At Automate 2019, the collaborative robot pioneer showcases new
cobot-powered solutions for machine tending, packaging, assembly, and
processing. The new applications debunk myths on what cobots can handle
while also addressing industries experiencing hiring issues.

ANN ARBOR, Mich.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–lt;a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/Automate2019?src=hash” target=”_blank”gt;#Automate2019lt;/agt;–When U.S. manufacturers were asked to describe their primary business
challenge, it wasn’t the increase of raw materials cost, trade
uncertainties, or rising health insurance expenses that topped their
lists. Close to 70 percent of manufacturers in the National Association
of Manufacturers’ 2018 fourth-quarter outlook survey responded
that attracting and retaining a quality workforce was their number one
concern while the Society of Manufacturing Engineers reported
that 89 percent of manufacturers have difficulty finding workers. The
labor shortage is especially prevalent in jobs with many repetitive and
ergonomically unfavorable tasks. “These are jobs that we like to refer
to as the ‘3D jobs’ – the Dirty, the Dull and the Dangerous,” says
Stuart Shepherd, Regional Sales Director of Universal
Robots’ Americas Region. “Collaborative robots are now increasingly
handling these types of tasks in manufacturing settings. Our booth at
Automate will showcase how we work with our rapidly expanding partner
network to develop solutions tailored to address the industries and
applications hardest hit by labor shortages.”

Universal Robots’ booth
#7154 at Automate 2019, the largest automation solutions event in
North America held in Chicago April 8-11, features four different
application clusters for machine tending, packaging, assembly and
processing. “We chose to focus on these applications as they are
currently experiencing a significant demand for cobot automation,” says
Shepherd. “These are also tasks where our cobots consistently deliver
ROI of less than a year, often paying themselves back in a few months as
cobots typically deploy up to 50 percent faster than traditional
automation.”

Conveyors and 7^th axis solutions now join
UR+ platform
Automate 2019 is the U.S. launchpad for several
new UR+
products. UR+ is a platform that connects UR cobot users to an
ecosystem of partners providing UR-certified, ready-to-use cobot
accessories such as grippers, vision systems and software. Debuting in
the packaging application area as UR+ products are Dorner’s 2200
Series Conveyor and SKF Motion Technologies’ LIFTKIT.

The Dorner conveyors are designed to be the infeed and discharge to
Universal Robots and feature the first plug-and-play conveyor-tracking
solution for collaborative robots. The control software is integrated
directly on the UR cobot’s teach pendant and enables the cobots to pick
items off the conveyor on the fly. This will be showcased by two UR5e
cobots equipped with UR+ end-of-arm-tooling; PIAB’s piCOBOT
and OnRobot’s RG2
Gripper. The LIFTKIT is a vertical positioning system, adding a 7^th
axis to the UR10e
cobot that will be palletizing with the Schmalz FXB vacuum gripper.
The liftkit comes ready to install including a telescopic pillar,
controller, and UR+ software plugin.

“Palletizing with cobots is a task where we see one of the most
significant ergonomic gains in the work environment,” says Shepherd.
“Alleviating workers from having to repeatedly bend over and perform
heavy lifts is an immediate winner. Eliminating or reducing carpal
tunnel issues in assembly applications is another low-hanging fruit,” he
says, highlighting the three different screw-driving applications at
UR’s assembly cluster at the show.

Dispelling cobot myths
The screw-driving applications cover
the full range of UR cobot capabilities, from the
UR3e table-top cobot assembling PCB boards, UR5e cobots equipped
with Robotiq’s
2F-140 grippers performing screw insertion in electrical cabinets,
to the UR10e utilizing an Atlas Copco Nutrunner to install bolts into a
six-cylinder engine block provided by an active UR customer. “This
application involves high-torque screw-driving and will surprise
attendees with the perception that cobots are light-duty,” says the UR
sales director. “Many won’t believe that the cobot can handle the force
back exerted during actuation, so we look forward to proving them wrong.”

Another myth UR is seeking to dispel is the notion that cobots are not
suited for processing applications such as spraying, polishing,
dispensing, and sanding. “Process automation is not what cobots have
been traditionally known to handle, but we’re starting to see
applications deploying quickly in these verticals,” says Shepherd,
emphasizing how UR+ products for this application cluster are furthering
deployments. A recent example is Dynabrade’s
robotic sanders that come in a UR+ kit including vacuum-ready
pneumatic sanders, robot mount, and a solenoid enabling robotic
operation. At Automate, the sanders will be shown in a polishing
application with a UR10e.

The new e-Series line of cobots go to work
The processing
applications are supported by the new built-in, tool-centric
Force/Torque sensor now available in Universal Robots new
e-Series line of cobots that launched last year. The sensor enables
the new UR cobots to take on applications requiring force control right
out of the box, such as assembly, sanding, buffing, polishing, and
deburring where force feedback is paramount in order to obtain uniform
results and repeatability. Another key feature in the new e-Series is
the Process Motion functionality in the software that enables the UR
cobot to process the part keeping the same TCP speed during operations,
a feature essential to most automated process tasks. This will be
demonstrated by an inverted UR3e in a dispensing application.

Whereas processing is a new application area for cobots, machine tending
has long been the bread and butter for collaborative robots. “Having an
expensive machine sit idle, missing out on orders due to lack of
staffing, is every manufacturer’s nightmare,” says Shepherd.
“Collaborative robots excel at repetitive machine tending, and we’re
constantly optimizing solutions for this important task,” he says
mentioning the new dual-tending application at the show that features a
single UR5e cobot tending two CNC machines in the same cycle. To further
streamline spindle uptime, the cobot is equipped with Robotiq’s UR+
certified double HAND-E
gripper that can remove a part and insert a new part in the same
handling move.

The rapidly expanding UR+ platform now includes more than 140 certified
UR+ products with 400+ companies in the commercial developer program. In
addition to the four application clusters, the UR booth also includes a
‘play pen’ area where attendees can walk right up and interact with the
cobots that will be equipped with end-of-arm-tooling from UR+ partners
including ATI
Industrial Automation, SCHUNK,
Zimmer
Group, PhD
Inc., and Soft
Robotics.

To further the discussion on how cobots can address labor shortages,
Universal Robots recently published the whitepaper “CRISIS in
Manufacturing – Leveraging New Technologies to Address the Labor
Shortage.” Download it here: urrobots.com/Labor

Download photos and videos of Universal Robots’ Automate 2019 booth
here: urrobots.com/Automate2019

About Universal Robots
Universal Robots was founded in 2005
to make robot technology accessible to all by developing small,
user-friendly, reasonably priced, flexible industrial robots that are
safe to work with. Since the first collaborative robot (cobot) was
launched in 2008, the company has experienced considerable growth with
the user-friendly cobot now sold worldwide. The company, which is a part
of Teradyne Inc., is headquartered in Odense, Denmark, and has
subsidiaries and regional offices in the United States, Germany, France,
Spain, Italy, Czech Republic, Poland, Turkey, China, India, Singapore,
Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Mexico. In 2018, Universal Robots had a
revenue of USD 234 million. For more information, please visit www.universal-robots.com
or read our blog at blog.universal-robots.com.

Contacts

Company contact:
Joe Campbell
Senior Manager, Strategic
Marketing
& Applications Development
[email protected]
1-844-GO-COBOT

Media
contact:
Mette McCall
McCall Media
[email protected]
415-847-8649