The YuMi series collaborative robot (cobot) helps testing insulin pens and ensures meeting the highest possible quality requirements for manufacturing of such vital devices.

Novo Nordisk, an international pharmaceutical corporation, was the first in Russia to use the YuMi cobot. The YuMi IRB 14 000 automates some quality control operations at the insulin manufacturing facility in Kaluga, Russia.

The YuMi works in a laboratory and uses two robotic arms for testing ratchets of insulin pens. It ensures that they work correctly in several positions with limits of deviations. Such tests can confirm functional safety of the device that is vital for people with diabetes.

Aleksandr Novoselov, head of the robotics department, at the ABB Russia, commented: “The YuMi cobots proved their effectiveness in various industries across the world. That is why the usage of a cobot by ABB at a Russian plant is an important moment for us and the Russian robotics industry as a whole.” He added that they hope that using cobots will become a key trend of automation in Russian factories, since it results in improved product quality and efficiency, as well as in making safer and more comfortable working conditions for thousands of employees.

The introduction of the cobot in the lab allowed Novo Nordisk to reduce the workload and automated monotonous and repetitive operations. Now the workers are in charge of the new robotic system.

According to Rita Rocha, vice president of manufacturing at Novo Nordisk, the robot helps to reduce the workload and marks the next step towards digitization in Russian plants and factories. It allows the employees of the Novo Nordisk facility in Kaluga to get new skills and experience which will be useful for future projects.

The next plan of the pharmaceutical company is to fully automate the production line. It’s expected that the robots can interact with each other and solve logistical problems.

If you are interested in more budget-friendly solutions, then the xArm-7 by uFactory can be sufficient for such tasks.

The cobot was integrated by ATM Technology, an ABB partner. The experts did several engineering works including development of unique grip systems for the YuMi that are designed to work with insulin pens. The engineers also participated in the process of training Novo Nordisk workers for operating the system.

Mikhail Klypo, the vice director of development at ATM Technology, mentioned: “The project is the first of its kind in Russia. It was a unique experience for us, as well for ABB. The fact that the integration was successful means that if there is any problem that can be solved with the help of a single-robot complex, then we will solve it. We learned how to do complex operations that require several touch points with one controller. This project is important for our portfolio, as well as for that of ABB.”

According to the IDF (International Diabetes Federation), the number of people with diabetes in Russia exceeded 8.2 million. Insulin production and manufacturing of devices that inject it into the human body is very important. IBB is proud to be a part of such developments of the pharmaceutical industry.

The usage of robotics in healthcare and pharmaceutics open wide possibilities for various developments of such industries in the future. According to internal research done by ABB, the global market of non-surgical medical robots will reach 60,000 systems by 2025. It’s 4 times more than in 2018. ABB has brought to life several projects in the non-surgical robotics field. For example, the concept of “The Clinic of the Future” was launched in 2019 with the help of YuMi cobots. The cobots developed by IBB are used in Italy for automatic testing of centrifuges for blood analysis. The new automation system based on the ABB solutions helped to speed up COVID-19 testing processes in Singapore.

A robot by ABB will automate the work at a pharmaceutical plant in Russia