Sony UK Technology orders YuMi robot from ABB
Sony UK Technology (UKTEC), the leading manufacturer of broadcast and professional cameras and camera systems will be the first in the UK to order ABB’s YuMi. Installed at the company’s UK Technology Centre in South Wales, the dual arm robot solution will be used to pick and place circuit board parts.
Primarily used in research and development, YuMi will help Sony UK Technology to better understand the benefits of collaborative robotics in its high volume circuit board application. Having recently been awarded the prestigious Production Centre President Award for Best Performance, Sony UK Technology will use YuMi to help improve assembly techniques, specifically the manufacture of circuit boards.
Kevin Edwards, general manager and head of engineering for Sony UK Technology Centre explains: “The innovative design and forward-thinking capabilities of YuMi will complement our culture of doing something better today than yesterday. We consistently strive to produce the highest quality products with the highest reliability and we pride ourselves on using the latest state of the art manufacturing techniques that enable us to respond quickly to customers’ needs.”
YuMi’s safe design, 2-finger grippers, accurate vision and sensitive force control lends itself well to the proposed application and presents Sony UK TEC with the opportunity to readily adapt YuMi’s programming to match any changes in its assembly process. Furthermore, YuMi’s flexible software allows staff to use lead-through programming to effectively teach the robot how to handle each part, reducing set-up time and allowing team members to play a significant role in the robot’s operation.
Edwards adds: “YuMi creates value-added opportunities for our employees to utilise their skill sets. We look forward to discovering the further benefits that this collaborative robot will bring and appreciate how the local engineering support provided by ABB will allow us to remain competitive within the 3C industry.”
Colin Dullaghan, product manager at ABB Robotics says: “YuMi, short for you and me, will open up more opportunities for UK businesses like Sony UK TEC to improve their productivity. Task sharing between humans and robots is a great way to accelerate production with lead through programming making the programming stage achievable for staff at all levels in a minimal amount of time.”
Visit the ABB Robotics website for more information on YuMi
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