![[caption id="attachment_103124" align="aligncenter" width="740"] The new BotX Welder developed by Hirebotics and using the UR10e cobot, lets manufacturers automate arc welding with no capital investment, handling even small batch runs not feasible with conventional automation. Source: Universal Robots[/caption] ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Shortages of skilled workers and increasing demand are leading to a deficit in welding. At FABTECH, collaborative robot arms from Universal Robots A/S will be part of three welding automation systems to address this challenge. According to the American Welding Society, the average welder today in the U.S. is 55 years old, and less than 20% of welders are under the age of 35. These demographics lead to a projected shortfall of 400,000 welders by 2024. Weld shops already can’t find enough skilled people, and they can’t automate the increasing amount of high-mix/low-volume production runs with traditional welding robots. "Addressing the severe labor shortage in weld shops with cobots is now a solution that we see rapidly emerging, as industry leaders and innovators start offering automated welding tools utilizing the Universal Robots’ platform,” said Stu Shepherd, regional sales director of Universal Robots’ Americas division. “FABTECH attendees will witness how the ease of use and versatility of the UR cobots can translate into unique new welding automation tools in ways few believed were possible just a couple of years ago." BotX – hire a robot welder by the hour The new BotX Welder, developed by Hirebotics, Red-D-Arc, and Airgas, uses a UR10e cobot to address two major hurdles of robotic arc welding: ease of programming and the ease in which a customer can obtain the system without assuming the cost of ownership. There are no installation costs with BotX. With cloud monitoring, manufacturers pay only for the hours the system actually welds, thereby enabling the manufacturer to hire and fire BotX as business needs dictate. “We chose Universal Robots to power BotX for several reasons,” said Rob Goldiez, co-founder and CEO of Hirebotics. “With Universal Robots’ open architecture, we were able to control not only wire feed speed and voltage, but torch angle as well, which ensures a quality weld every time." Customers can teach BotX the required welds with app on any smartphone or tablet, said Hirebotics. It accesses a library of welding recipes contained in the BotX software developed specifically for the BotX and optimized to work with Airgas’ ARCAL shielding gas. The complete BotX product offering comes with the UR10e cobot arm, cloud connector, welder, wire feeder, MIG welding gun, weld table, and configurable user-input touch buttons. The BotX is now available to early access customers. It will be on display at FABTECH in Chicago, doing live welding in Airgas’ Booth B19043 and in OnShape’s Booth A1345 on Nov. 11-14, 2019. Vectis Automation’s Cobot Welding Tool offers intuitive design Debuting in Universal Robots’ FABTECH Booth B35083 featuring a UR10e cobot is Vectis Automation’s new Cobot Welding Tool. The company said it is "a portable, safe, versatile, and extremely easy-to-use solution that is even available as a low-risk, no-capital rent-to-own option." Vectis’ Let’s Weld Together programming interface is accessible directly through the UR cobot’s own teach pendant. Programs can be created, saved, and later recalled to handle the numerous part numbers typical for high-mix/low-volume shops. “We saw Universal Robots prevail as the undisputed leader in the cobot market, lowering automation barriers through ease of use and fast deployment,” said Josh Pawley, director of business development and co-founder of Vectis Automation. “We wanted to build our cobot welder on this platform, providing the same user experience to welders that manufacturers in many other industry verticals now enjoy." He added that the Vectis Cobot Welder is commonly 25% to 40% less expensive than the "all-in" cost of a small traditional robot welder. The Vectis system comes with all hardware provided fully integrated onto a 3 ft. x 6ft. mobile modular fixturing cart. This is intended to enable metal fabricators to bring the cobot to the work, or the work to the cobot, with no anchoring nor dedicated footprint required. SnapCut – a cobot that cuts through steel A traffic-stopper at last year’s FABTECH was SnapWeld, the first integrated MIG welding system for collaborative robots available through Universal Robots’ UR+ platform, which certifies products to work seamlessly with UR cobots. SnapWeld was launched by ARC Specialties. It has further developed the UR product portfolio with the release of SnapCut, which allows traditional metal fabricators to cut shapes in three-dimensional steel components with no prior robotic or computer programming knowledge. SnapCut will be showcased in Universal Robots’ FABTECH Booth B35083 using a UR10e cobot to manipulate a Hypertherm cutting torch to desired positions around the cutting path. "With SnapCut, we have developed a tool that allows metal fabricators to deploy UR cobots to cut nonstandard positions on location with near plasma table quality,” said John Martin, vice president at ARC Specialties. “We’re providing an easy automation alternative to a process that today is primarily done manually.” Users can easily switch between plasma cutting and welding, turning SnapCut into SnapWeld, said ARC Specialties. The company added that it recently updated the SnapWeld interface. It is preloaded with welding schedules so that even users without prior robotics experience can input the material information and then teach the welding path by pointing the robot at the weld. UR16e debuts at FABTECH FABTECH is also metal fabricators’ first chance to see Universal Robots’ new heavy-duty UR16e, which boasts an impressive 16kg (35 lb.) of payload capability. The new cobot combines high payload with a reach of 900mm and pose repeatability of +/- 0.05mm, making it ideal for automating tasks such as heavy-duty materials handling, deburring, and machine tending. Universal Robots said the UR15e has the highest payload and best pose repeatability in this reach class. The new cobot is put to work in the UR booth by Fusion Cobotics, a UR partner that has developed the FC Series, a pre-configured machine tending solution with the UR16e. Manufacturers can utilize the equipment for efficient, reliable, uninterrupted machine tending throughout the day and into the off-shifts (lights-out) enhancing the ROI capital equipment without tying up money and valuable floorspace usually required by conventional robotic machine tending solutions.](https://www.cobottrends.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Welding4-300x169.png)
With shortages of skilled welders, shops are turning to automation to help. Several welding robot systems using UR cobots will be on display next month at FABTECH.
Collaborative Robotics News
FANUC America opens robotics facility in Michigan
FANUC America today held the grand opening of its new 461,000 square-foot North Campus robotics and automation facility in Auburn Hills, Mich. And collaborative robots played a major role in the grand opening celebration. FANUC invited customers, local officials, educators, suppliers, and the media to an official program, ribbon cutting ceremony and facility tour. Special […]
Doosan Robotics opening US headquarters
Doosan Robotics, the South Korean-based cobot manufacturer founded in 2015, will open its first headquarters in the United States by the end of 2019. Located in Buford, Georgia, the US headquarters will lead sales, marketing, training, and service for customers in the Americas. Doosan launched its first-generation M Series cobots in 2018. Doosan’s M Series […]
SRAP from SICK adds safety controls for collaborative robot applications
The Safe Robotics Area Protection, or SRAP system from SICK is designed to be easy to integrate, provide safety around automation, and reduce downtime.
Rethink Robotics GmbH announces Sawyer Black Edition cobot
A year after HAHN Group acquired the assets of the defunct Rethink Robotics Inc., Rethink Robotics GmbH unveiled Sawyer Black Edition, which is quieter, more precise, and intended for industrial applications.
Vectis welding cobot addresses labor crisis, rising costs
Vectis Automation, a Fort Collins, Colo.-based company with employees who have 60-plus years of combined experience in the robotic welding industry, is looking to help solve the lack of skilled welders. The company will debut at Fabtech, Nov. 11-14 in Chicago, the Vectis Cobot Welding Tool that is powered by a UR10e cobot from Universal Robots. […]
Eureka Robotics develops Archimedes robot with human-like dexterity
Manufacturers could benefit from the human-like dexterity of the Archimedes system, which combines a six-axis robot arm, machine vision, and AI, said Eureka Robotics.
Mobile YuMi cobot to automate hospital tasks
ABB opened its first global healthcare research hub on the Texas Medical Center (TMC) campus, in Houston, Texas. ABB showcased a number of concept technologies, including a mobile YuMi robot that assists with laboratory and logistics tasks in hospitals. The dual-arm, mobile YuMi will be able to sense and navigate its way around its human […]
Ford Spain uses MiR collaborative mobile robots to increase productivity
Ford Spain recently acquired three MiR100 collaborative mobile robots to help reduce the time and human effort involved in moving materials in its Valencia factory.
piCOBOT vacuum gripper now compatible with more cobots
piCOBOT, a vacuum-based end-of-arm tool from Piab, is now compatible more collaborative robots and even smaller industrial robots. This is possible thanks to a new generic electrical interface and new mechanical mounting plate options that are in accordance with the ISO 9409-1 standard. piCOBOT was originally certified to work with cobots only from Universal Robots […]
How to get started with cobots
These five tips for how to get started with collaborative robots come from Rethink Robotics GmbH’s experiences with its customers.
6 novel applications for collaborative robots
The global market for collaborative robots (cobots) will grow from $710 million in 2018 to $12.3 billion in 2025. While much of that growth will continue in automotive, electronics, and other manufacturing, the safety and flexibility collaborative robots will bring robotics to an ever-wider range of users. Here are some unconventional examples of how cobots […]
Doosan cobots now available in China
Doosan Robotics’ M Series Cobots are now available to customers in China. The M Series Cobots offer reaches between 900-1,700 millimeters and payload capacities of 6-15 kg.
CARLO surgical platform includes KUKA LBR Med for precision, responsiveness
Advanced Osteotomy Tools needed a cobot that was easy to use and sensitive to surgeon direction for its CARLO laser bone surgery system. It found one in the LBR Med from KUKA.
Registration opens for Healthcare Robotics Engineering Forum
WTWH Media, which produces Cobot Trends, has announced that registration for the Healthcare Robotics Engineering Forum is now open. The event will be in Silicon Valley on Dec. 9-10, 2019.
ABB YuMi 2-arm cobot automates assembly tasks for DEONET
Collaborative robots can help small and mid-size enterprises stay competitive, providing the benefits of industrial automation but with greater ease of use, affordability, and flexibility. Dutch manufacturer DEONET is an example of how robots that work alongside people can boost quality and productivity. DEONET was founded 25 years ago and is based in the technology […]
UR16e is Universal Robots’ strong cobot ever with 35 lb payload
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, […]
OnRobot unified interface simplifies cobot end-of-arm tooling
OnRobot A/S announced a unified electrical and mechanical interface for its end-of-arm tooling for collaborative robot arms. The company said it will make robotic applications faster and easier to implement, dramatically simplifying automation. With a single robotic system, a single platform for programming and training, and a single vendor relationship, manufacturers now have access […]
How magnets give this robotic gripper a soft touch
The University at Buffalo developed a two-fingered dynamic gripper that could only refine robotic grasping and improve safety for collaborative robots that work around people. The robotic hand absorbs energy from impacts during collisions. This prevents whatever the robot is holding from breaking, and also makes it safer for people to work with and near […]
RT Corp raises $3.8M for Foodly lunch-packing humanoid
RT Corp., a Tokyo-based developer of service robots founded in 2005, raised 400 million yen ($3.8 million) in Series B funding for its food-picking collaborative robot Foodly. RT said it will use the funding RT to strengthen its business structure and hire personnel. Foodly is designed to work alongside people in food factories. RT said […]
