by Gary Mintchell | Oct 14, 2024 | Automation, Robots
Fabtech proceeds as scheduled this week in Orlando. I will not be there, but people have sent news. This news comes from my old friends at Universal Robots with new welding solutions for their cobots.
“UR cobots started out predominantly in air-cooled MIG welding solutions placed on carts,” says Will Healy III, global industry leader of welding at Universal Robots. “Now we see cobots take on heavier duty and more advanced tasks such as TIG, laser, and spot welding, along with plasma- and oxyfuel cutting.”
At Universal Robots’ FABTECH booth, attendees will also witness UR cobots ‘going beyond the cart,’ expanding the work envelope. The show is the launchpad for dual-axis cobot welding with coordinated motion through the cobot’s own controller.
“Having the cobot sync up with a rotary positioner or a linear rail, timing it within milliseconds, means our customers can now weld parts they normally couldn’t weld efficiently because they’d either have to stop and manually move the part, or weld it at two different times,” explains Healy.
The capabilities are possible through UR’s MotionPlus package that enables UR’s welding partners to add dual-axis coordinated motion capabilities to their own solutions.
Vectis Automation is launching the Revo Dual Axis system. The new multi-axis positioning method can tackle more complex multi-faceted parts and excel in situations where the fabricator needs to get parts in position relative to gravity. Vectis will also showcase QuickTeach and AI Path Optimization; QuickTeach allows the cobot champion to teach points and optimize paths right at the torch. AI Path Optimization applies user-defined work angles, push/pull angles, and smoothed corner transitions to the weld path – ensuring the weld is always created according to the procedure specifications.
THG Automation will demonstrate multi-axis welding for the first time as well. Their THG Multi-motion features a dual-axis skyhook with a part welded by a UR cobot mounted on a rail, all working in unison. THG is also launching the THG-Multi-Op; two all-in-one systems, one for MIG/TIG and one for cutting and welding, each system has a tool changer that allows the operator to easily switch between applications. Other new THG products at the show include a laser welding system and a new mobile base that gives the user flexibility to bring the system up to unusual sized parts.
Having pioneered ease-of-use in cobot welding with the innovative Beacon-teaching app, Hirebotics is one of the first UR partners to leverage UR’s new PolyScope X platform, implementing Beacon on the UR cobot’s teach pendant in addition to iOS, Android, and any web-based device. Welders can now get instant in-app support through the UR the teach pendant, watch instructional videos, and teach the cobot even complex welds in minutes. New advanced Hirebotics cobot welding features include Enhanced Stitch Welding; delivering the ability to stitch weld through complex paths and Fine Tune; allowing precise adjustments in torch angles and weld points, making it accessible for welders to optimize their work.
New deployment of cobot welders includes the Inrotech-Crawler featuring UR’s smallest UR3 cobot placed on a carriage running on a flexible rail system fixed to the substrate. The Infotech-Crawler specializes in butt-weld connections and multi-pass welding, regardless of the shape or orientation. The robot continuously adjusts the welding parameters according to its changing position (e.g. around a pipe).
Another mobile cobot welder is Hyundai Welding’s portable cobot welding system. Hyundai Welding has worked with the world’s largest and most advanced shipyards to develop an agile solution addressing the tight working environments in welding sections, especially inside-block welding of the ship’s hull.
Welding is not the only task expertly handled by cobots at FABTECH. Alongside demos from Hirebotics, and Vectis Automation, UR’s own booth features the following partner solutions:
The robotic machine tending system AutoTend from Mid Atlantic Machinery, a press brake integration solution featuring a UR10e cobot. AutoTend will bend a candy dish part from type 304 stainless steel. The demo will showcase Mid Atlantic’s patented rotary end-of-arm tooling while demonstrating the ability of the cobot to bend complex parts while interacting directly with the press brake touch screen control.
The Smart Finishing Workcell from Cohesive Robotics, a game-changer for automated surface finishing tasks. At the show, Cohesive Robotics will demonstrate autonomous scanning and on-the-fly programming of a UR cobot to simulate various finishing processes in the booth. Designed for high-mix manufacturing operations, the work cell leverages machine vision and AI to perform common material removal and surface finishing processes on nearly any part, of any quantity, and with no programming required.
Advanced Laser Restoration will be showcasing the next generation of laser cleaning technology, highlighting the seamless integration of advanced laser cleaning systems with robotic automation. By pairing laser cleaning technology with the agility of Universal Robots’ systems, Advanced Laser Restoration automates surface preparation tasks such as rust and coating removal with pinpoint accuracy, reducing downtime and enhancing productivity.
by Gary Mintchell | Oct 14, 2024 | Automation, Data Management, Process Control
The automation side of Yokogawa has not contacted me for years. I’ve lost all my contacts there. Recently some news has come my way. This news incorporates a lot of things currently receiving media attention—data integration and visualization solution that incorporates robotic process automation (RPA).
Yokogawa Electric Corp. has announced the global release in all markets other than Japan of OpreX Intelligent Manufacturing Hub. By utilizing robotic process automation (RPA) implemented in a low-code / no-code environment or through customization by Yokogawa, this data integration solution can significantly reduce reporting time. OpreX Intelligent Manufacturing Hub covers the full range of key performance indicators (KPIs), workflows, and reporting at every level of the organization, from the C-suite to the plant floor, and employs a single database to integrate and display on dashboards data that customers need to make the right decision at the right time.
Main Features
- User-friendly dashboards that visualize data for decision makers at each layer of the organization
- Reduction in reporting time
The OpreX Intelligent Manufacturing Hub also allows for the drilling down through data to find root causes and gain insights. It is suited for use in a wide variety of industries, from oil & gas to chemicals and pharmaceuticals.
Along with this solution, Yokogawa will provide holistic support and services through its global network that are essential for the success of any intelligent business tool project, including definition of specifications, training, maintenance, and technical support.
by Gary Mintchell | Oct 11, 2024 | Automation, Sensors
My marketing communications colleague has another new client from outside my usual comfort zone. The autonomous mobile robot (AMR) continues to grow becoming more valuable not only for warehousing, but also for manufacturing. One of the more costly components is the 3D LiDAR sensor.
She introduced me to Sonair. This Norwegian technology company has closed a new funding round, led by Skyfall Ventures. The investment introduces a completely new category of sensors said to transform a mobile robot’s spatial awareness from 2D to 3D, offering a significantly improved safety performance over traditional vision systems while cutting costs by 50-80%. The company’s Early Access Program now counts AMR manufacturers, automakers, and distributors from across the world. This technology uses ultrasound for 3D spatial awareness.
A typical 2D LiDAR scanner in an AMR only sees a person’s legs in one horizontal plane. In contrast, Sonair’s patented ADAR (Acoustic Ranging and Detection) technology detects people and objects in 3D, with low energy and computational requirements.
Sonair has now raised a total of $6.8M with Skyfall Ventures leading the latest $1.6M round. RunwayFBU, another early-stage VC fund, also contributed to the round.
Ultrasonic sensors are less affected by environmental factors such as poor lighting, dust, or changing temperatures, ensuring reliable performance in diverse conditions where traditional sensors may fail. Sonair’s sensor can also detect reflective or see-through surfaces such as glass or mirrors without difficulty. Benefits recently recognized at the international Sensors Converge event in Santa Clara, California in June this year, where Sonair won the Best of Sensors Award 2024 in the Automotive & Autonomous sensor category.
The patented ADAR technology has been in development at the world-renowned MiNaLab sensor and nanotechnology research center in Norway for more than twenty years. The imaging method is called beamforming; it’s the backbone of processing for sonar and radar, as well as in ultrasound imaging known in medicine but now used in the air.
By combining wavelength-matched transducers with cutting-edge software for beamforming and object-recognition algorithms, Sonair makes 3D spatial information available simply by transmitting sound and listening. This allows mobile robots to detect distance and direction to all objects in a 180×180 field of view with a range of up to 5 meters, providing a wider field of view than existing technologies, while also detecting obstacles above and below the 2D plane of the LiDAR.
by Gary Mintchell | Oct 10, 2024 | Automation, Technology
Fabtech is in Orlando this year. Next week—October 15-17. Hurricane Milton is making landfall tonight around Tampa Bay. Orlando is on the path.
As of today, October 9, the show is still on. I’m betting that the area will still have much debris, but that buildings will still be standing and the airport will be operating. I hope everyone down there stays safe.
One of my long-time marketing communications friends now represents Güdel. Mechanical parts have mostly remained outside my area aside from some developing conveyor technology. I pass this along for those of you who design machines.
Adding linear motion to articulated robots is now a widely adopted solution to extend flexibility and work envelopes. But these benefits only apply if the robot runs smoothly on a track that in many production environments will be exposed to dust, soot, abrasives and fine contaminants, which can cause the track’s roller bearings to stop rotating, leading to malfunction and robot downtime.
At FABTECH booth W5029, Güdel will showcase its ‘cam follower advantage.’ A cam follower is Güdel’s cylindrical roller bearing mounted on a stud that rides on the guide rail, providing significantly increased resilience to harsh industrial environments compared with traditional profile guides commonly used in 7th axis tracks.
Güdel tracks feature a wiper/scraper combination on the block that scrapes the rail clean of debris including paint and weld spatter. The roller’s bearings are completely enclosed to keep out contamination while their larger size also enables the track to better roll over left-over debris.
Easier Servicing
When servicing Güdel’s cam followers, all the user needs to do is slide out the cartridge containing the bearings on the side of the rail. It takes just 10 minutes to remove, replace and adjust the cam follower compared to profile guides, that likely require an entire production shift while the robot is sitting idle.
Güdel also announces the transition to a no-weld anchoring solution for thin concrete conditions on select equipment. This innovative approach enables customers to install equipment in more end-user plants without the cost or permitting typically required for on-site welding.
by Gary Mintchell | Oct 9, 2024 | Automation, Events, News, Process Control
I didn’t rate an invitation to this year’s Honeywell User Group. They have reorganized. All my marketing contacts are evidently gone. I checked in to the only source I have, Control Global, who somehow maintains contact and once again published the email show daily. The link is to one of the days of the show.
Looks like the highlight from the keynote is that once again Honeywell Process is reorganizing. They are trying to reflect the latest hype in the industry—AI and cybersecurity. Indications filtering to me hint at the relegation of Honeywell Connected Enterprise (whose user conference last year was the same dates as HUG this year) as a business unit. It’s all hard to tell what’s up with the major automation suppliers in this era.
From Control Global’s editor in chief Len Vermillion:
In case anyone still had any doubts, Pramesh Maheshwari, president of Honeywell Process Solutions, stepped on stage and matter-of-factly reminded an audience full of process control professionals of one simple fact: digital solutions will be at the forefront of the industrial future.
Maheshwari and other Honeywell business leaders mapped out the company’s business vision to open this week’s 2024 Honeywell Users Group (HUG) Conference at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas.
Their vision focused on three key trends driving the future of the global industrial sector, each requiring a proactive approach utilizing new and existing technologies that will help businesses stay “ahead of the curve”—the event’s main theme. Those key trends include artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity and the energy transition.
“Imagine a world that is incredibly efficient. That’s the power of AI. Imagine a world that is safer. That’s the power of cybersecurity. Imagine a world that is cleaner. That’s the power of energy transition,” Maheshwari said. “Finally, imagine a world that is a better place to live. That is what it means to stay ahead of the curve.”
