Background:
Hella Electronics Corporation in Flora, Illinois—a leading supplier of automotive lighting and electronic components—has embraced collaborative robotics to enhance factory automation with flexibility and user-friendly deployment.
The Challenge:
Faced with limited floor space and a dynamic work environment crowded with material flows and human operators, Hella needed a solution that could boost productivity without compromising safety or requiring complex guarding.
The Solution:
Partnering with Mitsubishi Electric Automation, Hella deployed lightweight ASSISTA cobots, integrated with intuitive visual programming and dynamic collision avoidance powered by Realtime Robotics’ RapidPlan technology. This combination allows multiple robots to work safely alongside humans within shared spaces—with minimal reprogramming required.
Key Features & Benefits:
Ease of Programming:
A graphical, tablet-friendly interface enables quick task setup using pinch, zoom, and drag gestures. Operators can effortlessly adjust pick-and-place locations without rewriting PLC code—just rename or move a point, and the robot adapts within minutes.Dynamic Multi-Robot Coordination:
Real-time path planning ensures robots avoid collisions—even when sharing a workspace—eliminating the need for complex interlock code. This improves safety and reduces downtime from robot misalignment or crashes.Speedy Commissioning:
What traditionally required two weeks of integration now takes just a few days—much of which can be done offline—thanks to simple setup and offline fine-tuning.Resilience & High Uptime:
The system’s built-in fault recovery and reboot features drastically reduce downtime. In fact, ROI can begin with the first automated recovery incident.Enhanced Safety:
By deploying cobots for repetitive and ergonomically challenging tasks, Hella reduces workplace injury risk and creates a safer environment for its employees.Improved Workforce Morale & Retention:
Collaborative robots make manufacturing roles safer and more attractive—an important advantage amidst labor shortages experienced even before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Results Snapshot:
Motion planning time reduced by up to 80%
Cycle times nearly halved
Rapid adaptability in production processes
Client Perspective:
Curtis Garrard, Head of Technical Services at Hella, emphasized the strategic fit of ASSISTA with existing technology:
“We already trusted Mitsubishi Electric’s robotics offerings—choosing a compatible cobot made integration and support far easier.”
In Summary:
By combining Mitsubishi Electric’s user-friendly ASSISTA cobots with Realtime Robotics’ dynamic collision-free planning, Hella Electronics achieved an agile, safe, and efficient automation setup. The result: faster deployment, enhanced uptime, and safer working conditions—all with a remarkably flexible robotic solution tailored to evolving manufacturing needs.
Read more here: https://us.mitsubishielectric.com/fa/en/resources/case-studies/assets/hella/
