FORMING AND FABRICATING AUTOMATION
AMRs for Fabricating? You Bet A utonomous mobile robots, with their ability to automate repetitive, non-value-added material-handling tasks, can be quite effective on the fab-shop floor. CLICK FOR
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parts and scrap between workstations,” he says. “They free employees for more skilled and less strenuous operations, thus helping address labor shortages, and also improve overall productivity through just- in-time delivery by reducing work-in-pro - cess buffers and improving cycle times.” Another plus: safety, via 360-deg. obsta - cle detection and LiDAR sensors—such as those featured in ABB’s AMRs, Kandasamy points out—that significantly reduce risks of workplace accidents and minimize reli - ance on manual forklifts. And, “their seamless integration with manufacturing execution systems, en- terprise resource planning and ware- house-management systems enables real-time logistics coordination, fully sup- porting the demands of today’s industry and the industry of the future,” he says.
According to Straits Research, the global AMR market, tabbed at $4.32 billion in 2023, is expected to grow to $9.9 billion by 2032, a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.65%. And, Interact Analysis predicts a global market for mobile robots (which includes AMRs, AGVs and related technologies) of $15.6 billion by 2030, a CAGR of 21%—phe - nomenal projected growth, even with tariff uncertainty and other negative economic fac- tors figured in. The popularity of AMR automation extends to sheet metal-fabricating operations, and for good reason, according to Vaithy Kan- dasamy, global AMR portfolio manager for ABB Robotics. “AMRs increasingly are favored in fabri- cation environments due to their ability to automate repetitive, non-value-adding mate- rial-handling tasks, such as moving sheets,
AMRs are increasingly popular in sheet metal- fabricating operations, and for good reason, according to Vaithy Kandasamy, global AMR portfolio manager for ABB Robotics. “They free employees for more skilled operations, thus helping address labor shortages, and also improve overall productivity through just- in-time delivery by reducing work-in-process buffers and improving cycle times.”
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