Sice Previt attaches great importance to creating synergies with the world of fundamental research in the technological and scientific fields. For this reason, it collaborates with universities to finance research projects by undergraduates and PhD students that have a possible connection with the sector in which the company operates, particularly in the field of industrial materials processing, construction technologies and interior design.
Among the most recent projects one with a mechanical engineering graduate from the Politecnico di Milano who, between 2023 and 2024, worked on the development of software for programming a robotic arm called “cobot”, capable of performing various welding processes alongside a human operator – hence the term, short for “collaborative robot” – with considerable time savings.
The research project focused on the creation of a new virtual simulation environment through which the robotic arm can be programmed with great precision. This digital twin of the welding booth is designed for “front-end” programming by the human welder, who can thus indicate to the cobot the measurements of the pieces to be welded, allowing it to adjust its movements accordingly.
Currently, the robot is used to weld the back-structures for iron or steel furniture, which are particularly suitable because they are modular in design. Unlike humans, the robotic arm can weld at the intersection of the vertical frames without having the processing trajectory affect the quality.
The new design horizon is to be able to weld aluminium alloys, which have the advantage of being highly recyclable and not requiring anti-rust paint, thus reducing the environmental impact of production. The aim is to achieve this goal by replacing continuous wire welding – the only type currently performed by the Cobot – with laser welding. With this in mind, a further research project has been launched, again thanks to the collaboration between Sice Previt and Politecnico di Milano.
Watch the video to find out more and see the Cobot in action!