New robots galore at the Hannover Fair
Along with the key product highlights from Igus, Mitsubishi, ABB, Delta and Metralabs, there were numerous innovative robot products on display at the Hannover Messe 2015, from the likes of Universal Robots, Kuka, Epson and Kawasaki.
Danish manufacturer of light industrial robots, Universal Robots, was exhibiting for the first time at the Hannover Industrial Fair. The company presented its whole family of its lightweight robots, including the new UR3 model. Universal Robots asserts that the UR3 is the most flexible lightweight robot in the world, which can be easily placed on a work desk. Visit the Universal Robots website for more information, or click to see all Universal Robots stories.
Another company focusing on collaborative robots was Kuka, with the company saying that its LBR iiwa represents the fulfilment of a promise to the market to present a lightweight industrial duty robot. Kuka engineers have developed a machine that opens the door to completely new automation possibilities. With mechanical and drive systems designed for industrial use, Kuka says the sensitive and yielding LBR iiwa heralds an entirely new era in robotics.
These capabilities are reflected in the new lightweight robot’s name: LBR iiwa – intelligent industrial work assistant. Visit the Kuka website for more information or click to see all Kuka stories.
For its part, Epson was focusing on robots that add value deliver greater efficiency. Two new 6-axis robots on display were the ProSix C4 and its big brother the ProSix C4L.
The Epson ProSix C4L has a reach of 900mm, but thanks to the particularly slim arm design, it doesn’t take up much space. Epson says this makes the robot unbeatable in its class in terms of space optimisation. The ProSix C4 offers better performance, with a lifting capacity of 4 kg, but with the same light weight and compact dimensions as its predecessor.
Epson was also claiming a first with its vibration control on the new robots through its QMEMS sensor technology. This makes it possible to improve production speeds while keeping a consistently stable level of quality during assembly tasks. Visit the Epson website for more information.
Kawasaki, meanwhile, was showing its new solution for fast pick and place operations where low product weights are required, such as in packaging or sorting processes. The new YF003N Delta Picker provides short cycle times of 0.27 sec for 1kg and 0.45 sec for 3kg payload. With a a maximum work envelope of 1,300mm diameter, the Delta Picker can achieve a maximum of 175 picks per minute.
Kawasaki says the 4-axis robot with an optional fifth axis for picking up two parts in one cycle will be welcomed in areas such as the food, electronics and solar industries.
Visit the Kawasaki website for more information, or click to see all Kawasaki stories.
Download the Hannover Messe 2015 robotics review here (PDF 1Mb).
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