FIDIA is a world-leading Machine Tool manufacturer focused on customised and small-scale production of high precision and high-speed machines for metal cutting. The company is well established and offers a range of services in automotive, aerospace and energy niche markets.
current obstacles
The assembly of machine tools, considering all the different aspects, such as the maintenance and the inspection of the operations, is currently performed manually by operators. Due to the high degree of customisation and flexibility, the machine tools assembly is not supported by an automated process. Each construction needs various types of customised configurations based on customers’ requests.
In the current scheme, the operator has to carry and assemble heavy parts in narrow areas and respond to high time pressure duties. Moreover, to correctly perform the assembly procedure, the operator has to follow a significant volume of customised instructions for each machine.
In this context, the operator is most likely to suffer from high-stress level and musculoskeletal injuries.
SHERLOCK solutions
SHERLOCK project aims at introducing soft robotic systems in the operator’s workplace. Thus, smart exoskeletons support the operator carrying and handle heavy parts, in a non-intrusive way, when in uncomfortable or dangerous positions.
Wearable sensors monitor and track human movements. Thus, the exoskeletons are actively reconfigured depending on the task progress and help operators maintain ergonomic postures preventing ergonomic related injuries.
AR visualizations provide instructions and drawings in real-time to help the operators to swiftly adopt to new processes, while VR based training helps untrained workers to familiarise with the various manufacturing processes involved.
