n NEWS May 2024 www.drivesncontrols.com 10 FOUR OF THE LARGEST industrial robots ever ordered in the UK are to be used in a £80m aerospace R&D project which includes a facility at the University of Sheeld’s Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) that will help solve composites manufacturing challenges to achieve lighter commercial aircraft and to help the aviation industry reach net-zero. The four Fanuc M-2000iA/1700L robots – claimed to be the world’s most powerful long-reach robot – have been ordered by a consortium that includes Boeing, Loop Technology, Spirit AeroSystems and the AMRC. Three of the six-axis machines will be delivered to the AMRC innovation facility, which is part of the larger Project Compass (Composites at Speed and Scale) initiative. Two other FANUC M-2000iA robots – 1200L and 900L models – will also be installed as part of this project. In a separate project, Loop Technology has ordered another 1700L model, as well as an 900L machine, for a high-rate composite preforming cell for a North American aerospace customer. The Sheeld AMRC facility aims to de-risk and develop structures, potentially cutting the time needed to process large composite components from around 40 hours to about four. The facility is expected to be operational by the end of 2024. It will house a raft of advanced equipment secured through a £29.5m grant from the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) programme to support new technologies and processes to cut costs, waste, production time and carbon emissions. The ve Fanuc M-2000iA industrial robots at the AMRC facility will form part of Loop’s FibreLine high-rate deposition cell. This highrate preform manufacturing system can pick composite sheets (plies) and form them into complex 3D double-curvature proles, before placing them onto a tool, inspecting them and heat staking them ready for the next stage of the production process, at a rate of up to 200kg an hour. Traditional methods typically handle 40kg/h. The National Composites Centre is using a di¢erent conguration of FibreLine that, it says, could handle 350kg/h. The two robots that Loop has ordered for the North American customer will form part of 20m-long FibreLine system being used for R&D. The system will centre around a 3D double-curvature preforming gripper that weighs more than a tonne, making heavyduty industrial robots with high payload capacities and long reaches essential. The M2000iA/1700L robots have a 1.7-tonne payload capacity and 6.2m strokes and can lift entire car bodies. UK’s four largest robots ordered for £80m aerospace R&D project A NEW AI-POWERED digital marketplace could save UK manufacturers up to £20,000 in just 20 minutes, according to its founders. The Manufacturing Connections Hub is an online platform that connects manufacturers to suppliers, customers, investors, partners, academics and the government. By registering for free, manufacturers of all sizes can access AIpowered tools that will help them to improve productivity, streamline operations, and foster sustainable practices. The Hub will provide access to resources such as Compliance AI, a nancial portal facilitating access to funding, knowledge exchange, networking, and a supply chain matching service, as well as an “AI Brain” said to save time and money in areas such as recruitment, customer service, regulation compliance and operational eciency. “We know, for example, that recruiting for a new role can cost manufacturing businesses up to £20,000 when you factor in time and recruitment fees,” say the co-founders, David Lomas and Michael Caselberg. “In just 20 minutes, using an AI solution like our BizWise AI tool, can create a job specication, advert, and deliver candidates to you for interview.” www.manufacturingconnections.com Online hub ‘could save manufacturers £20,000’ Four of the world’s most powerful robots will play key roles in the composite innovation facility being built at the University of Sheffield’s AMRC
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