20 ‘Plug and Produce’ Application Kits Simplify Cobot Deployments
Universal Robots expands its UR+ platform of certified partner products with application kits that remove barriers to industrial automation for small, medium and large companies. Decreasing project risk and complexity, the kits are ready to expedite finishing, inspection, assembly, machine tending, material removal, dispensing, and material handling tasks.
Posted: March 13, 2020
Twenty proven software and hardware kits for the most popular cobot applications are now available on the UR+ platform, a comprehensive ecosystem of products certified to integrate seamlessly with cobots from Universal Robots (UR) (Odense, Denmark). By reducing recurring engineering decisions for common applications, the ‘Plug and Produce’ kits decrease project risk and complexity and are ready for fast implementation for tasks such as finishing, inspection, assembly, machine tending, material removal, dispensing, and material handling.
“As the world’s leader in collaborative robots, Universal Robots is pleased to extend our award-winning UR+ ecosystem to include certified cobot applications,” says Jim Lawton, vice president of Product and Applications Management at Universal Robots. “It’s a new arena where customers no longer have to select and specify cobot peripherals piecemeal, but instead get a kit with most of the needed components for their desired application. The results are faster deployment and faster payback.”
Two different UR+ categories are offered: components and application kits. The kits are developed by industry-leading UR+ partners with in-depth application knowledge that eliminates the duplication of engineering efforts when deploying widely used applications.
Some kits are globally available while others are available in specific regions or countries. The kits all come with “URCap” software that enables users to control all peripherals directly from the UR cobot’s own teach pendant in a rich 3D user interface.
An example is Robotiq’s Finishing Kits now compatible with over 20 pneumatic and electrical orbital tools from leading, worldwide brands. The kit allows manufacturers with polishing or sanding processes to utilize the kit’s built-in path generator to ensure consistent applied force in each cycle, increasing quality and productivity while reducing programming time from hours to minutes.
Many of the new application kits, such as the SPATZ – STÖGER Pick&Place Screwdriving Kit, consists of several different UR+ certified components controlled through a single URCap. The SPATZ – STÖGER kit, for example, integrates seven UR+ components providing automatic tool change and feed unit of fasteners through a Pick&Place system.
In recent years, numerous welding applications for cobots have emerged. The new Vectis Cobot Welder application kit is available in North America and comes with all hardware provided fully integrated onto a mobile modular fixturing cart, typically 25% to 40% less expensive than the all-in cost of a small traditional robot welder. The cobot welder allows manufacturers to set weave parameters for cleanly tied-in welds with a Weld Template Library that provides parameter starting points for common weld sizes.
The ROBiPAK welding kit, launching in Europe, provides a perfect symbiosis of ABICOR BINZEL’s welding equipment and UR cobot technology for MIG/MAG welding. The “Ready-To-Weld” URCap controls all hardware including the air- or liquid-cooled welding torch system designed for quick installation on UR cobots.
“As the UR+ ecosystem has evolved, Universal Robots has listened to our customers’ feedback as to what would make implementation of cobots even easier,” says Lawton. “With more than 200 certified products and 400+ developers in the program, the UR+ platform has expanded at a rapid pace, providing the most comprehensive component platform for cobots in the industry. The addition of application kits will further strengthen our position as the go-to place for fast and straight-forward deployment.”
All application kits now available are featured on the new expanded UR+ website: urrobots.com/applications
