Flexxbotics recently unveiled the latest iteration of its FlexxCORE technology. This new generation of FlexxCORE, currently under patent consideration, changes how robots securely connect and interact with various types of automation equipment within the smart factory.
This system offers enhanced, flexible, and open connectivity. FlexxCORE allows robots to transcend mere interaction with machinery, granting them the capacity to control and direct machines.
At the core of the smart factory, Flexxbotics’ workcell digitalisation facilitates robot-driven manufacturing at scale, enabling autonomous process control for sophisticated machining operations. The FlexxCORE technology, pivotal to the Flexxbotics solution, now supports compatibility with over a thousand CNC machine models, among other factory machinery and inspection equipment. It boasts a connector creation speed that is 22 times faster than traditional automation integration methods.
Historically, many robotic digitalisation efforts in manufacturing workcells have encountered obstacles. These challenges arise from the robots’ inability to connect directly to factory equipment due to protocol incompatibilities and the complexity of interfaces, leading to limited efficiency gains, unforeseen quality issues, and unplanned downtime.
Tyler Modelski, Co-founder & CTO of Flexxbotics, commented on the future of robotics in the smart factory: “Going forward, robots will not only communicate with existing machinery but will also serve as the conductors of autonomous process control, orchestrating production, and inspection within the workcell. Our work with FlexxCORE technology is facilitating the adoption of robot-driven manufacturing on a global scale unprecedented in the industry.”
FlexxCORE, a distinctive software infrastructure essential to the Flexxbotics ecosystem, operates as a low-code platform for developing and executing connectors. It features a highly secure, high-performance framework designed for data pipelines, encompassing protocols, class structures, method sets, and data models that enable interoperability between robots and diverse factory assets.
Key features of FlexxCORE
- Protocol compatibility: supports a vast array of protocols, including both open standards and proprietary systems
- Command & control: provides comprehensive bidirectional communication capabilities, allowing robots to control and direct smart factory equipment
- Hybrid architecture: FlexxCORE’s SaaS/hybrid architecture functions both online and offline, ensuring uninterrupted production and seamless integration with existing smart factory systems
FlexxCORE empowers robots to interact with DNC interfaces and manipulate G-code at the machine level, facilitating closed-loop adjustments to PLC programs based on real-time inspection results. This ensures that part production remains consistent with specifications and tolerances for precision quality.
The introduction of FlexxCORE brings numerous operational and business advantages:
Operational benefits:
- Coordinated robot and machine operations
- In-line quality control with real-time adjustments
- Streamlined workcell setup and part machining flexibility
- Efficient transitions between different parts and jobs
- Minimised downtime for enhanced productivity
Business benefits:
- Improved quality and consistency
- Lower operating costs
- Increased throughput for accelerated production
- Enhanced manufacturing capacity using existing resources
- Improved efficiency leading to increased profitability per part
Tyler Bouchard, Co-founder & CEO of Flexxbotics, shared his vision: “The advancement of robotics within the smart factory represents a significant shift. Robots are transforming digital technology usage from mainly planning and monitoring functions to genuine intelligent autonomy.”
With the latest FlexxCORE, Flexxbotics enables companies to quickly achieve robotic machine tending outcomes on a large scale or within individual workcells, circumventing the disruptions associated with comprehensive replacement initiatives and the risks tied to large-scale automation projects.