ODL Inc. produces flat glass panels used for skylights, windows, and decorative applications in residential buildings. Workers at the company's Zeeland, Mich. facility manually handled the panels, which put them at risk of injuries resulting from shattered glass and repetitive motion. The company sought a safer way to handle the large panels.

'Employee safety is our number one concern,' says Al Neilly, director of process engineering.

Fortunately, ODL learned that robotic handling cells could handle the panels with ease.

'Robots are built to hold up under this type of repetitive motion, and they don't get bored and make mistakes that might cause injuries,' explains Neilly.

ODL installed two robot cells to handle the panels, which has improved worker safety as well as increased productivity. Each robot can pick and place 3,500 to 4,000 pieces of glass per shift. That is up to 150% more panels per shift than a human operator, which results in lower cost per part. ODL has also achieved faster throughput rates and reduced labor costs.

Racks holding between 245 and 435 glass panels, depending on the style, are delivered to the robot cells via forklift truck. One rack is located on each side of the robot cells. Guarding around the cells allow operators to safely remove an empty rack and reload a full rack on one side of the cell while the robots unload glass panels on the other side.

The robots use an automatic search function to locate the position of the glass panel at the front of the rack for each pick cycle. Cycle time per pick is about 15 to 20 seconds. The robots are equipped with a pneumatically actuated vacuum gripper, enabling them to pick up one large panel or two smaller panels off the racks. The robot then places individual glass panels onto a continuously moving conveyor that feeds a glass washer/dryer and subsequent operations.