The trend toward growing diversification means companies have to find a way of manufacturing increasingly customized products cost-efficiently, even in small series. That in turn means they have to be even more flexible if they are to keep pace as the speed of change in Industry 4.0 production processes continues to increase. While SMEs used to have a clear advantage in this regard because they were smaller and therefore more flexible, the cost-intensive restructuring processes being pursued by larger companies are now threatening to change all that. This is why a development like the collaborative robot Sawyer couldn’t come at a better time. Sawyer, which U.S. high-tech expert Rethink Robotics and its German partners HAHN Robotics and FREISE AUTOMATION are exhibiting at HANNOVER MESSE 2016, will in future help SMEs in particular to set up their own high-performance automation.

Sawyer the "cobot" (collaborative robot) embodies an entirely new production concept. The idea is not to replace humans, but rather to work productively in harmony with them. From the very start, a major focal point in design work was to ensure man and machine could work together side-by-side both safely and harmoniously - and without the need for any protective devices. This meant equipping Sawyer with a degree of intelligence and intuition that sets new standards in robotics. The end result is technology that can create a win-win situation by freeing up employees to turn their attention to more complex tasks and thus boost value creation in the entire company for the long term.

Rethink Robotics, Inc. (Boston, MA 0221, USA), Hall 17, Stand D11, partner of HAHN Robotics GmbH and FREISE AUTOMATION GmbH

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