The characteristic light-blue jointed collaborative robot arms from Universal Robots will be spotted hard at work throughout IMTS in Chicago, USA, from 10-15 September, 2018.
The numerous IMTS exhibits are a testament to the wide range of tasks and solutions now automated by UR.
The cobots will handle vision-guided product inspection, ride on top of mobile robots while performing machine tending, automate laser marking, change pallets, conduct 3D scans of booth visitors, and much more.
Universal Robots has created the UR+ platform, an online showroom and developer program that takes the trial and error out of creating a robot application by providing access to products verified to work optimally with UR robots.
From grippers to software, sensors, vision cameras, and accessories, Universal Robots+ is a collaboration between Universal Robots and the developer ecosystem. The platform currently includes 104 certified UR+ products and 359 approved commercial developer companies, many of them exhibiting their product on UR cobots at IMTS.
“We have successfully developed a rapidly expanding ecosystem around our cobots,” says President of Universal Robots, Jürgen von Hollen.
“IMTS attendees will see how the fast and easy integration of our collaborative robots’ arms now drive both cobot-assisted OEM solutions and a host of new plug and play products certified for Universal Robots.”
Attendees visiting Universal Robots’ own IMTS booth will also get a chance to experience the market leading cobots at UR’s two-story booth featuring the company’s new line of collaborative robots, the e-Series.
Using a hand-tool for polishing a complex and moveable surface, the new UR10e cobot will demonstrate how the e-Series is ready to take on applications requiring force control right out of the box.
With a new built-in force/torque sensor, the UR10e robot handles sanding, buffing, and deburring where force-feedback is paramount in order to obtain uniform results. Attendees can interact with the cobot, adjusting its force through a touch screen.
UR+ enabled end-effectors are all integrated with the URCap software, which gives full control over the gripper’s position, force, and speed through the UR teach pendant.
Several new UR+ grippers have been developed for the new e-Series, including Robotiq’s new gripper Hand-E, completing Robotiq’s product line of adaptive grippers that all connect directly on the e-Series wrist.
Debuting at IMTS is Purple Robotics’ gripper, the PR10. With its collaborative nature and double-grip function, the PR10 can handle several items in a single operation.
Unlike traditional vacuum grippers, the PR10 requires no external air supply and can be installed in less than 30 minutes with no prior training.
“Vacuum grippers have been used for more than 40 years, typically as custom designs taking up to three weeks to build,” said Lasse Kieffer, CEO and founder of Purple Robotics. “Vacuum applications can now be done off-the-shelf with the PR10 and quickly deployed without any engineering.”
Another new gripper addition to the UR+ platform, launching at the show, is Soft Robotics unveiling its new one-of-a-kind soft robotic gripping system, specifically designed for Universal Robots.
The Soft Robotics Development Kit – UR+ (SRDK-UR+) enables adaptive handling of unstructured tasks and objects of varying size, shape and weight.
“We’re thrilled to bring Soft Robotics’ technology to Universal Robots, and develop the first customisable gripper system specifically designed for the collaborative robot space,” says Carl Vause, CEO of Soft Robotics.
The UR cobots can be seen at the following IMTS booths: 3D Infotech; ALL AXIS ROBOTICS; ARIS Technology; ATI Industrial Automation; Bimba Manufacturing; Cognex; Computech Mfg. Co. Inc.; Emerging Technology Center; Energid; Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence; Hurco Companies Inc.; igus Inc.; MIDACO; Mobile Industrial Robots (MiR); READY Robotics; OCTOPUZ Inc.; OnRobot; SCHUNK; Starrett Metrology; Takamatsu Machinery; TUV Rheinland; and Versatech.
