On the 23rd of November, we had the chance to go and visit FANUC, a Japanese company that makes yellow robots!
Many of our students are researching robotics in conjunction with machine learning, and how machining can be made more efficient, so this was a great opportunity. We started off with a cup of tea, and an overview of the company and what it does, before heading to the shop floor to take a look at the robots themselves.
The variation in size is amazing, from robots that can lift cars, to ones used in the food industry on production lines. We were also shown how a number of different robots can be used in conjunction with each other, to create an assembly line for building lead batteries. This is all simulated beforehand so that any issues can be ironed out. The assembly line is then all set up at FANUC's workshop and tested, before it's taken apart, boxed up and shipped to the client.
Thanks for having us FANUC! We had a great time!
