AUTOMATION
YuMi is also opening up possibilities for automation in
the assembly of watches, toys and automotive components, and applications are only going to grow. In early 2015, ABB bought Gomtec GmbH, a developer of mechatronic systems based near Munich, Germany. ABB has hinted at its inten- tion to expand the YuMi line to include a range of higher payload robots, which will likely rely on Gomtec technolo- gies. Gomtec technologies combine mechanical, electrical, telecommunications, control and computer engineering. ABB showed a preview of a new, one-armed tabletop robot nicknamed Next YuMi at IREX 2015 in Ariake, Japan. ABB expects to bring it to market by the middle of this year.
So easy, a kid could do it Programming any robot is difficult, but programming a ro-
bot that may need to change applications quickly while stay- ing easy to operate can seem impossible to somebody who’s not an engineer or trained in a particular robot language.
YuMi can be programmed through offline programming
tools like any other ABB robot. It’s also compatible with ABB’s lead-through app, which gives the operator the abil- ity to control the robot on any standard tablet. A guide- to-teach option is also available, allowing the operator to move YuMi through the motions it will be performing, while cameras in the robot’s grippers allow it to recognize the parts it needs and the positions they need to be in.
No job too small Keeping up with global competition is a challenge for
any manufacturer, especially small and medium enterprises that have smaller budgets than their larger competitors for investing in automation. It’s a problem that Universal Robots (Odense, Denmark) seeks to solve with its line of lightweight, easy-to-deploy robotic arms. Three college buddies started the firm in 2005 with a declared goal to “make robot technology accessible to
Rethink Robotics’ Baxter and Sawyer robots come equipped with vision sensing systems that enable quick and easy redeployment.
But YuMi’s programming is so versatile and easy to use
that even Crowther’s daughter had no trouble using it. “I showed my 8-year-old daughter the robot for the
first time, and she went, ‘Hmm, is that a robot?’ She was a bit apprehensive at first, but it’s quite friendly – it didn’t take her long before she was happy to touch the robot and interact with it,” he said. “She was programming it with the tablet within minutes. That’s when you know you’ve got ease of use right.”
34
small and medium-sized enterprises by launching a light- weight robot that is easy to install and program,” accord- ing to company materials. After an investment from the Danish Growth Fund, UR introduced its UR5 robot in 2009. With a maximum reach of 850 mm and a maximum
payload of 5 kg, the UR5 allows for the automation of pick and place, assembly, machine tending, and other repetitive tasks. The company also offers a slightly smaller model, the UR3, with a maximum reach of 500 mm and payload
Spring 2016
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70
