Say Hello to Fillmore!

Fillmore, our new Cobot (collaborative robot) is a UR5 from Universal Robots. We have incorporated some fittings, like the wrist camera, from Robotiq as well. Our overarching goal is to improve efficiency in the Filling Department, while simultaneously reducing repetitive use injuries among our staff and free them up to work on what humans do best compared to robots – which is creative tasks i.e., problem solving or process improvements.

Another great point to note about our cobot is that is it completely safe – these particular cobots have been designed to work with humans. If the cobot comes into contact with an object that should not be there, it comes to a stop and the program must be restarted. But, the best part is that UR line from Universal Robot is easy to program. There was a two hour online course that each project participant took before an eight hour training day before we were off and running. Return on investment is usually seen in a three month time frame for most companies, sometimes faster depending on how simple the tasks are. We believe we will be closer to the three month mark, as our production processes call for a new program for each filling batch.

Additionally, we need to design and engineer some equipment to present the components to Fillmore in a logical manner. As you can see from the video, we have been creating tables and trays from objects around in building, but we have a company coming in to start building studier versions for us soon.