ABB Robotics announced this week that it will showcase a range of services and products it launched in the past year at the International Manufacturing Technology Show, or IMTS 2022, next month. The show runs from Sept. 12 to Sept. 17 at McCormick Place in Chicago.
The Zurich, Switzerland-based company will display its GoFa collaborative robot equipped for welding; a live 3D printing demo featuring ABB’s 3D Printing PowerPac for ABB’s RobotStudio simulation and offline programming software; the MiniMAC robotic grinding cell from ABB Value Provider MESH Automation; a vision guided FlexLoader machine tool tending cell; and the Cobot FlexTrainer education cell for interactive classroom training.
“ABB has continually developed cutting-edge products and support programs to help a wide variety of manufacturers and their employees become more productive, resilient and adaptable. Our IMTS exhibit will showcase a number of these innovations, many of which have opened up robotic automation to a broad group of first-time users,” said Joe Chudy, U.S. general manager at ABB Robotics.
“Now, more than ever, businesses of all sizes need to embrace robotics to efficiently adapt production to satisfy their customer’s most pressing needs,” he added. “While investment in automation plays a key role in flexibility in operations, equally important is investment in education and vocational training.”
Further details on ABB’s IMTS 2022 exhibit
Main Booth North Hall (#236520)
GoFa collaborative robot welding cell: Designed to safely work directly and continuously alongside humans and to be very easy to install and use, ABB said the GoFa helps businesses automate processes involving heavier loads and longer reaches to assist workers with repetitive and ergonomically challenging tasks.
- GoFa will perform interactive, live arc welding demos. Visitors to the booth will be able to use ABB’s customizable two-button Lead-Through Programming function to tack and weld small parts. By moving the robot in the desired weld path, visitors will create their own weld program and watch GoFa replicate that path in a live weld.
Additive manufacturing cell with the 3D printing PowerPac: A live 3D printing demo featuring an ABB absolute accuracy IRB 4400 robot equipped with a MDPH2 end-of-arm-tool, the original direct pellet-to-print large-format extruder from Massive Dimension.
- The demo is powered by the recently introduced 3D Printing PowerPac for ABB’s RobotStudio simulation and offline programming software. The new PowerPac eliminates time consuming manual programming by translating any standard slicer software design into ABB’s simulation environment and robot code. This means an operator can progress from the CAD design stage to final modeling of a product in just half an hour.
MiniMAC Grind robotic deburring cell from MESH Automation: MESH Automation, an ABB Robotics Value Provider (system integrator), will be displaying a version of its MiniMAC Grind Deburring featuring an ABB IRB 2600 robot and a multi-tool end-of-arm tooling mounted to the robot, which eliminates the need for tool changes. The “pre-machining” system automatically removes excess material from recently cast metal parts.
FlexLoader machine tool tending cell: ABB’s next generation of compact, standardized machine tool tending cells include a 6-axis robot suited to the reach and payload requirements of the specific application. FlexLoaders are ideal for both low and high-volume production, tending vertical lathes, horizontal and vertical machining centers, 5-axis machines and grinders, the company said.
- User-friendly FlexLoader Vision provides the flexibility to automate the machine tending of parts that range from small to very large, increasing machine tool utilization by as much as 60 percent while reducing operating costs.
Smartforce Student Summit (North Building, Booth #215110)
Cobot FlexTrainer education cell: Designed for interactive classroom training using the latest ABB programming technology with any of ABB’s collaborative robots, the IMTS demo features the new 6-axis GoFa collaborative robot. With the Cobot FlexTrainer education cell students can easily program ABB cobots via Lead-Through programming and ABB’s new Wizard easy programming software.
The training cell is fenceless, allowing greater interaction between the students and the robot. It features all the capabilities of ABB’s collaborative robots, including an ABB FlexPendant, and access to RobotStudio, ABB’s offline programming software.
AR/VR station: A VR/AR station where students and teachers can dive into the virtual world and interact with ABB robots via RobotStudio, ABB’s offline simulation and programming software that we offer to schools for free for educational use.
Curriculum samples and Info on SMART Certification: A comprehensive display of ABB’s robotics STEM education curriculum materials intended to bridge the gap between education and industry, and to support teaching robotics at all types of schools. Plus, info about SMART Certification: Information about how students and teachers can become ABB certified through our SMART certification for STEM program.
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