Convergent Manufacturing Robotic Workcells for MRO High-Mix Operations

Advanced/Additive Manufacturing

Traditionally, robotics solutions in maintenance and sustainment activities have been inflexible and expensive, requiring significant upfront costs, single-purpose systems for each process, and manual programming for every setup and part. As a result, robotics usage in high-mix sustainment operations have been severely limited due to setup complexity and processing inflexibility. Despite necessary and critical investments for fleet sustainment and readiness, increases in the cost-per-flight-hour metric in recent years have raised concerns, with a 20% jump between FY21 and FY23. Additionally, maintenance bottlenecks contribute to grounded aircraft and assets that are not available to the warfighter and mission capability.

Cohesive Robotics delivers smarter robots for high-mix manufacturing and maintenance across critical industries. We enable convergent manufacturing that combines additive manufacturing processes including Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing for metals, with essential post-processing such as grinding and polishing. With this, unique parts can be manufactured or repaired, quickly bringing critical components to dimensional specification.

Our core solution is Argus OS™, a proprietary, AI-enabled software stack that eliminates complex, time-consuming programming and integration for easier automation. Its flexibility supports a wide range of applications and OEM hardware, ideal for high-mix production requiring part variation and workflow flexibility.

Argus OS™ provides a truly autonomous, no-code, and no-teach experience, featuring:

• Support for additive and topology-based applications (e.g., sanding, coating, welding, polishing).
• 3D vision-based AI part scanning and registration (with or without CAD data).
• On-the-fly, collision-free robot programming and motion planning for most robot OEMs.

Key benefits for DOD mission needs include:

• Increased Productivity: Boosts production by 30% or more.
• Consistent Quality: Reduces rework/scrap rates by 80% or more through precision and consistency.
• Enhanced Safety: Automates dangerous tasks, reducing accidents.
• Greater Flexibility: The same workcell can adapt to perform multiple tasks (e.g., AM/weld, grind, and polish a part).

Venture-backed Cohesive Robotics has deployed several Smart Robotic Workcell solutions to commercial customers over the past 18 months, demonstrating high utilization and customer satisfaction in applications that previously could not support automation due to the high-mix production environment.