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Volkswagen orders staggering 800 ABB robots to build its new electric vehicles

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ABB has received a massive order for 800 industrial robots from Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles to support production of a new generation of electric vehicles at its plant in Hannover, Germany.

Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles is modernizing its Hannover factory and is installing state-of-the-art facilities to build the all-electric ID.

Buzz van, which will begin production in 2022. ABB’s robots will be installed in the body shop to undertake a range of body construction tasks. [Read more…] about Volkswagen orders staggering 800 ABB robots to build its new electric vehicles

ABB enhances portfolio of high-speed industrial robots with Codian acquisition

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ABB has acquired Codian Robotics B.V., a leading provider of delta robots, which are used primarily for high-precision pick and place applications. Codian Robotics’ offering includes a hygienic design line, ideal for hygiene-sensitive industries including food and beverage and pharmaceuticals. With the transaction, ABB is accelerating its engagement in the growing field of delta robots.

Codian Robotics is located in Ede, Netherlands and employs 20 people globally. The company will continue to serve its customers directly. The acquisition was signed and closed on October 1, 2020. Both parties have agreed not to disclose any details regarding the purchase price. [Read more…] about ABB enhances portfolio of high-speed industrial robots with Codian acquisition

ABB expands range of robotic solutions for cleanroom applications

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ABB is extending its robot offering for cleanroom manufacturing environments that need high levels of flexibility and performance. Certified to ISO 14644-1, the new cleanroom IRB 1100 combines fast performance in a compact design for industries including healthcare, pharmaceuticals, electronics, semiconductors and solar panel manufacturing.

Key features include hygienic paint and a sealed body to prevent leakage of contaminants such as grease, oil and particles, together with a mechanical design that minimizes gaps between the robot’s joints to discourage the growth of bacteria.

Two versions of the robot are available, one with a 4 kg payload and 475 mm reach, and one with a 4 kg payload and 580 mm reach. [Read more…] about ABB expands range of robotic solutions for cleanroom applications

ABB processing and packaging robots showcased in virtual exhibition stand

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With this year’s PPMA show being postponed, ABB has created a virtual exhibition stand demonstrating its latest products and solutions for processing and packaging applications. Accessible via bit.ly/ABB_PPMA2020, visitors will be taken on a panoramic tour to discover the benefits robots can bring to many industries worldwide.

The ABB FlexPicker IRB360 is featured on the stand, demonstrating its fast picking capabilities in a compact footprint. Featuring easy to rinse-off surfaces and joints and designed for picking and packing applications with high payloads up to 8kg, the FlexPicker has established a reputation for fast, flexible, and accurate performance in a wide range of food and beverage and pharmaceuticals applications. [Read more…] about ABB processing and packaging robots showcased in virtual exhibition stand

ABB expands small robot range with IRB 1300 for confined spaces

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ABB claims that the IRB 1300 dramatically improves cycle times with class-leading lifting ability, reach and path accuracy, in a smaller footprint to enhance productivity and production-line flexibility.

ABB is extending its family of small six-axis industrial robots with the launch of the IRB 1300, to meet demand for a faster and more compact robot able to rapidly lift heavy objects or loads with complex and irregular shapes.

Building on the success of ABB’s IRB 1600 robot for payloads up to 10kg, the IRB 1300 offers a 27 percent improvement in cycle times and is nearly 60 percent lighter and 83 percent smaller than the IRB 1600. [Read more…] about ABB expands small robot range with IRB 1300 for confined spaces

ABB unveils its customized automotive painting system PixelPaint

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ABB says its new PixelPaint system is 50 percent faster and more sustainable, using an inkjet head to eliminate overspray, ensuring two-tone paint and individual designs are applied in one pass, without masking and de-masking.

Millennials are driving demand for greater individualization, increasing the need for customized vehicle paint schemes, using either a second color, a different paint finish such as matte, or a special design.

Previously, applying a two-tone or customized design onto bodywork was a time and labor-intensive process that required the vehicle to be put through the painting line twice, once for the first layer and then, after the areas had been masked, again for the second color. [Read more…] about ABB unveils its customized automotive painting system PixelPaint

ABB offers augmented reality on a smartphone to simplify robot installations

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ABB’s new RobotStudio AR viewer provides a quick and convenient way of visualizing where and how robotic automation can fit into your process using a smartphone or tablet.

Discovering whether a robot is right for your application has never been easier following the launch of ABB’s new Augmented Reality viewer, which has been added to ABB’s powerful PC-based RobotStudio offline programming software.

The RobotStudio AR Viewer app can be used to test any model created in RobotStudio, enabling users to get an idea of the size and scale of a robot or robot cell and how it can be deployed on a factory floor to fit around any existing production equipment. [Read more…] about ABB offers augmented reality on a smartphone to simplify robot installations

ABB Dynamic Assembly Pack provides ‘missing last piece’ in automating final trim assembly applications

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ABB says its Dynamic Assembly Pack provides the “missing last piece” in automating final trim assembly applications. (See video below.)

New force control sensors enable robots to accurately perform assembly tasks during final trim assembly, improving productivity, ergonomics and quality.

Designed to offer a fast, accurate and safe automated solution for installing anything from seats, dashboards and carpets inside vehicle bodies, to doors, bumpers and wheels outside the vehicle, ABB’s new Dynamic Assembly Pack for Final Trim and Assembly (FTA) combines real time vision cameras on the robot gripper and arms with integrated force control sensors to allow the robot to precisely track the position of the car body as it enters the workstation. [Read more…] about ABB Dynamic Assembly Pack provides ‘missing last piece’ in automating final trim assembly applications

Japanese infrastructure company selects ABB’s Terra 184 electric vehicle chargers

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ABB’s newly launched Terra 184 electric vehicle chargers have been selected by Japan’s e-Mobility Power (eMP) to modernize the infrastructure for the country’s electric vehicle market and accelerate the nation’s shift towards sustainable mobility.

Financial details of the order were not disclosed.

The project is part of a broader push in Japan to increase the share of electric and plug-in hybrids to between 20-30 percent by 2030, from just 1 percent in 2018. [Read more…] about Japanese infrastructure company selects ABB’s Terra 184 electric vehicle chargers

ABB offers augmented reality on a smartphone to simplify robot installations

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ABB has launched its new RobotStudio Augmented Reality viewer to provide a “quick and convenient way of visualizing where and how robotic automation can fit into your process using a smartphone or tablet”.

Discovering whether a robot is right for your application has never been easier following the launch of ABB’s new Augmented Reality viewer, which has been added to ABB’s powerful PC-based RobotStudio offline programming software.

The RobotStudio AR Viewer app can be used to test any model created in RobotStudio, enabling users to get an idea of the size and scale of a robot or robot cell and how it can be deployed on a factory floor to fit around any existing production equipment. [Read more…] about ABB offers augmented reality on a smartphone to simplify robot installations