KUKA & RAFI – Working together for more than 20 years

Another factor is field research. “At the start of the project to develop a successor model for the KUKA smartPAD, we conducted a workshop together with KUKA and compiled over 40 points directly derived from feedback from operators in production and industrial settings,” recalls Stipan Parić, Project Manager at RAFI. Combined with the KUKA developers’ requirements, a requirement specification was created, following the standard procedures of conventional project management – with the exception that RAFI was able to contribute its own ideas, such as on 2K technology in the area of synthetic material and injection molding. 
 

Between slack and rigorous demands

Based on insights gained from market observation and field research, the next stage began: the concept phase. “All the stakeholders approached the project step by step, working through numerous data sets, rounding issues, and subtle details. “In the end, we arrived at a finished product,” says Markus Frankenhauser, offering a pragmatic summary of the collaborative effort. His “aha moment” – not just for this project, but for all the projects he has supervised at RAFI for years – was when the developer powers on the PCBs for the first time and the CPU boots up; that’s the defining moment for him.

For Thomas Maucher, a mechanical development designer at RAFI, the development of a KUKA smartPAD pro is anything but trivial. “We consider requirements such as ruggedness, durability, and tightness. We also focus on look and feel, as well as weight. The challenge is to integrate functionality and design in the most effective manner.” It is evident that these two aspects are interdependent and may not always be compatible. “If you want something lightweight, you have to reduce the wall thickness. This may compromise the sealing capacity or reduce the breaking strength if the pad is dropped. Striking a balance between all the requirements is no easy task.” Balancing trade-offs, like lightweight yet durable, can push developers to the limits of physics. In the end, feasibility determines success or failure. Still, the team steadily works toward a solution that strikes a balance between flexibility and strict requirements.

A “great match” based on a long-standing partnership of equals

For Rolf Mühlhäußer, who works in Sales at RAFI and manages the KUKA account, a clear briefing, short lines of communication, and skilled employees with a high level of expertise are the keys to success. “We understand what KUKA wants,” he says – and offers a simple example. “We know which processor is the right fit, how it needs to be cooled, and much more beyond that.” “A project is never a completely fresh start but builds on years of accumulated knowledge.”

For Sergiy Ostrovski, the collaboration also takes place “on an equal footing.” What’s more, for him it’s “a great match”, as KUKA’s requirements profile aligns perfectly with RAFI’s skills. “A product like this is made up of more than just software and hardware. Skills and experience clearly play a role here. The development of robotics by us on the one hand and the development of control components by RAFI on the other.” The result is the latest generation of the KUKA smartPAD pro, which, in addition to higher performance, also includes the latest hardware platforms and multimedia processors – all web-based, of course. The robot is rendered in real time as a three-dimensional image on the display – a true visual highlight.
 

Focus on “Making automation easier” in the future

It goes without saying that KUKA is not standing still at this level but is continuously developing innovative, flexible, and user-friendly robot solutions and control components for the digital IoT era. Under the slogan “Making automation easier,” the focus is on factors including the development of intuitive software and comprehensive services for commissioning and maintenance. Unpack and get started right away – that’s the guiding principle, seamlessly integrated with the customer’s network architecture. KUKA is also setting new standards in human-machine collaboration, especially in the field of autonomous mobile robots (AMR): operators can now carry out routine tasks together with the robot without the need for a safety fence. Or, as Florian Sattler puts it: “Our environment won’t get any easier – but we are well prepared.”.

Author and photos: Fred Nemitz