Comau
Canvas Category Machinery : Industrial Robot : General
Comau is an Italian industrial automation company specialising in processes and automated systems that improve corporate manufacturing production. Combining innovative engineering solutions with easy to use, open automation and enabling technologies, Comau helps companies of all sizes – and across a wide range of industrial segments – leverage the full potential of digital manufacturing. Comau’s competency stems from over 45 years of field proven-experience and a strong presence within every major industrial country. Comau develops Industry 4.0-enabled systems, products and services. The full portfolio includes: joining, assembly and machining solutions for traditional and electric vehicles, robotized manufacturing systems, a complete family of robots (including collaborative and wearable robotics) with extensive range and payload configurations, autonomous logistics, and asset optimization services with real-time monitoring and control capabilities. The offering also extends to project management and consultancy, IoT services, and maintenance and training for a wide range of industrial segments. Its solutions support vehicle manufacturing, heavy industry, railway, renewable energy, and a wide variety of general industries.
Assembly Line
EDP tests construction of its first solar park with automation technology
EDP, a global leader in the renewable energy sector, will test the construction of its first photovoltaic solar park under real life installation conditions on a large scale with the automation technology Hyperflex. The project, named AutoPV, is located in Peñaflor, Valladolid, Spain and will use automated solutions in 3MW of the total 122MW of installed capacity, through a robotic solution.
By investing in the automation process, EDP aims to achieve greater efficiency in the construction of solar parks, significantly accelerating the project schedule, with the expectation of reducing the assembly time of the solar panel structure by up to 50%. This model of human-machine collaboration also allows robots to perform the heaviest tasks, such as handling structures and solar panels, while workers dedicate themselves to more specialised technical functions, creating an effective balance between technological strength and human expertise.
In addition to improving efficiency, automation directly contributes to increased safety in the workplace. This process opens up room for continuous improvement, as automated technology makes it possible to identify and implement optimisations in future projects, ensuring progressive progress and greater speed in the construction of solar parks, allowing the energy transition to be accelerated.
Comau delivers a highly flexible assembly solution for JMC Ford’s high-end pickup manufacturing
Comau has designed and deployed a flexible and comprehensive Body-In-White (BIW) manufacturing solution for JMC Ford to produce high-end pickup trucks at the Xiaolan plant in China’s Jiangxi province. The project established a highly versatile production line capable of accommodating various models and configurations, including JMC Ford’s new pickup truck brand Da Dao (Avenue) and Ford’s first pickup truck model introduced in the Chinese market, the Ranger. The fully scalable, state-of-the-art solution delivers a 100% automation rate while ensuring the vehicle quality and performance JMC Ford is known for, positioning JMC Ford to better address the growing demand for diversified and personalized products.
Comau’s body-in-white welding solution improves welding accuracy and stability, thus ensuring the final product’s structural integrity and safety. The solution also optimizes production processes and includes the adoption of advanced automation technologies to enhance production efficiency, reduce cycle times and increase output. And by incorporating both the welding and tightening guns within an integrated system. Comau was able to minimize the need for frequent tool changes. The solution also leverages advanced vision inspection technology for better quality control and allows JMC Ford to reduce their equipment investment and maintenance costs.
One Equity Partners Invests in Comau to Foster Greater Growth in the Italian Industrial Automation Leader
Stellantis N.V., one of the world’s largest automakers and mobility providers, and One Equity Partners (“OEP”), a middle market private equity firm, announced that OEP has signed a binding agreement to make a majority investment in Comau S.p.A., a global technology company specializing in industrial automation and advanced robotics. The spinoff of Comau is part of the strategic agreement set during the merger between former FCA and Groupe PSA in January 2021 that formed Stellantis N.V. Financial terms of the private transaction were not disclosed. One Equity Partners (OEP) will become majority shareholder of Comau; Stellantis will remain an active minority shareholder.
RoboDK and Comau partner to offer improved Robotic Simulation and Offline Programming
RoboDK, a pioneer in the world of robotics simulation and offline programming, announces its strategic partnership with Comau, a global leader in advanced automation solutions and robot manufacturer. The latest version of Comau Roboshop Next Gen software seamlessly integrates with RoboDK, making simulation more advanced.
This collaboration solidifies RoboDK’s presence in the OEM market, marking a significant step as an embedded solution. Comau users can now enjoy the benefits of RoboDK directly due to RoboDK’s integration into Comau’s Roboshop Next Gen software suite. This integration allows users to easily simulate and program robots using advanced CAD to path features, import 3D Models, detect collisions, integrate with external axes such as turntables and linear rails, support multiple robot cells in the same project, improved integration with CAD/CAM software and use advanced simulation features such as conveyors and grippers. This allows Comau robot programmers to easily use Comau robots for advanced manufacturing applications such as robot machining or 3D printing.
Cognitive robotics for advanced automated inspection
Comau and Leonardo are working together to develop and test a powerful, self-adaptive robotic solution to autonomously inspect helicopter blades measuring up to 7 meters. The smart inspection solution has been developed as a joint pilot project and was tested on-site in Anagni, Italy, over the past year. The system may now move to another site to deliver enhanced capabilities for MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul) services.
Leveraging a combination of cognitive robotics, advanced vision systems and artificial intelligence, the solution autonomously performs tapping tests and multispectral surface inspection along the non-linear blade, to measure and verify the structural integrity with a granularity exceeding thousands of points. More importantly, robotized inspection ensures 100% accuracy within the self-adaptive process and allows operators to upskill their positions while enjoying better safety and well-being compared to the initial repetitive and labor-intensive process. Furthermore, the move from manual to robotic automation will let Leonardo leverage the full benefits of process engineering compared to a manual operation in which experience is often passed between technicians in a non-standard way.
Highly automated manufacturing environment to enhance the customer’s production efficiency
Comau has implemented a high-performance turnkey solution to automate manufacturing of NIO’s next-generation electric drive systems. The multi-faceted project also ensures fast and reliable co-line production for the electric vehicle manufacturer’s third-gen induction and permanent magnet motors, both of which are integral parts of its proprietary electric drive systems (EDS). The comprehensive solution includes primary lines such as e-motor assembly lines, gearbox manufacturing and inverter assembly lines, as well as EOL (End of Line) testing processes. It is designed to support a large-scale annual production capacity of 1 million units, to be used within NIO’s electric sedans, coupes and SUVs, as well as select models of its sub-brand ALPS.
Comau and Fincantieri present MR4WELD
Comau and Fincantieri, two Italian world leaders in their respective markets, present the first result of their joint collaboration at Automatica: MR4Weld (Mobile Robot for Welding) mobile robot, an innovative outdoor automation solution to improve quality, performance and well-being during labor-intensive welding activities.
The companies have also renewed their strategic agreement to apply technology, digitalization, and innovation within cutting-edge, mobile robotic solutions that will increase production speed and worker well-being, by automating traditionally manual processes.
Considered a new paradigm in bringing automation beyond the factory floor, the MR4Weld mobile robot is being tested and will be subsequently used within Fincantieri shipyards to autonomously weld steel structures, with a possible 3-fold increase compared to a manual process. It features a high-payload, 6-axis articulated robot fitted with a welding torch that is installed on a tracked undercarriage and equipped with an integrated vision system to autonomously identify welding joints. More importantly, it guarantees better welding quality while reducing ergonomic risks, helping the transformation of the shipbuilding production process by ensuring greater flexibility and improved safety in addition to lower overall costs.
Comau uses Intrinsic Flowstate to automate the assembly of rigid components
Comau unveiled as Intrinsic’s first industrial and innovation partner
Comau, a worldwide leader in delivering advanced industrial automation products and systems, was unveiled as the first industry partner of Intrinsic, which is on a mission to make industrial robotics accessible and usable for millions more businesses, entrepreneurs, and developers. On stage, Pietro Gorlier, Comau’s CEO, demonstrated how the company has recently used Intrinsic’s new Flowstate developer product and underlying platform to create a modular solution to enable the assembly of a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) supermodule – just one of many possibilities for new applications made possible through the platform. As the longest standing innovation partner of Intrinsic, Comau has contributed on all levels – providing their expertise and talent to test and validate the technology
Comau’s MATE-XT wearable exoskeleton supports ergonomic well-being at John Deere’s parts distribution center in Brazil
Comau has equipped John Deere with multiple MATE-XT wearable exoskeletons to help sustain worker well-being, alleviate physical stress and reduce the ergonomic risk within its parts logistics operations. MATE-XT accurately replicates all movements of the shoulder, helping employees perform their jobs comfortably by reducing muscle fatigue without limiting mobility or adding bulk. Its ergonomic design can be easily adjusted to fit different people with different body types – changing the length of the shoulder straps and the required level of assistance based on the worker or the job at hand is quickly achieved in a few simple steps. Working closely with John Deere to implement the exoskeleton within its daily operations, Comau provided a hands-on training course held at John Deere’s 75,000m2 parts distribution center in Campinas, in the state of São Paulo.
Even when working with small and lightweight objects, the apparently minimal effort of repeated manual movements can take a toll on the body. To help John Deere quantify the benefits of using MATE-XT, Comau performed an electromyographic analysis of the ergonomic risk factor. MATE-XT kept the muscle at a rest stage for 98.5% of the activity time (compared to only 2.4% of the time without MATE-XT).
Comau Key Player for the Production of Hycan Electric Vehicles
Comau has supplied Hycan Automotive Technology Co., Ltd. (Hycan) with a highly intelligent welding solution for its framing line. The innovative system ensures multi-model manufacturing of new energy vehicles, high JPH (Jobs per Hour) and a concrete reduction in production losses. Deployed at the Hycan Hangzhou manufacturing base, the flexible automated production system can randomly switch between four different platforms, is fully compatible with the existing manufacturing platforms and is mass producing the brand’s smart, pure electric A06 sedan and stylish, intelligent-driving, pure electric SUV Z03 at a cycle efficiency of 60 JPH.
Comau Leverages Advanced Automation to Deliver Faster Time-to-Market and Enhanced Flexibility for the New Alfa Romeo Tonale
As part of Comau’s lean manufacturing approach, the automated and semi-automated production solution is based on the proprietary ComauFlex technology, nicknamed Butterfly due to its impressive agility and use of suspended robots. This set-up allows Alfa Romeo to change or modify a specific vehicle model by adjusting the robot tooling, not the arrangement of the robots themselves. In addition to protecting the scalability of the customer’s initial investment, the solution is designed to enable the introduction of new models in the future for a fraction of the initial expenditure. Indeed, the entire system features 468 welding robots, 148 of which are completely new and 320 taken from existing lines. Comau utilized advanced simulation tools during the entire development period, guaranteeing the best quality product and throughput.
Comau develops advanced collaborative robotics as part of the Sherlock Project
Comau has recently completed the development of several innovative human-centered robotic applications as part of its collaboration within the SHERLOCK project (Horizon 2020 Framework Programme, grant agreement 820689 – coordinated by Laboratory for Manufacturing Systems & Automation, University of Patras) – to promote effective industrial human-robot collaboration. Under the scope of the project, Comau has designed a series of user cases featuring advanced collaborative robotics enhanced with sensors, smart mechatronics and AI-based cognition. In doing so, the company has created efficient human-robot collaboration modules that feature AURA (Advanced Use Robotic Arm), the company’s high-payload collaborative robot arm, Racer-5 COBOT, a 6-axis articulated robot that can work at industrial speeds of up to 6 m/s when human operators are not present, and Comau’s wearable MATE exoskeleton. Comau is helping create modular collaborative robotic cells that can be quickly and easily deployed within a wide range of industrial settings.
Comau and Siemens collaborate to integrate robotics and artificial intelligence in the PLC
SIMATIC Robot Library and the “Comau Next Generation Programming Platform” use Profinet’s “Standard Robot Command Interface,” a growing industrial communication protocol. Thanks to this standard, manufacturing companies can quickly and easily program and manage Comau robots using Siemens software and control systems. As the integration and automation between the Siemens PLC and the robotic controller do not require prior knowledge in robotic programming the solution reduces work time and costs, increasing production efficiency.