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Siemens and EPF: a powerhouse of technology for industrial automation
EPF develops robotics solutions and deals with industrial automation.

Machine Building

EPF

Carrù (CN) Italy

EPF
Carrù (CN),
Italy
Siemens Xcelerator
Sustainability
EPF is an Italian enterprise that develops robotics solutions and that deals with industrial automation.  Its core business is the creation of customized installations for users from the automotive, food, toys, gadget and pharmaceutical industry. Its mission is to provide flexible and innovative solutions that give the best ROI (return on investment).  Established in 1961, EPF is a small business that has the advantage of offering solid and diversified skills: 
  • software engineering: programmable logic controller PLC, robot, vision system, 2D and 3D, artificial intelligence
  • internal R&D department: self-funded and cooperates with universities and research centres 
  • mechanical and electrical engineering
Supata is the result of one of the latest collaborations between EPF and Siemens. It is about a robotic island designed to set up plants in different industrial product sectors.  
The strength of Supata is the ability to manipulate a multitude of components, and simplicity in changing size thanks to a vision system that automatically recognizes the parts inserted in the database. However, the real change has been AI integration. A software solution has been developped: integrating with a hardware ad hoc – it enables the deployment of AI models into an automation machine with minimum inference times to adapt to machine cycle.    
  • A Siemens hardware has been used, particularly an that integrates re-engineered video cards to cover an industrial load and to give the opportunity to Supata to turn at cycle time it needs.   
  • Dealing with software, a vision code has been written, that starting from the knowledge of EPF, aimed at recognizing the piece. It integrates neural network architectures, which are the state of the art for the "Object Localization" areas, in order to be able to abstract the task of finding the object even when the environmental conditions change (lights, position, shape of the object).  
Moreover, some apps are used to make it happen: 
  • the “Performance Insight” app: it allows checking that the vision algorithm always works with the same accuracy, by relating field data at the same time (for example, how many parts move the machine, with how many movements of the robot, etc.). The monitoring system is very useful, because it allows programming the machine’s maintenance, avoiding problems and production stops.   
  • the “Energy Manager” app: it provides the level of energy consumption per machined part. Thanks to the recent ISO5001 certification, the app is able to give energy transparency directly to the companies that use Supata.

Today, AI leads robot to take the object through an optimized process in which the algorithms plan the least amount of vibrations required, using probability calculations based on the position of the objects to collect. Therefore, a simulation in a photorealistic environment, inside an industrial metaverse, has taken place to achieve summary data and so training AI, before it even existed a new part.  All of this is thanks to: 
  • Omniverse, the simulation platform by NVIDIA 
  • the Isaac Sim app, which allows simulating robotic and artificial intelligence. 

In the case of Supata, we had to understand if the machine was able to meet certain performances, so if the algorithm is able to detect the objects position which have not yet created materially, by starting to the model CAD 3D of the object. Then synthetic images (not real) of the highest quality have been generated in the industrial metaverse, and we checked that the robot was able to meet the needs, everything in a simulated environment. Siemens and NVIDIA – pioneer company of graphic accelerated and AI- have recently announced the extension of their partnership to enable the industrial metaverse and to increase the use of digital twin technology leads by AI.  
In the case of size change particularly challenging, the first advantage of industrial metaverse is the possibility to train AI directly EPF’s headquarters, without needing to pick up the part and collect the new real images.  This can save the time of AI engineering without send our professional staff to our final clients. The second advantage is more commercial: when you introduce an innovative solution on the market, it is difficult making it clear the benefits attached to it. With a virtual simulation, the client can understand better how the machine can help him to solve some problems, or it can improve some cycles of production.
Franco Filippi - owner and CEO - EPF
The use of AI models implies the need to check its integrity over time.  For this reason, the deployment of Industrial Edge platform by Siemens, has become necessary to track Supata’s performances, through industrial apps.
EPF develops robotics solutions and deals with industrial automation.
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