Shaping the future BendWizard: a tool for off-line programming of robotic tending systems

Setting up a robot to make metal cabinets or cases for desktop computers can be a complex operation. For instance, one expert might be required to carry out a feasibility study, and then another to actually program the robot. Understandably, the need for so much expertise, and the time that is required, generally limits the usefulness of automation to high-volume production. Workshops producing parts in batches smaller than 50 or so, or which rely heavily on semi-skilled operators, are therefore often discouraged from investing in automation, and so miss out on its many advantages. What is needed is a software tool that operators without special knowledge of robotics, or with no more than rudimentary CAD skills, can use; one which allows easy offline programming and simulation of the work cell on a PC.