Universal Robots, the Odense, Denmark-based collaborative robotics market leader, is launching new offerings for metal fabrication at FABTECH 2018. FABTECH takes place Nov. 6-8 in Atlanta at the Georgia World Congress Center.

Universal Robots’ (booth C-12116) new offerings, which are all integrated on the new flagship e-Series, include plug-and-play integration with Dynabrade orbital sanders, ARC Specialties’ SnapCut, and new 7th axis capabilities from Vention.

SnapCut, which can be seen in booth C13462, allows traditional metal fabricators to cut shapes in 3 dimensional steel components with no prior robotic or computer programming knowledge. SnapCut uses the UR10e cobot to manipulate a Hypertherm cutting torch to desired positions around the cutting path. Included in the SnapCut software integrated directly on the UR robots’ teach pendant, are standard shapes like squares, rectangles, circles, or C-channels that can be selected for parametric programming. The operator will simply move the cutting torch to a few locations on the cutting surface, hit run and watch the sparks fly.

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“With SnapCut, we have developed a tool that allows metal fabricators to deploy UR cobots to cut non-standard positions on-location with near plasma table quality,” said John Martin, Vice President with ARC Specialties. “We’re providing an easy automation alternative to a process that today is primarily done manually.”

Universal Robots said a pilot version of SnapCut is coming soon to UR+.

Robotic sander kit

FABTECH is the official launch for Dynabrade’s robotic sander kit that just received UR+ certification. The kit includes pneumatic sanders, a robot mount, and a solenoid-enabling robotic operation via the UR teach pendant.

“We are finding that many of our customers are interested in mounting our tools on robots,” said Frank Lehman, Dynabrade’s Head of Engineering. “Cobots are very affordable and user-friendly, allowing our end users to bring automation into their workplace without the expense and learning curve of traditional robots. With UR being the leader in the cobot industry, it was obvious to bring our sanders to the UR+ platform.”

Cobot deburring application

For new deburring capabilities with cobots, manufacturers can now turn to ATI Industrial Automation’s new Compliant Deburring Blade (CDB). Intended to replace traditional hand deburring tools, the CDB excels in light and medium deburring, chamfering, and scraping operations on materials such as plastic, aluminum, steel, and brass. Axial and radial compliance reduce robotic programming time by maintaining constant force where surface irregularities are present. CDB will be showcased in UR’s FABTECH booth and is in the UR+ pipeline.

Cobot range extender

Also at FABTECH, Vention will showcase in booth B5655its new 7th axis range extender designed for all three UR models. This will soon too be featured in the UR+ showroom.

“We’re proud to contribute to the UR+ ecosystem with rapid design and commissioning of robot cells,” said Patrick Halde, Vice President of Sales and Business Development with Vention. “Our new 7th axis solution can be controlled with Vention’s MachineMotion controller directly through the UR cobot’s touch screen allowing users to assemble and self-commission in hours.”

“It’s exciting to see our partner network embracing our new e-Series cobots, incorporating them into cutting edge applications so quickly,” said Stuart Shepherd, Universal Robots Regional Sales Director for Americas. “We’re confident the metal fabricating industry will deploy a significant number of e-Series cobots with certified UR+ products in the year to come.”