Kane Robotics Launches Smart Cobot Solution for Sanding, Grinding, Finishing in Aerospace Manufacturing An Innovative New Way to Automate Aerospace Manufacturing
Chino, Calif.
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April 13, 2023 09:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time
Kane Robotics today announced the launch of its first collaborative robot (cobot) solution, the GRITTM cobot. Developed by aeronautics and composite experts, GRIT dramatically improves productivity, reduces health risks, and solves labor shortages for aerospace maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) companies.
The first cobot solution innovated for composites sanding, Kane’s GRITTM cobot works alongside humans to perform labor-intensive sanding, grinding and polishing for materials removal within any size and type of manufacturer.
Unlike traditional industrial automation, GRIT solutions are reconfigurable for different tasks. With three sizes, the cobots can accommodate a wide variety of jobs. They are accessible even for smaller manufacturers; a GRIT system requires an average investment of just $100,000, with customers reporting a 100% return on investment after six months.
“Aerospace and defense manufacturers require extremely precise sanding, grinding, polishing and finishing work to ensure parts meet regulatory requirements and achieve top performance,” says Kane Robotics COO Alan Hiken, a composites expert with a 30-year career in aerospace engineering. “GRIT cobot solutions provide the highest-quality work and help save teams from injuries and illness by filling repetitive, labor-intensive jobs.”
The GRIT helps aerospace manufacturers complete jobs such as:
Sanding primer from interior aircraft components
Polishing fighter jet canopies after thermoforming to remove orange peel and achieve optical clarity
Removing coating and sanding surfaces for paint preparation or repairs on helicopter main rotor blades.
GRIT is the second generation of Kane’s collaborative robotic solutions. Manufacturers in aerospace, defense and other industries recognized impressive results from the first generation, including:
Exponentially increased productivity. A 12-hour sanding job can turn into 3.5 hours when done by a GRIT cobot. Moreover, cobot sanding is precise and uniform, minimizing the need for further detail work before starting second-phase operations.
Reduced health risks. Kane’s GRIT cobot reduces repetitive injuries to wrists, elbows and shoulders and respiratory and ocular illness caused by airborne particles. Companies report significant savings in healthcare costs.
Filling job vacancies. U.S. manufacturers have difficulty attracting new workers, especially for taxing work like sanding. GRIT cobots can help fill those roles and lessen the need to replace retiring workers as the manufacturing workforce ages. A GRIT cobot can free veteran workers to do what they do best – operations that require higher-order reasoning and decision-making.
GRIT solutions are designed for ease of use and require no specialized expertise to install, operate, or program. The practical system is compact and mobile and plugs into 110V electrical outlets. It can be operated by staff technicians and be up and running in almost any manufacturing facility within hours or days rather than months or years. Because GRIT solutions are quick to set up and operationalize, they realize near-immediate ROI.
“With GRIT, manufacturing teams can simultaneously improve their productivity and solve safety and labor shortage challenges,” says Kane CEO John Spruce.
See a live demonstration of Kane Robotics’ GRIT cobot at booth #4806 at the MRO Americas Aviation Week exhibition, April 18-20, 2023.
Contact Kane for more information at https://kanerobotics.com/contact/.
About Kane Robotics
Since its founding in 2019, Kane Robotics has collaborated with manufacturers in aerospace, defense and other industries to simplify material removal processes through automation, creating the first collaborative robot (cobot) built specifically for composites sanding. Kane’s reconfigurable and easy-to-operate cobots work alongside humans to perform safe and precise sanding, grinding and finishing. The compact, mobile and affordable cobot solutions are accessible to all sizes and types of manufacturers and offer a pragmatic way to dramatically increase productivity, improve safety and fill job vacancies for dangerous, repetitive and labor-intensive tasks. With extensive experience in aerospace and defense, Kane’s industry experts are considered some of the top minds in the world for automation in sanding and composites. Learn more about Kane’s cobot solutions at https://kanerobotics.com/.
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Center Reach Communications
Leigh Villegas
+1 229-220-9660
leigh@centerreachcommunication.com
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