and costly to change the type of the product manufactured and to scale the production up and down in response to market volatility. Consequently, and with the increasing market uncertainties, it becomes more and more difficult to justify new automation lines. To keep production in Europe instead of shifting it to low-wage countries, this project will break new ground in robot-based automation and logistics as the backbone of a transformable factory of the future, enabling an economic production regardless of changes in volumes and product type.TAPAS pioneers the following tasks in real production environments: mobile robots with manipulation arms will make logistic tasks more flexible and more complete by not only transporting, but also collecting the parts needed and delivering them right to the place were needed. Since moving parts around the shop floor does not create value by itself, TAPAS robots go even beyond: they will automate assistive tasks that naturally extend the logistic tasks, such as preparatory and post-processing works, e.g., pre-assembly or machine tending with inherent quality control. Through this additional creation of value and by a faster adaptation to changes with new levels of robustness, availability, and completeness of jobs TAPAS robots promise to yield an earlier return of investment.To reach the objectives, the TAPAS consortium will iteratively test and validate the developments with two pilot installations of increasing complexity and scale. The drivers behind TAPAS are a robot manufacturer and a system integrator, providing both their production environments for intensive testing and validation, and a software technology provider. Teaming up with three excellent research partners they will develop logistic and assistive robotic solutions for transformable automation that are generally applicable and scalable.