Universal Robots added the UR16e collaborative robot to its e-Series line-up that was first introduced in June 2018. The UR16e features a 16 kg (35 lbs) payload, which is the company’s strongest cobot ever. The UR16e also has a 900 mm reach and ± 0.05 mm repeatability. The UR3e, UR5e and UR10e, the other cobots in UR’s e-Series,…
How UR10 cobots help Ohio manufacturer address labor shortage
thyssenkrupp Bilstein Suspension is a global company known for it innovation in chassis engineering. With production facilities in Asia, Europe and North and South America, the company supplies a complete range of damping and suspension products. Challenge thyssenkrupp Bilstein of America’s manufacturing plant in Hamilton, Ohio was facing an increase in customer demands combined with…
Designing parallel grippers for collaborative robot precision
Providing the right motor for small precision devices can be challenging, as New Scale Robotics found when it designed a parallel gripper for cobots.
Hirebotics BotX Welder uses UR10e cobots to automate arc welding
Hirebotics’ BotX Welder uses UR10e cobots to automate arc welding in response to a shortage of skilled welders.
Phillips partners with Universal Robots for cobot CNC machine tending
Phillips Corp. and Universal Robots are working together to help small and midsize manufacturers apply UR collaborative robots to tending Haas Automation CNC machines.
Ket-Met machine tooling shop cuts costs by 40% with UR cobots
Ket-Met, a Finnish subcontract machine tooling shop, found that its existing CNC machines required too much manpower to stay competitive. It reduced machine hour costs by 40% with UR cobots.
OnRobot opens office in Los Angeles for cobot gripper R&D
As demand for collaborative robots grows, so too must suppliers of end-of-arm tooling. OnRobot, which makes the Gecko gripper, opened its first U.S. R&D office in California.
PHD adds gripper options, transition plate to product line
PHD has released a new jaw-travel option for its GRR grippers, offered the Pneu-Connect X2 with dual grippers, and announced seventh-axis transition plates for its Series ESU and UR cobots.
Multi-tool mount enables 1 UR e-Series cobot to use 3 grippers
New Scale Robotics (NSR) has announced the first multi-tool mounting system for Universal Robots (UR) e-Series cobots. The NSR-MTM-3-URe Multi-Tool Mount (NSR-MTM) allows users to mount and control up to three grippers or other tools on one UR e-Series cobot. The NSR-MTM System allows users to quickly set up and perform multiple processes with one robot.…
Toolcraft turns to UR e-Series cobots to save on production, increase throughput
In this case study, Toolcraft had to take on a third shift and precisely move medical parts in its CNC machine. With an integrator’s help, the machine shop used a UR5e cobot to increase production.
Universal Robots launching 50 authorized training centers
Universal Robots (UR) is launching Authorized Training Centers (ATCs) that offer classes spanning basic to advanced programming of UR cobots. UR is planning 50 fully authorized ATCs worldwide, 13 of which will be in North America. The first few ATCs in the U.S. have already been authorized and are now offered by the following UR…
5G is coming, so robotics innovators should get ready, say Verizon, Qualcomm at Robotics Summit
At the 2019 Robotics Summit & Expo, executives from Verizon, Qualcomm, and other companies emphasized the importance of readiness for the variety of robotics applications that 5G will enable.
Sepro Group to integrate Visual Control System with Universal Robots cobots
Sepro Group, which makes industrial automation for plastics injection molding, will be integrating is Visual Control System with collaborative robots from Universal Robots.
6 robotics applications demonstrating new tech, markets
As robots expand beyond manufacturing, what should developers know about new applications? Here are six examples of robotics needs.
Growing the robotics industry requires partnerships, says MassRobotics at ESC
At the Embedded Systems Conference, a MassRobotics co-founder explained where developers and investors should look for successful commercial robots.
OnRobot acquires Blue Workforce assets, robotics developers
Two more Danish robot makers merged, as OnRobot acquired the intellectual property and some staffers from bankrupt Blue Workforce. OnRobot plans to become a one-stop shop for collaborative robots.
Robotiq shows new vacuum grippers, sanding kit at Automate 2019
CHICAGO — Automation is widely viewed as the solution to worsening labor and skills shortages in manufacturing, but adoption has been relatively slow, especially among small and midsize businesses, according to several exhibitors at Automate 2019 here this week. A common theme that has emerged in discussions is that robots need to be designed for…
Universal Robots founder Esben Østergaard steps down
Esben Østergaard, the co-founder and chief technology officer of Universal Robots A/S, today announced on LinkedIn that he is stepping down. “Today is a very special day for me — it was the last day I was working at Universal Robots,” he began in a brief video. “It is a company I founded 14 years…
Schunk Expert Days reveal state of robotics
One of the things I like about attending Schunk’s annual two-day International Expert Days conference is that it covers a range of topics. From conversations with speakers, exhibitors, and fellow attendees, I get a feel for what users need and the challenges robot and gripper makers face in meeting those needs. Another attraction is that…
Nord Modules builds modular systems with customer feedback, exec experience
Mobile robots have proliferated in factories and warehouses, and a key component is how they interface with production lines, conveyor belts, or human workers. Nord Modules last week announced its entry into the U.S. market with flexible systems that work with Mobile Industrial Robots’ MiR line of autonomous mobile robots. Such modular loading and lifting…
UR to address manufacturing labor shortage with new app solutions at Automate
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — 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…
Robotics cluster in Odense, Denmark, offers metrics for growth
What makes a robotics cluster successful? Proximity to university research and talent, government support of entrepreneurship, and a focus on industry end users are all important. Around the world, regions have proclaimed initiatives to become “the next Silicon Valley.” However, there have been relatively few metrics to describe robotics hubs — until now. This week,…
Swedish machine shop boosts capacity with cobot cell
Founded in 1983 and based in the town of Åseda in Southern Sweden, FT Produktion is a machine shop that supplies metal parts measuring up to 7.5 meters in size to a variety of industries. The company has 25 employees that hail from Sweden, Norway, Lithuania, Syria, and Thailand who work in tandem with neighboring company Profilgruppen.…
Universal Robots hires 20+ former Rethink Robotics employees
Universal Robots (UR) has hired 20-plus former Rethink Robotics employees, primarily within engineering and product development roles. In an email to The Robot Report, a UR spokesperson said the company is taking over Boston, Mass.-based Rethink’s old office at 27 Wormwood Street. UR recently opened a Boston office less than half a mile away. Jim…
Universal Robots adding metal fabrication offerings at FABTECH
Universal Robots, the Odense, Denmark-based collaborative robotics market leader, is launching new offerings for metal fabrication at FABTECH 2018. FABTECH takes place Nov. 6-8 in Atlanta at the Georgia World Congress Center. Universal Robots’ (booth C-12116) new offerings, which are all integrated on the new flagship e-Series, include plug-and-play integration with Dynabrade orbital sanders, ARC…