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MAKING THE MOST OF ROBOTIC AUTOMATION BY KEEPING IT SIMPLE
Mini factories in containers help reduce face mask shortages
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speed and reliability of modern robots are helping users to transform their efficiency, competitiveness and productivity in countless installations worldwide. Despite this, lingering concerns over complexity of programming and operation – a hangover from the early
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days of robotic automation – continue to deter many companies from taking the plunge and introducing robots into their operations. We know from experience that perceived complexity and concerns over lack
of skilled robot operators are two major hurdles preventing companies from investing in robots. In many cases, these companies acknowledge that robots would be beneficial for their operations, but feel they cannot dedicate the time, effort or resources to support an investment. As a manufacturer of robots with extensive experience of building,
supplying and supporting robots for a broad range of industrial applications, ABB has focused on making robots as easy to use as possible. Its RobotStudio offline programming and simulation software, for example, is widely recognised as a quick and easy way of creating, testing and refining a multitude of robot set-ups without the cost and disruption associated with building a real installation on the factory floor. Building on the power and utility of this tool is ABB’s newest development,
Robot Control Mate, which uses the power of RobotStudio to allow users to commission and control the robots from their PC or laptop. Initially available for ABB’s ceiling-mounted IRB910INV SCARA robot, Robot Control Mate further reduces the need for users to have specialist knowledge or undergo additional training to set up and operate a robot. With the growing range of portable devices available for operators to
carry around a plant, the availability of PC-enabled tools such as Robot Control Mate help to open new possibilities for interacting with robots. It also helps to address the requirement of companies in sectors such as the electronics industry, where users prefer to use PC-based devices to carry out programming and configuration tasks. With many companies worldwide – especially in the small to medium
(SME) bracket – yet to experience the potential transformations that robots can bring, Robot Control Mate can help to provide a useful first step into the world of robotic automation.
Nigel Platt LBL manager UK and Ireland – ABB Robotics
rom manufacturing through to logistics, plus an expanding range of niche applications, the flexibility,
automationmagazine.co.uk
Automation | June 2020
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