Towards an automatic generation of multiform geometry trajectories in new-generation robotics

The industry is facing a market trend demanding high productivity, quality, and customization, with small and diverse production batches. In the Basque Country, many companies manufacture unique or short-run products, requiring highly flexible and intelligent manufacturing environments. This High-Mix, Low-Volume (HMLV) model forces companies to redefine their processes to remain competitive and sustainable.

Industrial robots have long been key in automation, but they traditionally operate independently and repetitively. In HMLV scenarios, with constant changes, more flexible and easily reconfigurable solutions are needed. The Smart Industry (Industry 4.0) paradigm enables real-time connectivity between robots and sensor-equipped systems.

However, manual reconfiguration of automated systems remains complex, expensive, and requires advanced robotic expertise, often lacking in SMEs. The programming effort increases with the geometric complexity of each product. Although progress has been made, current solutions are mostly suited for flat or simple parts, limiting their use. Thus, trajectory automation continues to be a key challenge to enhance efficiency and profitability in dynamic manufacturing environments.