Field teaching at Yaskawa Ristro and Yaskawa Slovenia
Our students of the Mechatronics and Robotics department, accompanied by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sc. Marko Švaca and assistant Branimir Ćaran, visited the companies Yaskawa Ristro and Yaskawa Slovenija on March 6, 2025, which are engaged in the design and integration of robotic systems and the production of industrial robots. The goal of the visit was to provide students with a practical insight into industrial robotics and to familiarize them with all the steps and technological processes in production.
At the beginning, the students were taken through the Yaskawa Ristro company in Ribnica and three production halls, where they were introduced to the process of making robot stations, processing and testing positioners, and controlling robot components. They also had the opportunity to see the process of CNC processing of templates used in welding, and several robotic plants for various technological processes.
The Yaskawa Slovenia factory is located in Kočevje, not far from Ribnica, and is also one of only two factories in Europe that produce Yaskawa robots. At the beginning, a short informative presentation was held about the company's history, locations, business, main products and technologies used in production and development. The most important product is the GP (General Purpose) robot series, and individual models differ in their payload (from 8 to 225 kg).
During the tour of the robot factory, students had the opportunity to see the production and assembly lines of robots, as well as the processes for connecting the main mechanical and electronic components, which require a high level of precision and multiple controls. The operation of fully automated CNC machines that perform the final processing of finished castings of robot segments was demonstrated. It was especially interesting to see the fully automated casting warehouse, where robot segments are transported before and after CNC processing. After assembly, each robot undergoes thorough testing and calibration to ensure the required functionality and reliability in operation. Each robotic arm is cleaned before the painting process with dry ice (cleaning is performed by another robot) and then the paint is applied, also robotically, according to the customer's request. At the end of the process, students were able to see the test stations where each manufactured robotic arm is tested under full load in several hours of continuous operation. In this process, the repeatability of the robotic arm is also validated. In addition to the processes related to the robots, the process of assembling control units was briefly explained.
The visit to Yaskawa Ristro and Yaskawa Slovenia provided the students with valuable experience and a deeper understanding of working in the industry, which can serve as motivation for their further professional development and as an incentive to develop practical skills and critical thinking about future challenges in robotics.
More details about the factory can be seen at the following movie.
The project was co-financed by the European Union from the European Regional Development Fund
The website was co-financed by the European Union from the European Regional Development Fund.
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