When Universal Robots (UR) recently surveyed 1,200 manufacturers across North America and Europe about their use of technology and future investment plans, over 50 percent of the respondents indicated they are now using AI and machine learning in their production processes.
“AI isn’t just hype,” says Ujjwal Kumar, group president of Teradyne Robotics, parent company of Universal Robots.
“We’re seeing significant interest in physical AI. By adding high-performance compute hardware to our control systems and investing in targeted software upgrades, we’re establishing UR as the preferred robotics platform for developing and deploying AI applications.”
At UR’s IMTS booth #N 236131, September 9-14 in Chicago, the company will show a machine-tending application with new AI-based perception capabilities running on Nvidia Jetson and Isaac acceleration libraries integrated into UR’s new PolyScope X platform.
This combination enables dynamic path planning, ensuring the robot takes the most effective, collision-free paths in and out of the machine without requiring extensive user configuration.
UR plans to make this cutting-edge technology available for a wide range of applications, including machine tending and other material handling tasks.
“We’re looking forward to showing IMTS attendees robust deep learning solutions that will significantly impact manufacturing, especially for high mix/low volume production, which is increasingly common in machine tending,” Kumar adds.
AI will also be a focal point during UR’s popular Cobot Walks — guided tours throughout IMTS that explore the latest cobot innovations in machine tending, metal fabricating, support tools, UR+ peripherals, and education.
It’s all about uptime
An important production parameter is cobot uptime. To ensure seamless operations and increased efficiency, UR has launched the enhanced UR Care Service Plans that now offer preventive field service, onsite break-fix, dedicated remote support and secure cloud connectivity-based cobot service/performance monitoring through UR Connect, showcased for the first time at IMTS.
“We want to be our customers’ steadfast ally, helping them optimize performance, maintain peak hardware condition and uptime, and extend the lifespan of their cobots,” says Anurag Thakur, VP of service and aftermarket at UR, who also emphasizes UR Care’s new Field Service program, an offering that both ensures prompt onsite repairs with industry-leading response times and preventive maintenance visits by skilled automation experts.
Unlike other service and repair offerings that often involve numerous platforms, channels, and logins, UR now provides all service, support, and training through the fleet management portal myUR.
Flourishing ecosystem displays new cobot applications
With more than 60 collaborative robot arms from UR hard at work throughout the show floor at McCormick Place, IMTS 2024 is a testament to the rapidly expanding UR ecosystem with OEM, UR+, and Certified System Integrator partners exhibiting a wide range of UR cobot-powered applications.
The UR+ ecosystem recently hit a milestone, announcing 500 UR+ products. Some of these will be featured at IMTS including Groundlight AI; visual inspection and anomaly detection using AI, Zimmer’s tool changing interface also compatible for Schmalz grippers, SICK’s End-of-Arm Safeguard, Impaqt Robotics’ pneumagiQ, a universal pneumatic gripper interface, and Olis Robotics’ remote diagnostic and monitoring solution.
In UR’s booth, the UR+ products will be displayed alongside:
> Brinkman Automation’s “The Finisher” – the world’s first automated modular deburring, polishing, and cleaning cell powered by a UR5e cobot. The turnkey cell delivers high-precision finishing in a modular design with quick and easy changeover for multiple parts. An integrated cleaning system eliminates the need for a subsequent cleaning operation.
> Hirebotics’ Cobot Welder integrated with Miller’s Auto DeltaWeld, an advanced welder for cobot welding applications. Hirebotics will also show its programming platform Beacon, which now features “Fine Tune,” allowing customers to easily adjust the robot’s torch angles, and “Enhanced Stitch Weld” – a new capability enabling the re-sequencing of stitch patterns.
> Hurco’s VM15Di 3-axis CNC machine featuring tending by a UR20 cobot, UR’s longest reach cobot. The cobot machine tending system is seamlessly integrated to the Hurco CNC with a collaborative auto door, grippers, and pneumatic vises. Attendees can experience how easy it is to set up any job using Hurco’s Automation Job Manager software in under 5 minutes.
> Laser Marking Technologies’ Cobalt Dominator, tended by a UR3e cobot with OnRobot’s VGC10 gripper, laser marking custom UR branded luggage tags with individual attendees’ names. Repeatable, efficient unmanned operation with incredibly simple setup and use.
> Lights Out Manufacturing’s new solution based on the Aries 10 part feeder application, featuring a UR30 cobot, that enables lightning-fast part changeovers, allowing a different part to be loaded every single time. Attendees can interact with the system, telling the cobot the stock dimensions of each part and the CNC program associated with each piece of stock.
> Vectis Automation’s Park’N’Arc range extender for welding applications featuring the UR20 cobot. Vectis will also be showing some of their latest user-experience and ease-of-use cobot welding features including QuickTeach and AI Path Optimization.
Empowering tomorrow’s workforce
IMTS attendees can also find UR at the Smartforce Student Summit booth #121515 featuring four interactive demonstrations including a block stacking challenge for students, UR’s education kit for the classroom, and an exciting partner product featuring a UR cobot on an integrated mechatronics cart with safety.
