HANNOVER -- A number of equally exciting technological themes were in the limelight at Ligna 2019, the global candy story for all things cutting edge in the woodworking industry.   The 5-day event attracted more than 90,000 from at least 100 countires to view 1.4 million net sq. ft. of exhibit space. 

 

A recurring theme across the globe is the shortage of skilled labor.  No surprise then that robots of all sizes and performing a wide range of tasks held court in many Ligna exhibit spaces.  

Some of the typical robot capabilities like panel handling have reached an advanced degree of sophistication.  Robot fed panel saws can now work automonously in lot sizes of one and with the ability to handle parts of all sizes and shapes.

 

Also on display were collaborative robots working in concert with their robotic brethren (cobots) or working side by side with their human counterparts with seamless integration.   A number of exhibitors displayed manufacturing cells featuring multiple robots involved in the singular goal of parts manuacturing.  Such systems are made possible by advanced vision and/or RFID systems and data capture and processing.

 

 

Amongst the 1500 plus exhibitors were the 

 

Demonstrated technologies:

 

Robots

Automated Guided Vehicles

 

buzzwords:

 

collaborative, 

flexible, smart, cobots, AGV's, and predictive.  Certainly the equipment on display at Ligna is faster and more reliable, but in many cases speed is trumped by flexibility

 

Woodworking Network caught up with Georg Frey Industry 4.0 guru and president, of Lignum Consulting at Ligna 2019 last week in Hannover.  Frey will be discussing Industry 4.0 in his presentation titled,The Connected Factory/Industry 4.0" Frey said the connected factory is already transforming the woodworking and furniture industries. 

 

"For example, robots are now integrated into more areas of manufacturing.  Enhanced vision systems allow robots to work more closely with their human production colleagues than in the past, when human workers were shielded from working near robots with cages, fencing and safeguarded perimeters.

 

 

Automated Guided Vehicles 

 

Collaborative robots or Robots

 

Flexible manufacturing lines versus rigid lines

 

Robots about to become pervasive in woodworking

 

I just returned from the woodworking industry's version of the Consumer Electronics Show, which is known as Ligna.  Held May 26-31 in Hannover, Germany Ligna 2019 was a veritable candy story for all things cutting edge in the woodworking industry.  Beyond the buzzwords like Internet of Things, and Smart, the production cells demonstrated at Ligna were real time proof of exciting developments that are here now and also a glimpse of what is to come.

 

Robotics are still not all that common in the modern woodworking plant.  If the presence of robots at Ligna is any indication we can soon expect to see robots in action in woodworkoing operations of all sizes and any type of finished product.  , robots are everywhere, in all sizes performing tasks ranging from typical material handling to working side by side with their human counterparts with seamless integration.  

 

Amongst the Robot demonstrated technologies at Ligna:  

 

• Gluing

• Drilling and boring 

• Autonomously operating panel sawing operations

• Sorting and handling

• Automated Guided Vehicles

 

I caught up with Georg Frey, Industry 4.0 guru and president of Lignum Consulting at Ligna.  Frey commented on how robots are moving into just about every sort of woodworking operation: 

"For example, robots are now integrated into more areas of manufacturing.  Enhanced vision systems allow robots to work more closely with their human production colleagues than in the past, when human workers were shielded from working near robots with cages, fencing and safeguarded perimeters.

 

collaborative, 

flexible, smart, cobots, AGV's, and predictive.  Certainly the equipment on display at Ligna is faster and more reliable, but in many cases speed is trumped by flexibility

 

 

 

 

Automated Guided Vehicles 

 

Collaborative robots or Robots

 

Flexible manufacturing lines versus rigid lines

 

 

 

 

I just returned from the woodworking industry's version of the Consumer Electronics Show, which is know at Ligna.  Ligna 2019 in Hannover, Germany was the global candy story for all things cutting edge in the woodworking industry. First of all, robots are everywhere, in all sizes performing tasks ranging from typical material handling to working side by side with their human counterparts with seamless integration.  Amongst the 1500 plus exhibitors were the 

 

Demonstrated technologies:

 

Robots

Automated Guided Vehicles

 

buzzwords:

 

collaborative, 

flexible, smart, cobots, AGV's, and predictive.  Certainly the equipment on display at Ligna is faster and more reliable, but in many cases speed is trumped by flexibility

 

Woodworking Network caught up with Georg Frey Industry 4.0 guru and president, of Lignum Consulting at Ligna 2019 last week in Hannover.  Frey will be discussing Industry 4.0 in his presentation titled,The Connected Factory/Industry 4.0" Frey said the connected factory is already transforming the woodworking and furniture industries. 

 

"For example, robots are now integrated into more areas of manufacturing.  Enhanced vision systems allow robots to work more closely with their human production colleagues than in the past, when human workers were shielded from working near robots with cages, fencing and safeguarded perimeters.

 

 

Automated Guided Vehicles 

 

Collaborative robots or Robots

 

Flexible manufact