Robotics & Automation News

Market trends and business perspectives

ati force torque sensor

Nasa supplier ATI develops new low-cost force-torque sensor

 

A company which supplies products to Nasa – among others – has launched a new, “low-cost” force / torque sensor.

ATI Industrial Automation says its Axia 80 provides “high resolution with outstanding overload protection”.

Robert Little, CEO of ATI Industrial Automation, says: “There’s been a movement in the industry to start automating man-made products.

“In order to for them do that, they need robots. In order for those robots to be completely successful, they need force sensing feedback.”

Like all of ATI’s force/torque sensors, the Axia 80 measures all six components of force and torque, says the company.

 

ati force torque sensor

The monolithic instrumented transducer also features silicon strain gauges that reduce noise, enable high stiffness, and provide overload protection five to 20 times over the sensing range, says ATI.

The Axia 80 is programmed with two different calibrations that the operator can switch between while the application is running.

The default calibration allows for a large sensing range during high-speed moves or while applying high force.

The smaller calibration suits more delicate processes that require higher resolution and accuracy.

All the electronics are built into the transducer body, and the sensor connects directly to the robot controller.

This keeps the unit’s cost down and footprint smaller, without sacrificing accuracy, resolution, or robustness, says ATI.

The Axia 80 communicates through EtherCat or Ethernet and is “ideal for robotic assembly, grinding, and polishing applications”, claims ATI.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email