Automation of loading/unloading and quality control on rubber sole presses using collaborative robots and artificial vision.
VIBRAM S.P.A.
Politecnico di Milano
Vibram S.p.A. is an Italian company founded in 1937, famous for revolutionizing the world of mountaineering with the invention of the “Carrarmato” rubber sole. Vibram is now a global leader in the production of high-performance rubber soles used in outdoor, work, fashion, and orthopedic footwear. Present in over 120 countries, the company continues to stand out for its innovation, quality, and safety in the footwear industry.
The compression molding process for rubber soles is entirely manual. Labor is required for loading the material, checking the molding cycle, quality control, and unloading the product.
High rate of manual operations for low value-added activities.
Risk associated with the above transactions.
Process setup and management times (loading/unloading, control).
Ensure reliability in quality control.
Collaborative robotics. Repetitive tasks become easily replaceable.
Artificial intelligence applied to the transmission of information through image collection. The components are filmed and the information transmitted to the robot, which is guided by a smart camera.
Since the press loading operations are performed by the robot, risks for the operator are reduced to a minimum (workplace safety).
There is cognitive interaction between the robot and the operator. The robot follows the operator’s movements (they collaborate).
The operator takes on a more important role because they manage a process that includes robotics (a process of upskilling the worker is activated, who then acquires new skills).
Real-time verification of the correct sequence of operations.
The verification of defects and automatic setting of working parameters, which is currently left to the operator, allowing for the optimization of operations and a reduction in set-up times and defect levels.
