Page 22


www.us-tech.com


April/May 2023


Brooks Automation’s Cobots Boost Productivity Amidst Global Challenges


By Michael Skinner, Editor B


rooks Automation, a lead- ing automation provider with a global presence, is


expanding beyond its core mar- kets of semiconductor and lab automation. Brooks has invested in extending its product line and expanding into general industry applications, including electron- ics handling and testing. This in- cludes a platform of collaborative robots (cobots). The key feature of cobots is


that they can work safely next to people without the need for in- trusive safety screening. They al- so operate within tight work- spaces with expensive diagnostic and test equipment. The cobots automate mundane tasks while increasing productivity and free- ing people to perform more meaningful work.


Collaborative Spaces Brooks Automation’s line of


cobots is called PreciseFlex, which can be deployed in appli- cations where space is limited and with people working close by. The company has hundreds of thousands of robots installed


in demanding applications, such as semiconductor and lab au- tomation. Its cobots are different from traditional industrial ro- bots which are slowed to meet collaborative safety standards. PreciseFlex cobots have been de- signed to be inherently safe. This is accomplished with low moving masses, advanced motion control


and more. The result is a cobot that people can work with side by side, without the need to slow it down. “Our cobots are unique,”


says Tim DeRosett, director of product. “Compared to others, PreciseFlex cobots have the highest throughput, offer the highest workspace density, are


the most reliable, and use ap- proximately one-third the ener- gy.”


“The tall cylindrical coordi-


nate system of our robots is ideal for accessing vertical racks of PCBAs and other electronic mod- ules while taking up very little space in a test workcell,” adds DeRosett. This is enabled by the de-


sign that moves the primary ax- es horizontally as opposed to ver- tically, which goes against gravi- ty. This allows the cobots to use very low gear ratios (5:1 or even 1:1, compared to 250:1 or higher for traditional cobots), which re- sults in very low reflected iner- tia.


Traditional cobots have re-


flected inertia up to 2,000 times greater than PreciseFlex cobots, which means higher collision forces. “This design enables our robots to accelerate at higher rates, move faster, and stop sooner than traditional cobots,” adds DeRosett. Offering a myriad of prod- ucts to meet customer chal-


PreciseFlex 3400 collaborative robot holding a PCBA. Continued on next page


See at EWPTE, Booth 1503


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  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100