Robotics Month in focus — Setting a record for product introductions
ABB Robotics has set a record with 12 new product introductions in 2013.
Throughout November, the ABB Robotics Team has delivered unprecedented amounts of content for ABB’s first ever Robotics Month. Blog posts, feature articles, new webpages, YouTube videos and the important launch of our newest robot, the IRB 6700, combined to make the month an exciting success. Each story describes some of the truly amazing ways in which ABB’s industrial robots and solutions have delivered measurable bottom line results for our customers.
Even so, sitting on a train to Göteborg (Gothenburg in English), Sweden’s second largest city, it dawned on me. Actually, it hit me like the proverbial ton of bricks: there is still one thing we haven’t shared. In truth as the Global Products Communications Manager, I should be embarrassed for not having thought of it before because, well, it pretty much defines what I do for a living!
What is this important item? A countdown of the new industrial robots and robotic solutions ABB has brought to market in 2013.
Since January 1, 2013, ABB Robotics has introduced 12 new products—a record number in one year for us!
In descending order the new products are:
(12) IRB 360 FlexPicker® 6kg — December 16
With the introduction of the IRB 360-6, the last robot to be added to the IRB 360 family, ABB has delivered a FlexPicker with a reach of 1600 mm and a mid-range payload of 6 kg. The sacrifice of a small amount of payload versus the 8 kg FlexPicker has resulted in a long reach for applications in which conveyors must be far apart or other environmental factors require long distances between pick and place movements.
(11) Twin Robot Xbar — November 29
Better known as the TRX, this fast and flexible parts transfer system has an output rate of up to 16 parts per minute for big panels in tandem press lines.
(10) IRB 6700 — November 5
The IRB 6700 family of robots is a natural evolution following more than 30 years of large robot heritage at ABB, featuring a multitude of next generation improvements meant to obtain the lowest total cost of ownership.
(9) ABB Integrated Vision — October 28
ABB Integrated Vision is a powerful smart camera system that makes vision-guided robotics applications faster and easier to deploy than ever before.
(8) Integrated Force Control — October 14
Small variations in the manufacturing phase can mean the difference between success and failure. To help deal with these issues, ABB force control technology makes robots more intelligent and able to handle variations in the process with real-time external inputs—much like a human would when handling a delicate item or precise dimensions.
(7) IRB 6660 — September 30
ABB has been developing robot-based press automation solutions for more than two decades. In September, our company introduced its latest variant, the IRB 6660 100/3.3, which is up to 15 percent faster than its counterparts.
(6) Production Screen — September 17
ABB Production Screen brings smart phone logic to our robot-controller device, the FlexPendant. The new software package uses graphical objects, known as widgets, to perform basic robot functions.
(5) FeatherDuster — September 4
ABB’s FeatherDuster robotic car cleaning system introduces an unheard of level of flexibility, precision and reliability to the painstaking task of preparing car bodies for painting on an assembly line.
(4) GateFramer — June 4
The GateFramer from ABB is a robotic car body framing system that can frame multiple car models on the same line while maintaining short cycle times, incredible accuracy, unsurpassed reliability and ease of operation.
(3) IRB 360 FlexPicker® 8kg — May 29
For nearly 15 years, ABB’s IRB 360 FlexPicker has been the leader in state-of-the-art picking and packing technology, offering greater flexibility in the production process compared to hard automation. To extend the usefulness of this best in class robot, we increased its top payload from 3kg to 8kg.
(2) IRB 1600 — May 13
As one of the most popular products in ABB’s wide range of robotic offerings, the IRB 1600 plays an important role in many industrial applications. To extend the usefulness of this already adaptable robot, ABB introduced an upgrade to the IRB 1600’s top payload from 8 kg to 10 kg.
(1) RobotStudio Machine Tending PowerPac and RobotWare Machine Tending — March 12
With more than 30,000 machine tending robots installed since the 1970’s, ABB’s decades of experience have culminated in an overhauled system of robotic machine tending software designed with the customer’s most common considerations in mind. Together, the new PC-based RobotStudio Machine Tending PowerPac and the new controller-based RobotWare Machine Tending software allow for simulation, validation and optimization to be completed in the 3D virtual world and then transferred directly to the real-world.
