Comau Advances EU-Funded CONVERGING Project with New Collaborative Robotics Solutions for Aerospace and Additive Manufacturing

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• The multi-year EU-funded project seeks to develop and validate smart, flexible production systems that integrate multiple autonomous agents, including cobots, AGVs, and human workers
• Comau is tasked with developing collaborative solutions for aerospace and additive manufacturing applications, in addition to general support for  automotive and white goods
• Comau’s medium-payload collaborative MyCo robot is being used to enhance efficiency and flexibility in industrial environments
• The company is also driving the creation of a collaborative remote inspection robot to innovate and streamline aircraft maintenance

Comau is contributing to the European Union’s CONVERGING project, which aims to advance smart and reconfigurable production systems to meet the challenges of modern manufacturing. By integrating collaborative robots, autonomous guided vehicles (AGVs), artificial intelligence and human operators, CONVERGING seeks to create human-centric production systems that can perceive, reason, adapt, collaborate and innovate. As part of the multi-faceted project, Comau has spearheaded two cutting-edge, collaborative robotic solutions, each designed to address a distinct industry challenge.

During the second project review held on November 5 at the Teaching Factory Competence Center premises in Patras (Greece), organized by the Laboratory for Manufacturing Systems and Automation (LMS) of the University of Patras (Greece), Comau introduced its prototypes, developed at the company’s headquarters in Turin, for testing ahead to the project partners as well as a delegation from the European Commission consisting of the project officer and two reviewers.

The first Comau-led deliverable concerns the design and engineering of a medium-payload MyCo collaborative robot (cobot) used for collaborative post processing of additive manufactured parts, combining human-safe operation with the precision and adaptability required in advanced manufacturing environments.

The second pilot focused on the aerospace sector, where Comau developed a collaborative remote inspection robot for non-invasive aircraft wing inspection – a  task that has traditionally been performed manually. Developed within the Aeronautics Open Pilot Line of the CONVERGING project, the innovative solution, powered by the 6-axis MyCo medium-payload cobot, integrates advanced kinematics, precision mechanics, and remote-control capabilities to support additive manufacturing and maintenance operations. In doing so, it enhances inspection accuracy and safety, reduces maintenance time, and optimizes the aircraft maintenance lifecycle.

“The CONVERGING project reflects a strategic effort to enable next-generation manufacturing by promoting reconfigurability, efficiency, and human-centric automation,” explains Nicole Clement, Chief Advanced Automation Solutions Officer at Comau. “By leveraging our extensive expertise in robotics and industrial automation together with our new cobots and AMRs, Comau aims to contribute to the development and deployment of innovative technologies that will redefine the future of manufacturing and maintenance processes.”