A unique flexible welding solution “FlexHex”, winner of an international call for Technology Transfer Projects organized by the Digital Innovation Hubs² (DIH²) network has entered the next phase of production and will be put out to industrial experiments, comment developers from the Danish-Lithuanian consortia.
Earlier, we announced the success of a Danish-Lithuanian consortia’s flexible welding solution “FlexHex”. It has won an equity-free investment of €248,000 in the Open Call for Technology Transfer Projects organized by Digital Innovation Hubs² (DIH²). Laurent Marquis, the CEO of “FlexHex” has already answered to our questions earlier, right after the results of a DIH² Open Call were announced. Find the full interview on their winning solution HERE.
A founding member of our Association, robotic solutions developers at Factobotics have also contributed to this unique solution as one of the technology providers in the consortia.
In the words of its developers, “The whole idea of this Flexible Welding Cell solution is to bring more agility and flexibility in the manufacturing process. There are many different processes but this project focuses on welding since it is a complex and time-consuming process that requires specific technology. We found the way to make this process more flexible and faster at the same time maintaining highest accuracy for a cheaper price. ”
FlexHex is a flexible welding cells solution that ensures higher stiffness and accuracy in fixating workpieces in e.g. assembly, welding, part holding and precision position sensing for in-line calibration.
Currently we are working on the layout and preparing the different parts to order. In the meantime, we are working on the software and the robot program. The schedule is tight with the experiment inside the SME, which is a partner of the project, is projected to be by the end of the year.
Laurent Marquis, CEO of FlexHex.
As of 1st July, the project has entered the production phase after which the experiments in a Lithuanian SME will follow. A metal technologies company “LT Technologies” was chosen as the main site for experimenting a new flexible welding robot.
FlexHex aims to develop, produce and market robotic Hexapod solutions as a mean to enable fast and cost-effective changeover in production. The hexapod system is fully integrable with the robot activities in production lines, and the merging of the two technologies leads to an economical, flexible and high quality fixture that ensures higher stiffness and accuracy in fixating workpieces in e.g. assembly, welding, part holding and precision position sensing for in-line calibration. Hexapod system enables companies a faster transition to the needs of the market.
Lithuanian Robotics Association (LRA) is a coordinator of a Digital Innovation Hub and a core partner of the DIH² consortium. LRA seeks to become a “one-stop shop” for everything robotics-related in Lithuania and is building an ecosystem around major robotic solution providers and competence centres in Lithuania.
DIH² is a network of 26 European Digital Innovation Hubs. It aims to:
- Improve the cost-effectiveness of advanced robotics solutions;
- drive the growth of the robotics market;
- generate innovation that maximizes productivity and optimizes agility in over 300,000 manufacturing Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) and Mid-Caps across the European Union.