Schweiger Group: Cobots are not machines, but tools

Not only are cobots being developed around Munich (Franka Emika, ABB, Agile Robots - plus robots from RobCo, Magazino), but they are also being eagerly sold. Jugard+Künstner, the largest Universal Robots dealer, has been the most prominent of these. About a year ago, Go2Automation, an Internet automation platform, was added. In addition, the Robots-as-a-Service company Jungle is based in Munich. While the aforementioned companies are predominantly start-ups, a traditional company has been increasingly active on the market for a few months.

The Schweiger group of companies, based in Sauerlach (district of Munich), has been in existence for 35 years and is managed in the second generation by Dr. Christoph Schweiger. The group employs over 200 people. It trades in machine accessories, assembles cables, manufactures assemblies and automates for SMEs, as well as for well-known Munich-based corporations. In all these activities, the group is confronted with the typical problem of the economy: Labor shortage. This, as well as the already close connection to mechanical engineering, sparked the interest in robotics at an early stage.

"If the cobot is viewed as a tool rather than a machine, acceptance increases"

Bernd Finkenberger, sales manager for robotics, wants to offer SMEs, the main target group, not machines but tools. Therefore, Schweiger not only assumes the function of sales, but also that of integrator. Either with his own automation solutions including tape, housing, etc., or at least by offering programming. Just as an employee today uses a drill by setting only a few things (left or right rotation, speed, drilling depth), he should also be able to use a cobot. According to Finkenberger, two conditions must be met for a cobot to gain the necessary acceptance: On the one hand, the employee must not see the cobot as a competitor for his job. This is not the case when it is associated with a tool. On the other hand, his fear that the cobot's operation might be too complex is reduced. But even if the cobot is to serve as a tool, the employee must be aware of the potential dangers that exist. He therefore views the use of changing temporary workers on the cobot critically.

Largest selection of cobots

Managing Director Dr. Schweiger is aware that not every Cobot will be fully utilized. A Fanuc or Doosan (are also offered) would be too expensive for sporadic use. Therefore, in addition to these well-known premium brands, he relies on other Asian suppliers such as Han's Robot, Elite Robots, Jaka (all China), Techman (Taiwan) and especially Rainbow Robotics. The latter manufacturer comes from South Korea and has gained a foothold there in direct competition with Doosan. Finkenberger referred to the very good programming interface of Rainbow Robotics. The Rainbow Robotics on display in the showroom costs about €18,000, which is significantly less than comparable European models. It should not go unmentioned that Yuanda is also on offer. Yuanda is already better known and needs no introduction.

While the Han's programming interface is largely in German, Elite Robots only offers English. Jaka could not yet be evaluated at the time of the visit. It was still in the "getting to know you" phase.

The robots on display all have a range of between 80 and 90 cm. The devices can be tested by appointment with material brought along. Various grippers and image processing solutions are available for this purpose. (In another article the bin picking solution of roboception will be presented). In addition, an automation solution is usually always assembled, so that it is possible to switch from laboratory to practical operation. Probably no other supplier offers as many Asian cobot brands as Schweiger.

Interested parties are invited to bring their own parts.

Workstation system

The two leading aluminum profile manufacturers come from Germany. Bosch Rexroth and item offer so many variants that there is a solution for everything. The German assembly systems are so sophisticated that a competitor can really only compete on price or design. The latter is Vention's approach. With a dark blue anodization, the startup from Canada is visually very different from the local top dogs. The photo shows that it doesn't always have to be silver:

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The author of this blog is significantly involved in the AI/ robotics project Boost-Bot. He advises robotics companies and investors on market (entry)/ business development and funding/subsidies. More about him can be found here.