POM Limburg and COBOTASSIST partners accelerate the deployment of collaborative robots
To give a boost to the automation of repetitive post-processing tasks in SMEs, POM Limburg, together with its partners in the Interreg project COBOTASSIST, is launching a new voucher offering. This will allow manufacturing companies to test in their own production environment whether the use of collaborative robots, or cobots, is feasible and beneficial for their processes. With this initiative, the partners aim to lower the barrier to further embedding smart automation.
Manufacturing companies today face the challenge of delivering high-quality, customized products at low costs and short delivery times. While post-processing tasks such as grinding or polishing are essential to achieve the desired quality, they are often time-consuming, expensive, and labor-intensive.
Collaborative robots
The shift to automation is necessary. Collaborative robots, or cobots, can take over repetitive and physically demanding tasks, allowing work to be carried out more accurately and consistently. This automation creates room for employees to focus on tasks with higher added value. However, the implementation of cobots remains a significant challenge for many SMEs. To accelerate this integration into the manufacturing industry, POM Limburg has joined forces with Sirris, SyntraPXL, and three Dutch partners in the Interreg COBOTASSIST project.
Vouchers
To help SMEs get started, the project partners of COBOTASSIST are launching vouchers. These allow SMEs to explore and test whether automation is meaningful and feasible for their specific post-processing tasks in an accessible way. The entire testing phase takes place in their own production environment, with active involvement of the employees. An internal core team works alongside technical experts, while a mobile cobot setup is temporarily provided. This way, the company not only gains valuable practical insights but also receives the necessary training and guidance to explore the use of cobots in their own context.
