Cobot family launched.

Payloads from 7kg to 30kg, best-in-class top speed of 5.8 m/s, longest reach and highest arm load on the market.

ABB Robotics is combining the flexibility of cobots with higher payloads and performance, with the launch of its new PoWa cobot family into the rapidly expanding global collaborative robot market, which ABB Robotics estimates will grow by 20 percent annually through to 2028.

The new PoWa family addresses a long‑standing gap in the market between traditional cobots, that often lack the speed and payload required for industrial applications, and conventional industrial robots, which are designed for highly specialised, large-scale automation environments, going beyond the needs of many collaborative tasks.

“Cobots are growing significantly faster than traditional industrial robots, driven by demands from both small and midsized companies starting their automation journey as well as large enterprises,” said Andrea Cassoni, Head of Collaborative Robots at ABB Robotics. “These customers are seeking higher speeds and payloads, but also greater ease of use, and compact designs. Established manufacturers want to automate heavier, fast cycle applications, without the complexity and operational rigidity of traditional industrial robots. We are meeting these needs with the global launch of our high-speed PoWa™ cobot family – a name that symbolises its powerful, industrial-grade performance in a compact collaborative robot form.”

PoWa extends ABB Robotics’ comprehensive cobot offer with industrial-grade performance including six different payload categories, from 7kg to 30kg, the longest reach and highest arm load on the market and best-in-class top speed of up to 5.8 m/s.* Purpose-built for compact environments and ideally suited for applications such as high-speed machine tending, palletising, screwdriving and arcwelding, PoWa enables manufacturers to automate heavier and faster processes, while maintaining the flexibility, ease of use and compact footprint of collaborative robotics.

PoWa cobots are exceptionally easy to use, through programmable buttons on the arm-side interface and no-code programming and are compatible with an extensive ecosystem of third-party accessories. PoWa can be unboxed and operational within an hour and enables seamless plug-and-play with a wide range of tools, blending industrial-grade connectivity and performance with collaborative robot flexibility.

Powered by the ABB OmniCore controller platform, the new PoWa cobots deliver best-in-class motion control, speed, and precision and can be integrated with ABB Robotics’ expanding suite of AI-powered software, including Robot Studio® and Wizard Easy Programming, enabling intuitive programming, fast deployment and maximum uptime.

Ensuring collaborative robots can do more things, in more places, and do it faster, safer and smarter is part of ABB Robotics vision for more autonomous and versatile robotics (AVRTM). By developing a new generation of intelligent, flexible, adaptative, and collaborative multi-skilled robots, ABB Robotics furthers robots’ ability to learn, understand and plan independently, giving them greater autonomy and versatility.

---

* Speed of PoWa™ 10 and PoWa™ 13

@ABBRobotics @nvidia @ABBgroupnews @abb_automation #PAuto #Robotics 

Robotic collaboration.

Regal Rexnord Corporation has joined forces with ABB Robotics to simplify integration of its GoFa™ cobots into 7th Axis Cobot Transfer Units (CTUs) from Thomson, one of Regal Rexnord’s leading linear motion brands. This collaboration makes the Thomson Movotrak™ CTU the first cobot 7th axis technology that ABB Robotics has certified for use in its partner ecosystem.

“Until now, anyone wanting to use a single, plug-and-play ABB cobot on multiple workstations faced what could be days of programming and communications challenges. As part of the ABB Robotics partner ecosystem, we have preconfigured our Movotrak CTU, ensuring rapid deployment with ABB cobots right out of the box. Integrators, distributors, and end-users can now invest more time using the 7th axis to solve productivity problems than dealing with complex integration details,” said Kevin Zaba, EVP and President, Automation & Motion Control segment of Regal Rexnord.

The Thomson Movotrak CTU 7th Axis offers:

• Extended Operating Range: The Movotrak CTU is the first collaborative 7th axis, extending the traditional cobot operating range up to 10 meters.
• Flexible Mounting Options: Ability to move from one workstation to another along a rail that is secured either to the floor, wall, or ceiling.
• Collision Detection: First 7th axis solution with collision detection, stopping the cobot when it encounters an obstacle.
• Increased Productivity: Less downtime with easier training and installation featuring 7th axis Freedrive mode.
• Single-Source, Fully Integrated Solution: Thomson linear units are integrated with other Regal Rexnord components, including Boston Gear gearheads, Huco couplings, and Kollmorgen motors and software for a complete, high-level assembly with one part number.

“This collaboration with ABB Robotics is a great example of how our differentiated Regal Rexnord technologies can be integrated into high-impact, customer-ready solutions,” said Louis Pinkham, CEO of Regal Rexnord. “By combining the technical expertise of our Thomson, Kollmorgen, Boston Gear, and Huco brands into a seamless, 7th axis system available for the ABB Robotics partner ecosystem, we’re making it easier for customers to unlock greater productivity and flexibility in their automation strategies. It also reflects our ongoing commitment to innovation and delivering value through system-level thinking.”

ABB partners develop and provide packages consisting of pre-engineered accessories and software that are compatible and easily integrated with ABB’s complete portfolio of robotic solutions. As fully integrated, ready-to-use solutions, the packages enable both end users and systems integrators to reduce time and effort in setting up robots for new applications.

Regal Rexnord’s participation in the ABB partner ecosystem involves changes to mounting hardware, development of a specialised plug-and-play wiring harness, and programming to interface with the ABB software platform and engineering environment, including an ABB Web App, Wizard and RAPID™ Module Code programming tools. Through the integration, certified ABB robotic application developers will be able to access the Thomson configuration tools directly on the ABB FlexPendant user interface.

---

@Thomson_Ind @RegalRexnord @ABBRobotics @bcm_pr #Pauto #Robotics #Cobot

Collaborative Robot design recognised.

A major milestone for Delta's D-Bot Series Collaborative Robots (Cobots) has been announced. They have been honoured with the prestigious 2025 German Design Award in the category of Excellent Product Design. This accolade, which follows their 2024 Red Dot Design Award win in Singapore earlier this year, highlights. The German Design Awards, presented by the German Design Council, are among the most prestigious honors in the design industry.

Michael Mayer-Rosa, Senior Director of the Industrial Automation Business Group at Delta Electronics EMEA Region, said, “We are highly committed to innovation, consistently investing over 8% of our revenues into R&D. The award from the German Design Council confirms our success in designing our cobots and in developing cutting-edge smart manufacturing solutions. The cobot market is one of the fastest-growing sectors in automation technology, surpassing the US$1 billion mark, and with a design boasting industry-leading safety, efficiency, and practicality, we believe the D-Bots will meet the sophisticated needs of businesses across a wide range of applications.”

Delta’s D-Bot Series Collaborative Robots were first presented to the public at last year’s Hannover Messe and were also showcased at SPS 2024 in Nuremberg.

European customers expect the highest level of safety Safety is of vital importance when it comes to the design of the Delta D-Bots, especially since the cobots are intended for interaction with personnel in production environments. The innovative "Reflex Safety" feature detects contact at lightning speed and instantly reverses movement to prevent accidents, protecting both personnel and equipment. The integration of high-end sensors and collision detection (one-finger tap) maximizes safety.

The D-Bot Series is engineered for rapid deployment, allowing setup in under two hours, making them ideal for dynamic production environments. With an impressive accuracy of ±0.02 mm and a payload range from 6 kg to 30 kg, the D-Bots are versatile and capable of handling a wide array of tasks, from assembling complex components to managing heavy palletizing. Designed and engineered in Europe, and built for the world, these collaborative robots are ready to meet the needs of businesses globally.

---

@DeltaEMEA @mepaxIntPR #PAuto #Robotics #Cobot

Major advancement to Cobot simulation.

Delta has announced a major advancement in robotics simulation. Its flagship product, the D-Bot Series Collaborative Robots (cobots), now integrates with NVIDIA Omniverse — a platform of application programming interfaces (APIs), software development kits, and services that enable developers to harness Universal Scene Description (OpenUSD) for physical AI — and NVIDIA Isaac Sim, a reference simulation platform built on Omniverse for designing and testing robots. This integration empowers developers to achieve real-time, high-fidelity, physically accurate simulations that dramatically enhance the development, testing, and deployment of advanced robotic solutions.

"Integrating with NVIDIA Omniverse and Isaac Sim represents a transformative step forward for the Delta D-Bot (cobots) and our whole robotics portfolio," said Michael Mayer-Rosa, Senior Director, Industrial Automation Business Group at Delta Electronics EMEA Region. "By leveraging these cutting-edge technologies, our customers can now experience exceptional simulation accuracy and collaborative capabilities, allowing them to bring sophisticated robotic solutions to market faster and with more confidence."

The integration enables Delta D-Bot users in sectors such as manufacturing, logistics, and healthcare to simulate real-world conditions with unprecedented precision. By minimizing the need for physical prototypes and reducing development costs, companies can shorten their time-to-market, improve product reliability, and accelerate innovation cycles. The photorealistic rendering and AI-powered physics provided by NVIDIA Omniverse and Isaac Sim let developers run highly complex simulations before real-world deployment, reducing risks and improving overall performance.

With Omniverse's interoperability features and Isaac Sim's advanced robot simulation tools, Delta D-Bot users can accelerate their development workflows, validate robot software stacks and their associated behaviors in a virtual environment, and realize complex projects faster.

---

@DeltaEMEA @nvidia @mepaxIntPR #PAuto #Robotics

Robotics and AI.

Three drivers for robotics-driven AI solutions in 2024, have been identified by Marc Segura, President, ABB Robotics, in new segments not previously served by robotic automation.

“The coming year will see a growing focus on the critical role of AI,” he says. “From mobile robots and cobots, to enabling new robotic applications in new sectors and creating new opportunities for people to learn and develop, these new frontiers for AI are redefining the future of industrial robotics.”

1 - AI will drive new levels of autonomy in robotic applications.
Accelerating progress in AI is redefining what is possible with industrial robotics. AI is enhancing everything from robots’ ability to grip, pick and place as well as their ability to map and navigate through dynamic environments. From mobile robots to cobots and beyond, AI is giving robots unprecedented levels of speed, accuracy, and payload carrying ability, enabling them to take on more tasks in settings like flexible factories, warehouses, logistics centers and laboratories.

“AI-enabled mobile robots can transform sectors like discrete manufacturing, logistics and laboratories,” said Segura. “Robots equipped with ABB’s new Visual Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (Visual SLAM) technology, for example, have advanced mapping and navigation skills, granting new levels of autonomy, while greatly reducing the infrastructure needed by previous generations of guided robots. This paves the way for a shift from linear production lines to dynamic networks, creating significant efficiencies and taking on more dull, dirty and dangerous tasks, to enable workers to take up more rewarding jobs.”

2 - AI will see robots enter new sectors.
The potential offered by AI-enabled robotics is influencing sectors far beyond manufacturing. In 2024, these technologies are expected to bring substantial efficiency improvements to more dynamic environments, such as healthcare and life sciences, as well as retail. Another example is the construction industry, where AI-powered robotics can make a material contribution to boosting productivity, enhancing safety and sustainable construction practices while spurring growth.

“The construction industry is a great example of a sector where AI-powered robots will prove transformative, delivering real value by addressing many of the issues facing the industry today, including worker shortages, safety issues and stagnant productivity,” said Segura. “Abilities such as enhanced recognition and decision-making offered by AI, coupled with advances in collaborative robots enable safe deployment alongside workers. These advances also enable robots to perform key tasks such as bricklaying, modular assembly and 3D printing with greater precision and speed, all while contributing to more sustainable construction by lowering emissions, such as concrete mixing on site, to reducing the need to transport materials across far distances with on-site assembly”

3 - AI will offer new opportunities for education and working with robots.

The advances being made in AI and robotics is significant for training and education, closing the automation skills gap and making robots more accessible to more people and businesses. With AI making programming easier, through lead-through and even natural language, education can shift more towards how robots can assist humans more effectively, rather than just teaching programming skills. This transition will make robots more approachable and bring them to a wider audience, leading to new job prospects while helping alleviate labor and skills shortages.

“A shortage of people with the skills needed to program and support robots has long been a hurdle to the uptake of robotic automation, especially in small to medium sized manufacturing companies,” said Segura. “We will see this increasingly being overcome as advances in generative AI lower the barriers to automation and expand the focus of education beyond programming. Developments in natural language programming, powered by AI in which workers can verbally instruct a robot in its task, will create a new dynamic in human-robot interactions.”

---

@ABBRobotics @ABBgroupnews @ABBMeasurement @abb_automation @NapierPR #Robotics #AI #PAuto

Cobots in applications including sample transportation, testing and quality control.

Collaborative robots automate laboratory workstations, accelerating R&D in the chemical and life sciences sectors.

ABB Robotics and XtalPi have entered a strategic partnership to produce a range of automated laboratory workstations in China. The new, automated laboratories will boost the productivity of R&D processes in biopharmaceuticals, chemical engineering and chemistry, and new energy materials.

“Our collaboration with XtalPi marks another milestone for ABB’s collaborative robots in the life sciences sector,” said Jose-Manuel Collados, Manager of Service Robotics Product Line at ABB Robotics. “ABB Robotics and XtalPi will radically advance lab research and development through automation that works side-by-side with people. By enabling pharma and biotech companies to develop new drugs faster and with less cost, ABB is helping to further research into disease prevention, creating healthier societies. Our new Open Innovation Lab for Life Science and Healthcare in Zhangjiang, Shanghai complements our work at our Life Sciences and Healthcare Lab at the Texas Medical Center Campus in Houston (USA).”

XtalPi is dedicated to driving intelligent and digital transformation in the life science and new materials in the chemicals industry. In 2022, the AI tech company bought over 100 GoFa cobots to create automated laboratory workstations at its test-ing facility in Shanghai, China. This year, XtalPi officially launched the automation-centric brand XtalPi Intelligent Automation with the purpose of aiding researchers through automation equipment. Together with ABB Robotics, XtalPi Intelligent Automation is using GoFa™ cobots to automate the synthesis and crystallization processes involved in developing new drugs and materials for its target industries.

The automated laboratory workstations can be customized to meet specific requirements, using different modules to complete various experiment steps. ABB’s GoFa cobots take on repetitive, manual tasks, while also working non-stop, accelerating the pace of experimentation. The large volumes of high-quality data generated will help to boost the efficiency of the Design-Make-Test-Analyse research cycle and provide a solid foundation for driving AI for science.

The GoFa cobots are used by XtalPi Intelligent Automation to develop preparation workstations, diluting and filtration work-stations, reaction workstations, UPLC testing workstations, glovebox workstations, sample warehouses, and Automated Guided Vehicles (AGV) to make lab research and development faster and more efficient.

Each automated workstation can perform hundreds of different experiments, with ABB’s GoFa cobots operating in a range of challenging environments, including glove boxes – with no moisture or oxygen– while performing intricate tasks such as opening lids and the placement of lab equipment, liquid handling, sample addition, filtration, dilution, magnetic stirring, rapid sampling and UPLC testing, with minimal supervision required. AMR’s equipped with GoFa cobots transfer samples automatically between workstations, increasing efficiency while further reducing costs.

Equipped with a GoFa cobot and four rotating columns, automated sample warehouses provide compact and efficient storage and retrieval for laboratory reagents, making the process more efficient and entirely traceable.

Chenxi Zhang, Director of Automation Product Management at XtalPi, said “Through partnering with ABB, we can increase efficiency in laboratories by implementing a human-robot integration model. We hope to combine XtalPi’s intelligent soft-ware system and industry experience with ABB’s expertise in robotics to bring more innovative solutions to the pharmaceutical industry, which will in turn expand the usage of automation and robots in the R&D process and help automate laboratories.”

---

This is ABB Robotics’ latest project in the lab automation market, which is seeing significant growth with a revenue of USD 5.1 billion in 2022 expected to rise to USD 7.1 billion in 2028. 

@ABBRobotics @ABBgroupnews @ABBMeasurement @abb_automation @XtalPi @NapierPR #LifeSciences #Robotics #Laboratory

New variants for collaborative robot.

Two new variants of its GoFaTM collaborative robot are being launched by ABB^*. The GoFa 10 and GoFa 12 offer new possibilities for companies to leverage cobot automation for enhanced efficiency. Handling payloads of up to 10 and 12 kilograms with market-leading repeatability, the cobots can handle an expanded range of tasks in close collaboration with workers, addressing skills and labor shortages while improving safety and productivity. Offering straightforward programming and rapid integration into production environments, the new variants lower barriers to entry for first-time users, educators and SMEs.

GoFa 10

 “Since we launched our YuMi cobot in 2015, we have built an industry-leading cobot portfolio meeting growing demand for safe and easy-to-use automation solutions to plug gaps in skilled labor,” said Marc Segura President, ABB Robotics. “Addressing the need for collaborative robots with higher payloads and longer reach, our GoFa 10 and 12 cobots extend the benefits of automation to new industrial applications, even for first time users.”

In addition to their enhanced payloads, the GoFa 10 and 12 cobots offer class-beating tool center point (TCP) speeds of up to two meters per second with 0.02-mm of deviation for greater repeatability – a two-fold improvement over comparable solutions. IP67-certified against moisture and dust ingress, they extend the benefits of fast and accurate collaborative robotics to new industrial applications, automating demanding tasks such as machine tending, welding, parts handling, polishing, and assembly. The GoFa 10’s 1.62-meter reach – 14 percent more than others in its class and enough to cover US pallets – makes it ideal for palletizing applications.

Lowering barriers to automation for first-time users and SMEs.
The GoFa 10 and 12 cobots are straightforward to program, deploy, and use, lowering barriers to automation for first-time users and SMEs. Setup is made easy with lead-through programming and ABB’s Wizard easy programming software, allowing even non-specialists to quickly automate their applications by manipulating simple graphical command blocks rather than writing complex programming code.

Pre-installed on the cobots’ ABB’s FlexPendant robot controller, the ABB SafeMove app features safe speed limits, standstill monitoring, and orientation supervision, enabling close collaboration between robots and factory workers without requiring bulky protective barriers or fencing.

The GoFa 10 and GoFa 12 cobots are powered by ABB’s OmniCoreTM controller. The combination of OmniCore’s class-leading motion control provided by ABB’s TrueMove and QuickMove motion control technologies and GoFa’s intelligent torque and position sensors ensures the smooth movements needed for high precision surface finishing, fastening, assembly, and testing tasks. Energy saving features including power re-generation and brake energy recovery reduce power requirements by up to 20 percent, enhancing sustainability.

Leveraging innovation from the ABB Robotics ecosystem.
Responding to the growing diversification of automation applications, ABB also launched its ABB Robotics Ecosystem program. Bringing together third-party accessories such as grippers, cameras, and customized software that are compatible with the ABB portfolio, including the new GoFa cobots, the program lets users easily leverage innovation from across the fast-growing ABB Robotics ecosystem.

---

^* The GoFa 12 cobot will be making its debut at ABB’s stand at Automatica 2023 (Hall B5, booth 319, June 27th-30th) as part of two demonstrations showcasing high precision machine tending and ultra-lean palletizing applications. 

ABB partner Schunk will also be at the show with a GoFa 12 cobot, demonstrating its range of grippers and tools with a polishing application (Hall A5, booth 502).

Book your tickets to Automatica here.

Those unable to attend Automatica are invited to join the digital launch hosted on LinkedIn Live on June 29th).

@ABBRobotics @ABBgroupnews @ABBMeasurement @abb_automation @automaticafair @NapierPR  #PAuto #Robotics #Manufacturing

Industrial COBOT delivers speed, accuracy and safety.

ABB has launched the SWIFTI™ CRB 1300 industrial collaborative robot, bridging the gap between industrial and collaborative robots. Combining class-leading speed and accuracy with expanded load handling capability of up to 11kg, the SWIFTI CRB 1300 can be used in a wide variety of production and product handling applications – from machine tending and pelletizing to pick-and-place and screwdriving.

It is is part of their wider cobot portfolio covering payloads from 0.5 to 11kg, with options including the YuMi® single and dual-arm robots, the GoFa™ CRB 15000 and the SWIFTI CRB 1100 industrial collaborative robot for payloads up to 4kg. 

“Our customers are looking to robotic automation to make their processes more flexible, efficient and resilient, helping to counter labor shortages by enabling their employees to perform more value-added work,” said Andrea Cassoni, Managing Director for Global General Industry Robotics at ABB. “The latest addition to our SWIFTI family is a highly accurate, high payload cobot that’s up to six times faster than other robots in its class. This means it can be used by both SMEs and large manufacturers looking for collaborative automated solutions to achieve new levels of flexibility and productivity.”

Featuring a high-quality design, backed by expert support, the SWIFTI CRB 1300 incorporates several features that can improve production efficiency by up to 44 percent compared to other cobots in its class. In a typical palletizing application, SWIFTI’s speed and performance enable it to handle up to 13 boxes per minute compared to the nine boxes possible with other cobots in its class.

Powered by ABB’s OmniCore™ C30 and C90XT controller, the SWIFTI CRB 1300 is up to five times more precise than any cobot in its class, making it ideal for tasks requiring consistent accuracy and repeatability. This, combined with a top speed of 6.2m/s, and payload options from 7 kg to 11 kg and reaches from 0.9 to 1.4, enables the SWIFTI CRB 1300 to perform a range of higher payload tasks including screwdriving, assembly, pick-and-place, and palletizing. With protection against dust and moisture (up to IP67), it can also be used in demanding environments, making it ideal for machine tending applications.

The SWIFTI CRB 1300 prioritizes operator safety, with a safety laser scanner integrated with ABB’s SafeMove collaborative safety software. The technologies enable safe collaboration to be achieved without the space and cost associated with installing protective fencing or other physical barriers.

If the laser scanner detects a worker within SWIFTI’s operating area, ABB’s SafeMove software will automatically slow the robot or stop it completely. As the worker moves away, movement will be restored, returning to full speed for full productivity only once the working area is completely clear. As a further protective measure, a built-in interaction status light provides a visual indication of the cobot’s status when a worker is within the workspace area. Integrating the scanner and software is simple, with SafeMove’s software add-ins enabling workers to quickly set up a safe working zone and other safety features using their handheld FlexPendant operating unit.

The same simplicity applies to programming the SWIFT CRB 1300. Users can set up the robot by either physically guiding it through a process (lead-through programming), or through ABB’s new Wizard Easy Programming software. Based on simple graphical blocks, Wizard Easy Programming makes programming accessible for non-specialists in robotics.

@ABBRobotics @ABBgroupnews @ABBMeasurement @abb_automation #Robotics #PAuto

Vacuum grippers.

Coval offers vacuum grippers for automated applications, from gripping single parts to complete layers. The range equally suited to equipping either cobots or robots, offering a catalogue of modular, standard products, designed to meet the customers' needs.

Their complete range of vacuum grippers, can be applied at various points along the whole production line, from the manipulation of individual objects to palletizing a full layer of product at the end of the line. The range includes 3 complementary series, starting with the ultra-compact CVGC models, designed from carbon specifically for cobots. Further in the range is the CVGL series of compact and lightweight end effectors for robots. At the top end is the MVG modular series, which is fully configurable.

Carbon vacuum gripper for cobots
The CVGC carbon vacuum gripper is not just an adaptation of an existing product, but a plug and play product designed 100% for the various cobot models, The lightness of the CVGC due to its carbon material (the smallest model weighs less than 1 kg) facilitates the optimum use of collaborative robots and preserves their lifting capacity. The vacuum generator, control cartridge, vacuum switch, and silencer are grouped together in a compact function block. The CVGCs are versatile, with a foam grip interface suitable for many materials and available in three sizes: 150 x 150 mm, 240 x 120 mm and 320 x 160 mm. In addition, Stéphane Garcia, Marketing and Communication Manager at Coval, points out: "the attachment Interfaces and connectivity are adapted to the particular cobot model in each case, which means that the CVGC fits on all types of cobots. "

Lightweight vacuum gripper for robots
The dimensions and weight of the CVGL vacuum grippers make them one of the lightest and most compact ranges on the market. By reducing the weight and size of its vacuum grippers, COVAL enables integrators and manufacturers to integrate them into low-power robot manipulators. This translates into savings in terms of investment and operating costs.

To match the application requirements perfectly, the CVGL range of vacuum grippers is available in 3 standard lengths (424, 624, and 824 mm) or a custom length, and a fixed width of 120 mm, with 3 gripping interface technologies (foam, suction cups, or the gel-like COVAL-flex), 3 suction powers, and an integrated or remote generator. They offer a vacuum handling solution suited to parts of various sizes, weights, and materials.

Modular Vacuum Grippers: customization as standard
The MVG modular vacuum gripper, which is mainly used for heavy payload robots and palletizers, offers the possibility of configuring a gripper that is perfectly adapted to each application, for loads of several hundred kg. To achieve this result, major developments have been carried out and patented.

The first choice the user has to make is the size, because MVGs are custom-made to the desired size from 150x150 to 1200x1000 mm. To ensure that the vacuum gripper is perfectly adapted to the specific requirements the user can also configure the vacuum generator and the gripping interfaces such as foams and suction cups. "The MVG grippers are equipped with gripping interfaces, either by means of suction cups, foam, or Coval-flex. These solutions ensure an optimal grip regardless of the size or material of the object to be gripped (cardboard, metal, plastic, glass, concrete/stone, composites, wood, etc.)," explains Stéphane Garcia. "High performance, flexible and robust, the MVG grippers can be multi-zone, i.e. equipped with several independent gripping zones, which makes it possible to ensure staggered or multiple pick-up and drop-off, guaranteeing optimized vacuum management as well as a reduction in leaks and consumption."

Precise vacuum management with multizoning is particularly useful for staggered pick and place, managing different formats to be handled, or optimizing palletizing layers.

Stéphane Garcia adds: "Coval has been recognized for over 35 years as one of the world's specialists in systems and components for vacuum gripping. Our products are renowned for their quality and reliability. Our added value also lies in our teams of specialists who support our customers in the technical definition of the solution that precisely meets their needs and constraints. "

Coval supports manufacturers in various sectors: automotive, aeronautics, packaging, agri-food, plastics, and more.

@COVAL_SAS @mepaxIntPR #Robotics #Manufacturing

A new era of human-robot collaboration.

What if there was a robot that was easy to operate, did not require a safety fence and was also attractively priced? That would introduce a whole new era in human-robot collaboration. This new era is now dawning – with the world's first pneumatic robot from Festo.

Hardly any industrial market segment will grow as rapidly over the next few years as human-robot collaboration. Cobots relieve employees of particularly strenuous or monotonous tasks, giving them new levels of freedom and making their work easier and healthier. And no other technology has such a sensitive and flexible approach to human-robot collaboration as pneumatics.

The benefits of pneumatics
The Festo Cobot owes many of its advantages, such as its sensitivity, weight and value for money, to the benefits of pneumatics. The direct drives in the articulated joints are very cost-effective and particularly lightweight because, unlike electric solutions, no heavy gear units or expensive force-torque sensors are required. The world's first pneumatic cobot is a result of the exceptional expertise in controlled pneumatics from Festo.

Cost-effective option – even for small and medium-sized companies
The Festo Cobot even makes using cobots cost-effective for small and medium-sized companies, which often rely on manual work processes. Its flexible application options mean that small batch sizes or work steps can now be processed automatically. Thanks to its uniquely intuitive and simple commissioning and programming, it is quick and easy to get to grips with so extensive training is not required.

Dr Frank Melzer

The pneumatic Festo Cobot will be cheaper than electric cobots in the same class. It will provide excellent value for money in its main application area of small parts handling with payloads of up to 3 kg. "When it goes on sale in 2023, the Festo Cobot will set new standards in human-robot collaboration with its ease of use," explains Dr Frank Melzer, Member of the Management Board for Product and Technology Management at Festo.

Easy to operate and flexible to use
The Festo Cobot consists of the hardware itself, a handheld module and the Robotic Suite – software for intuitive commissioning and programming. This package makes it possible to commission and program the Cobot in less than an hour. Prior knowledge of robotics is not required either, because the self-explanatory "Robotic Suite" software contains clearly visualised and standardised function blocks. Pneumatic drives enable the robot arm to be guided by hand easily and without any resistance so that waypoints or paths can be taught quickly and precisely.

For small and medium-sized companies in particular, cobots are only attractive if they can adapt quickly to take on a new task and are not just permanently used for the same purpose. The Festo Cobot meets this requirement as it doesn't require an additional control cabinet (which can be difficult to connect and cumbersome). The compact controller that is integrated in the Cobot’s own base makes it particularly flexible. Simple connections also allow it to be used ad hoc without long changeover times. Common bus standards enable fast connection to higher-order controllers. It also requires less space.

Thanks to state-of-the-art, lightweight construction methods, the Festo Cobot weighs in at well under 20 kg so that it can be deployed quickly and flexibly at other locations.

Working safer and faster

Christian Tarragona

With a length of 670 mm, the Festo Cobot is just like a human arm and has the right reach for it to be perceived as a helping third hand when working with a member of staff. It moves – like a real colleague – within a manageable radius. Thanks to the flexibility of the pneumatic drives, the cobot acts sensitively – at a speed appropriate to the situation and with fluid, harmonious movements. It is as soft to the touch as human contact.

The cobot's pneumatic direct drives and its light weight reduce its contact energy. Says Christian Tarragona, Head of Robotics at Festo: "Thanks to precise pressure regulators in the articulated joints, the robot recognises when it is being touched and responds with appropriate safety functions." Employees can work together with their careful technical colleague in complete safety.

@FestoIE_NIE @festo_global @Publitek #Robotics #Manufacturing #Pneumatics