SMARTHANDLE | Resilient manufacturing lines based on smart handling systems

Summary

Manual and automated production lines must evolve to “produce more and diverse with less”, however they need to address shortcomings such as

  • high product variants requiring tool level dexterity and resource level reconfigurability
  • lack of cognitive perception systems to allow autonomous reasoning and operation
  • absence of adaptable control to accurately handle a variety of workpieces and materials, and
  • inefficiency of planning systems in addressing holistically all hierarchical production levels.


SMARTHANDLE will research technologies to address these needs and support European industry, by implementing

a) intelligent, reconfigurable agents to provide dexterity in a range of handling applications,

b) AI based reasoning enablers to optimize the flexibility potential of these agents

and c) Higher-level planning and coordination mechanism to allow the successful and scalable deployment of such solutions in real life use cases.

SMARTHANDLE is a research and innovation action (RIA) nevertheless, it acknowledges that such technologies can be meaningful only if they lead to solutions that address real life needs. Thus it has engaged 3 use cases from the consumer goods (MENICON-handling of deformable, delicate and high precision parts: contact lenses), Metal Industries (ALUMIL- packaging of large variable section materials: aluminum profiles) and automotive tier-1 suppliers (ABEE- disassembly of complex products: batteries) involving dexterous operations that are not possible to implement with the existing technologies.

SSH aspects will be addressed, demonstrating benefits for workers by reducing their involvement in unsafe and unhealthy tasks, improving their working conditions when working in areas where the SMARTHANDLE reconfigurable solutions will operate.

More information & hyperlinks
Web resources: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101091792
https://smarthandle-project.eu/
Start date: 01-01-2023
End date: 31-12-2025
Total budget - Public funding: 5 995 176,00 Euro - 5 995 176,00 Euro
Twitter: @SmarthandleEU
Cordis data

Original description

Manual and automated production lines must evolve to “produce more and diverse with less”, however they need to address shortcomings such as
- high product variants requiring tool level dexterity and resource level reconfigurability
- lack of cognitive perception systems to allow autonomous reasoning and operation
- absence of adaptable control to accurately handle a variety of workpieces and materials, and
- inefficiency of planning systems in addressing holistically all hierarchical production levels.

SMARTHANDLE will research technologies to address these needs and support European industry, by implementing a) intelligent, reconfigurable agents to provide dexterity in a range of handling applications, b) AI based reasoning enablers to optimize the flexibility potential of these agents and c) Higher-level planning and coordination mechanism to allow the successful and scalable deployment of such solutions in real life use cases.

SMARTHANDLE is a research and innovation action (RIA) nevertheless, it acknowledges that such technologies can be meaningful only if they lead to solutions that address real life needs. Thus it has engaged 3 use cases from the consumer goods (MENICON-handling of deformable, delicate and high precision parts: contact lenses), Metal Industries (ALUMIL- packaging of large variable section materials: aluminum profiles) and automotive tier-1 suppliers (ABEE- disassembly of complex products: batteries) involving dexterous operations that are not possible to implement with the existing technologies.

SSH aspects will be addressed, demonstrating benefits for workers by reducing their involvement in unsafe and unhealthy tasks, improving their working conditions when working in areas where the SMARTHANDLE reconfigurable solutions will operate.

Status

SIGNED

Call topic

HORIZON-CL4-2022-TWIN-TRANSITION-01-04

Update Date

23-01-2023
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Factories of the Future Partnership - Made in Europe Partnership

Made in Europe (MiE)
HORIZON-CL4-2022-TWIN-TRANSITION-01
HORIZON-CL4-2022-TWIN-TRANSITION-01-04: Intelligent work piece handling in a full production line (Made in Europe Partnership) (RIA)
C MANUFACTURING
C25 Manufacture of fabricated metal products, except machinery and equipment
C25.1 Manufacture of structural metal products
C25.11 Manufacture of metal structures and parts of structures
Result items:

Packaging of aluminum profiles on pallets based on personalized customer orders

MiE_25-27_RP01: Sustainable value network resilience and competitiveness through robust and flexible production technologies
MiE_25-27_RP02: Excellent productive and flexible Manufacturing automation for open strategic autonomy
MiE_25-27_RP03: Recovering and preserving the European leadership in strategic and high value added products
Comment:

Disassembly of complex products: batteries

MiE_25-27_RP03_PastCallTopics(main)
HORIZON-CL4-2022-TWIN-TRANSITION-01-04: Intelligent work piece handling in a full production line (Made in Europe Partnership) (RIA)
MiE_25-27_RP05: The next level of circular economy through scalable, highly productive and zero-defect re-manufacturing technologies
MiE_25-27_RP05_PotentialFutureResearch
MiE_Potential_27-05 Lighthouses for (cross) Sectorial transformation pathways towards circular economy
MiE_25-27_RP05: The next level of circular economy through scalable, highly productive and zero-defect re-manufacturing technologies
Specific Objective 1: Excellent, responsive and smart factories & supply chains
R&I Objective 1.2: Scalable, reconfigurable and flexible first-time right manufacturing
HORIZON-CL4-2022-TWIN-TRANSITION-01-04: Intelligent work piece handling in a full production line (Made in Europe Partnership) (RIA)
R&I Objective 1.5: Advanced Manufacturing processes for smart and complex products
HORIZON-CL4-2022-TWIN-TRANSITION-01-04: Intelligent work piece handling in a full production line (Made in Europe Partnership) (RIA)
Horizon Europe
HORIZON.2 Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness
HORIZON.2.4 Digital, Industry and Space
HORIZON.2.4.1 Manufacturing Technologies
HORIZON-CL4-2022-TWIN-TRANSITION-01
HORIZON-CL4-2022-TWIN-TRANSITION-01-04: Intelligent work piece handling in a full production line (Made in Europe Partnership) (RIA)