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the need for enhanced safety and
risk management in industries
such as aviation, construction,
mining, and oil and gas.
Recently, Kane Robotics devel-
oped a collaborative robotic
(cobot) systems for material
removal applications such as
sanding, grinding and polishing.
The company said its GRIT Vision
System applies computer vision to
the GRIT cobot for tasks such as
removing coatings from helicopter
main rotor blades and polishing
fighter jet canopies after thermo-
forming to remove orange peel
and achieve optical clarity.
GRIT comes in three sizes to
accommodate a variety of jobs,
and the system combines AI with labor-intensive jobs,” Hiken said. transferring them to a hydraulic
visual sensors to automate its stacking system that puts them
accuracy and speed. P&W with its Alfred in alignment...Alfred doesn’t
mind the pressure. He’s built
Collaborative Robotic Similarly, Pratt & Whitney’s for it,” Gilbert Sim, Director of
Systems Eagle Services Asia engine Aftermarket Operations, CORE
centre in Singapore has signifi- and Technology Transformation,
Though initially designed for cantly reduced the time required said.
material removal in the aero- to assemble high-pressure
space industry, the robot can compressor rotors for the GTF Pratt & Whitney is developing and
be configured for metalworking, PW1100G-JM engine, with a robot testing the robot, with plans to
woodworking, and other types named Alfred. bring it online in 2025.
of manufacturing, explained the
Austin, Texas-based company. The robot was made for one In a broader context, it is also
purpose: to assemble a high-pres- an example of Pratt & Whitney’s
“Aerospace and defense man- sure compressor rotor for the GTF investment in automation, con-
ufacturers require extremely PW1100G-JM engine that powers nectivity and data analytics
precise sanding, grinding, the Airbus A320neo family of – advancements in manufacturing
polishing and finishing work aircraft. often grouped under the label
to ensure parts meet regula- “Industry 4.0.”
tory requirements and achieve With the push of a button, Alfred
top performance,” said Kane springs into motion, effortlessly And now they’re expanding those
Robotics COO Alan Hiken, a swapping out the tools on the end advancements to Pratt’s main-
composites expert with a 30-year of its arm just as a person would tenance, repair and overhaul, or
career in aerospace engineering. change gloves, and tackling tasks MRO, facilities.
that, to a human operator, carry
GRIT is the second generation the risk of burns and other occu- “We’re putting together a stan-
of Kane’s collaborative robotic pational injuries. dardized playbook to share
solutions. with other Pratt & Whitney MRO
“Working within a 26-by-20-foot shops,” Sim said. “This will help
“GRIT cobot solutions provide pen, Alfred’s job is to prepare them cut down on implementa-
the highest-quality work and rotors – first by placing them in tion time and quickly learn from
help save teams from injuries an industrial oven, then wait- our experience, making their
and illness by filling repetitive, ing for them to cool, and finally process smoother and faster.”
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