Robotics & Automation News

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Rethink Robotics: 5 tips for getting started with collaborative robots

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Rethink Robotics outlines what manufacturers need to think about when making the leap into the world of cobots

Collaborative robots, or cobots, are providing manufacturers of all sizes with the capability to automate more than ever before. We know that getting up and running with a cobot quickly is a priority, to see results as soon as possible.

We’ve spent a lot of time in our customers’ factories, and many of our team members came from the manufacturing world themselves.

[Read more…] about Rethink Robotics: 5 tips for getting started with collaborative robots

Rethink Robotics’ Sawyer bridges workforce gaps at Cox Container

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Cox Container, LLC, a plastics blow moulding manufacturer, has deployed Rethink Robotics‘ Sawyer robot at its Troy, Alabama, USA, facility to address challenges associated with labour shortages and offering high quality jobs to its workers.

Cox Container, LLC, currently operates several blow molders, 24 hours per day in its 73,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility.

Cox Container accommodates custom orders, so adaptability from both human workers and machines is a critical need as the company shifts between high-volume, low-mix and low-volume, high-mix models.

[Read more…] about Rethink Robotics’ Sawyer bridges workforce gaps at Cox Container

PMC ‘increases efficiency and quality’ with Rethink Robotics’ Sawyer

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Plastic Molded Concepts, a plastics injection molding manufacturer, has installed Rethink Robotics’ Sawyer robot at its Eagle, Wisconsin facility to drive business growth and offer high-quality jobs for workers. (See video below.)

Rethink claims that PMC has found that using Sawyer “increases throughput efficiency and job quality” in its facility.

PMC has turned to automation to boost the productivity of its 38 molding machines. As a first step, Sawyer is making parts for a pressure gauge.

Larry Floyd, president at PMC, says: “We qualify our success in terms of efficiency, and there’s no better solution to efficiency than automation.  [Read more…] about PMC ‘increases efficiency and quality’ with Rethink Robotics’ Sawyer

Electronics industry increasingly relies on collaborative robots to boost productivity, says Rethink Robotics

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Rethink Robotics says its collaborative robot Sawyer augments human efforts by taking on tedious tasks like circuit board testing, quality control

Rethink Robotics, a provider of collaborative robots for the manufacturing industry, has seen significant collaborative robot adoption by leading electronics manufacturers.

The company says manufacturers are “increasingly choosing Rethink Robotics’ Sawyer to increase productivity and relieve employees from performing repetitive tasks”.

Sawyer is characterized by intelligent force control, which enables the precise and appropriate use of force when handling electronic components, fragile parts and high-quality accessories.  [Read more…] about Electronics industry increasingly relies on collaborative robots to boost productivity, says Rethink Robotics

Rethink Robotics launches new software for Sawyer industrial robot

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Company says Sawyer will now be able to produce real-time robot performance and manufacturing data

Rethink Robotics has released Intera 5.2, an expansion of its “first-of-its-kind” Intera software platform which provides critical data insights about its Sawyer industrial robot to manufacturers in real time. 

Rethink Robotics’ Sawyer gives operators and line managers valuable data at a glance, including metrics such as cycle time, part count, speed and force – data that has never before been available through a single collaborative robot vendor.

The new feature, Intera Insights, displays key performance indicators via a customizable dashboard on the robot’s on-board display, making it accessible directly on the factory floor.  [Read more…] about Rethink Robotics launches new software for Sawyer industrial robot

P4Q ‘increases productivity, improves part quality’ with Rethink’s Sawyer industrial robot

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Rethink Robotics’ collaborative robot Sawyer is being utilised by Spanish electronics manufacturer to achieve higher levels of consistency

P4Q, a Spanish manufacturer of electronic products and systems, says it has increased production throughput by 25 percent by deploying smart, adaptable automation on the factory floor.

Rethink Robotics’ Sawyer is testing printed circuit boards and driving improvements in process consistency that are resulting in better part quality and overall production output, says the company.

P4Q has been looking to automate more of its factory for many years to improve efficiency and consistency, but traditional caged robots were unappealing due to high costs and employee safety concerns.  [Read more…] about P4Q ‘increases productivity, improves part quality’ with Rethink’s Sawyer industrial robot

Moduform puts Rethink Robotics collaborative robot to work making furniture

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Challenged with a hard-to-find human workforce, family owned company brings in a robot

Family-owned furniture manufacturer Moduform has given a job to Rethink Robotics’ Sawyer collaborative robot at its Fitchburg, Massachusetts facility.

Faced with a shortage of workers, Moduform brought in Sawyer to fill that gap.

The company says utilising the collaborative robot is also helping to improve innovation, create better jobs for existing employees and meet market demands in the furniture manufacturing industry.  [Read more…] about Moduform puts Rethink Robotics collaborative robot to work making furniture

Tennplasco invests in Rethink Robotics’ Sawyer Robot and sees return in under four months

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Tennplasco, a plastic injection molding company, says it solved its labor shortage and met its return on investment just three and a half months after integrating Rethink Robotics’ Sawyer into its Lafayette, Tennessee facility. 

The company says it has increased its productivity and efficiency, giving it a competitive advantage in the injection molding market.  [Read more…] about Tennplasco invests in Rethink Robotics’ Sawyer Robot and sees return in under four months

DHL invests in four new Sawyer collaborative robots from Rethink Robotics

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DHL has invested in four new Sawyer robots in order to evaluate the solution as part of its robotics research and development programme.

The company describes the purchase of the Sawyer robots as “the first step” in its robotics deployment journey.

DHL says the collaborative robots will be flexibly used across its 19 contract packing, or “co-packing”, and production logistics centres across the UK and Ireland region.  [Read more…] about DHL invests in four new Sawyer collaborative robots from Rethink Robotics

Rethink Robotics signs up nine new distribution partners in Europe and the US

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Rethink Robotics has signed deals with nine distribution partners throughout the United States and Europe to extend the availability of its smart, collaborative robots.

With an extensive network throughout the world – including partners in the US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, China, Korea, Japan, Mexico and Australia – these distribution deals are part of Rethink’s efforts to meet growing demand across the globe, bringing flexible automation to the global manufacturing market.

With the launch of the Intera 5 software platform and ClickSmart family of gripper kits earlier this year, Rethink says it now offers a complete range of products and services to “help manufacturers around the world improve productivity“.  [Read more…] about Rethink Robotics signs up nine new distribution partners in Europe and the US