How the use of robots accelerates the innovation process at Henkel
Innovation
27 Sept 2022
The back-and-forth motion of vacuuming takes time and energy that could be used for more entertaining endeavors. With the invention of the robotic vacuum cleaner, it’s now possible to let the vacuum clean the dirty parts of your home while you’re away. This is just one of many examples of how using robots can change one’s life and work and make it more efficient. After all, automatic assistants offer a lot of potential and opportunities if they are used in a smart way. In this interview, Martin Altrock, lab technician at Adhesive Technologies, explains how running experiments in automated labs at Henkel’s Inspiration Center Düsseldorf (ICD) accelerates the innovation process.
1. What did your day-to-day look like before the introduction of lab robots?
Martin: During my apprenticeship, I worked in quality control for Pritt and Metylan, which required an overwhelming amount of repetitive manual labor, usually checking the viscosity of the products, the compression-strength of Pritt, or grain size for Metylan. What amazes me still: how involved I had to be in all of these processes and all of the different tests I had to keep an eye on at the same time.
2. How are product tests conducted today?
Martin: With the automated labs in the ICD, the machines take a lot of pressure off my colleagues and I; they complete the routine, repetitive tasks required for accurate research and development. We can set to run the robots 24/7, which means less downtime to get the results we need and more time for us to generate new formulations in the meantime.
We can set to run the robots 24/7, which means less downtime to get the results we need and more time for us to generate new formulations in the meantime.
Martin Altrock, Lab Technician at Adhesive Technologies
3. Which potential does the use of automated assistants unlock?
Martin: In addition to carrying out the tests, automation has also made tracking the results much faster and easier. Normally when you think of lab work, you think of people playing with Bunsen burners and having to write everything in a lab notebook. Now that we’ve digitalized the tests, we can store the information with Albert, our cloud-based software for product development processes. Once I create a task in the machine, Albert will pick up the task number and test results and upload the data in a zip file, which is then available for other researchers around the world.
Another advantage of our automatic assistants is that they remove human error caused by tiredness, or even minor changes in the environment, like the temperature of your own hand. In case of a failed experiment, it’s also much easier to trace and identify the potential sources of error.
4. What does a typical workday with the automated assistants in place look like for you?
Martin: As a technician for the automated lab, my tasks include programming the machines according to what they should be doing and conducting regular maintenance checks. This maintenance also includes finding out ways to make testing processes smoother. However, the equipment has its limitations and that’s where I step in. Many people think that the machine and the test will work with the simple push of a button. But it takes some tinkering to get the robots to run the test the way it should. One time, it took me a full workday to get the robot to measure the sample correctly, since it must be told specifically how it should run the tests. The robots don’t have visual sensors that tell them how to handle a sample. Once the setting is saved, though, it’s in the software memory forever so it can be reused continuously.
Martin uses the computers next to the substrate pulling machine to program the next tests.
I’ve always had a passion for finding weak links in processes. There’s an element of detective work needed to find out where the problem is and to figure out how to fix it. Essentially, I find the rough patches and sand them down like a toy racetrack, until the car I send down the line doesn’t slow down anymore or get thrown for a loop.
There’s an element of detective work needed to find out where the problem is and to figure out how to fix it.
Martin Altrock, Lab Technician at Adhesive Technologies
5. Where else will the robots be used in the future?
Martin: We’re planning on expanding the number of Henkel automated labs, a couple of which are already in the works: the Inspiration Center in Shanghai, China, and another one in Rocky Hill, USA. Each lab will be established and equipped based on the need for what’s being developed. It all depends on the solutions that we make, since each one has its own specifications that need to be accounted for.
Every innovation starts with an extraordinary idea. But an idea is only the first step. A leap forward in innovation requires more. It takes an idea that excites – the market, consumers, or our customers. The key to sustainable growth and prosperity are innovative products and technologies that address challenges, bring about change and achieve visions.
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