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Universal Robots has grown its welding application segment with more than 80% the first nine months of 2022 compared with last year as partners develop new capabilities for the pioneering cobot welders. Over 1,200 cobots expected to ship in the welding vertical this year.

At FABTECH 2022, Universal Robots will showcase new cobot-powered metal fabricating solutions such as the new Park’N’Arc feature from Vectis Automation that enables the cobot welder to handle longer parts. (Photo: Business Wire)

Since the first UR cobot-powered welder made its debut in North America at FABTECH 2017, a wealth of OEM partners now standardize weld solutions on the UR platform, constantly innovating their offerings. At UR’s FABTECH booth #C-11045 in Atlanta, GA, November 8-10, Vectis Automation will debut the new Park’N’Arc; a “diving board” rotational range extender that allows for the base of the cobot to be manually moved to various locations.

Another new take on welding larger parts, typically out of the cobot’s reach, will be shown by Hirebotics and partner Kinetic Technologies LLC, launching RT1, a new cobot-controlled rotary table designed to maximize welding capacity.

UR cobots with Apera AI handle challenging bin picking task

Picking unstructured parts out of bins is another traditionally challenging task to automate. At FABTECH, UR will showcase a collaboration with Precision Cobotics, demonstrating how a UR5 cobot is able to pick a shiny metal part from a randomized bin and place it into a MECCO laser marking machine. The UR5 is guided by Apera AI’s new UR+ certified Vue Vision software that accurately locates and places the part.

Laser welding, deburring – and the new UR20

Metal fabricators visiting UR’s booth will also gain new insights from Cobot Systems, a UR Certified Systems Integrator (CSI), that has launched the first commercially available IPG LightWELD laser welder to be guided and controlled by a cobot. For deburring needs, Kane Robotics will show the GRIT ST-X robotic system that is ideal for sanding, grinding and finishing, using ATI’s UR+ certified Compliant Reciprocating Tool.

For the first time at a fabricating show in North America, attendees will also be able to experience the new 20kg payload cobot, the UR20 from Universal Robots that greatly expands automation opportunities such as the ability to reach further into machines, tend several machines in the same cycle, and handle 25% heavier parts than other UR cobot models. Despite being UR’s most powerful robot, the UR20 is the lightest cobot in its class, weighing only 64kg (141.1 lbs.).

About Universal Robots

Universal Robots aims to empower change in the way work is done using its leading-edge robotics platform. Since introducing the world’s first commercially viable collaborative robot (cobot) in 2008, UR has developed a product portfolio including the UR3e, UR5e, UR10e, UR16e and UR20, reflecting a range of reaches and payloads. Each model is supported by a wide selection of end-effectors, software, accessories and application kits in the UR+ ecosystem. This allows the cobots to be used across a wide range of industries and means that they can be redeployed across diverse tasks. The company, which is part of Teradyne Inc., is headquartered in Odense, Denmark, and has offices in the USA, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, the Czech Republic, Romania, Turkey, China, India, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Mexico. Universal Robots has installed over 50,000 cobots worldwide.

For more information, please visit www.universal-robots.com.