Robots are becoming nearly as common in assembly plants as nutrunners and conveyors. The advent of collaborative robots is only furthering that trend. However, as robots play a greater role on the line, engineers must ensure that workers remain safe around the technology.
Collaborative automation using cobots or lightweight industrial robots is transforming processes and productivity at metal and machine shops of all sizes.
An education program developed by Universal Robots to teach people how to program and implement collaborative robots has been accredited by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET) and is now authorized to issue continuing education units.
In December, Universal Robots sold its 50,000th cobot, which was purchased by a German manufacturer to increase productivity and improve employee safety.
Two members of Universal Robots' UR+ partner program have been nominated for Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Robotics & Automation (IERA) Awards by the International Federation of Robotics (IFR).
Want to learn how operational stability can be achieved through automation? Manufacturers of all sizes are adapting their business operations to build resilience against future threats. This white paper shows how collaborative applications solve specific manufacturing challenges with affordable and easy-to-use cobots or light industrial robots.
Before cobots and other fast-deployable robots, many automated manufacturing cells incorporated only fixed or dedicated tooling rather than solutions that allow for changes or updates. An advantage of fixed automation is that it allows for reliable and high throughput, but it also tends to be custom engineered towards a specific process.