Universal Robots cobots help the manufacturing industry improve efficiency

Since the beginning of this year, the repeated epidemics at home and abroad have continued to impact the supply chain, posing a "second big test" for the manufacturing industry. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, China's manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI) rebounded to 50.2% in June after contracting for three consecutive months. However, then, affected by factors such as the traditional off-season of production and the insufficient release of market demand, the manufacturing PMI fell to 49.0% in July, and fell back below the critical point (50%). However, many analysts believe that with the implementation of fine "prevention" and "control", the implementation of scientific epidemic prevention measures, the resumption of work and production in many places and the smooth promotion of logistics, it is expected that the manufacturing industry will gradually rebound in fluctuations.

Universal Robots, a Denmark cobot manufacturer, believes that in the process of manufacturing fluctuations, the industry mainly faces pain points in the following two aspects. First of all, with the continuous promotion of the resumption of work and production and the further implementation of various policies, the demand accumulated in the early stage will be released at an accelerated pace, but the uncertainty of human resource supply and the rapid change of market demand have put forward higher requirements for the agility of the production side. Secondly, under the epidemic, the cost of raw materials, energy, transportation and other costs are under pressure, so that enterprises are facing greater pressure to control costs and improve profit margins. According to the data, in July, the ex-factory prices of industrial producers rose by 4.2% year-on-year, and the purchase prices of industrial producers increased by 6.5% year-on-year; From January to July, the ex-factory prices of industrial producers increased by 7.2% over the same period last year, and the purchase prices of industrial producers rose by 9.8%, indicating that the industry urgently needs effective means to reduce costs and increase efficiency.

Universal Robots cobots help the manufacturing industry improve efficiency

Adam Sobieski, President of Universal Robots Greater China, said: "The manufacturing industry has always been a stabilizer of the national economy, and the recurrence of the epidemic in recent months has once again amplified the importance of the resilience of the manufacturing supply chain. Under the second major test of the epidemic, the key to breaking the situation in the manufacturing industry is to improve the flexibility of production and the lean degree of management through digitalization and automation, so as to achieve agile production and achieve the purpose of reducing costs and increasing efficiency. In the process of enterprises embracing agile manufacturing, traditional industrial robots are limited in their application scenarios due to their lack of flexibility and difficulty in deployment. In order to better adapt to the requirements of flexible, fast, and safe deployment, more and more enterprises are turning to collaborative robots. ”

　　Efficient, flexible, safe and stable, collaborative robots hit the pain points of the manufacturing industry

First, cobots are able to collaborate efficiently and safely with employees, and Universal Robots continues to innovate iterations to reduce cycle times and increase uptime, helping customers meet and exceed production goals and bring more products to market faster. While improving efficiency, cobots can also reduce the error of manual measurement, so as to improve product yield, reduce the cost of consumables, and help to control costs and improve profit margins.

Secondly, the deployment of cobots is very convenient and flexible, and enterprises do not need to change the layout of existing factories or hire programming talents for this purpose. Specifically, Universal Robots' cobots are quick to install, often in less than an hour for untrained operators, from unboxing to removing the cobot, installing the robot, to programming the first simple job. It is easy to move and adjust, and can flexibly and quickly redeploy and switch tasks in multiple production line processes, adapt to the flexible production rhythm, and respond to the diversified and changing needs of the market in an agile manner. Programming is simple, even for operators with no programming experience, with minimal training they can quickly set up and operate through an intuitive and convenient interface.

In addition, the customer's pursuit of cost reduction and efficiency improvement must be carried out under the premise of ensuring safety and stability. From the perspective of robot stability, once a failure occurs, it will affect the progress of the entire production line process. From a safety point of view, it is difficult for traditional industrial robots to interact with humans safely, so it is necessary to set up safety fences to separate workers from robots, which is time-consuming and occupies a large area. Cobots, on the other hand, interact directly with employees in close proximity and can be matched with existing work cells and workstations with a high level of safety without the need for additional guardrails.

　　The recently released UR20 redefines the next generation of industrial collaborative robots

Earlier this year, Universal Robots launched the UR20, its first next-generation industrial cobot, redefining collaborative robots. Through the new design and complete reconstruction of the robotic arm, the UR20 cobot has achieved innovative breakthroughs in load capacity, operating range and other aspects. While achieving a large load of 20KG and a working radius of 1750 mm, the repeatability accuracy is up to ±0.05 mm.

In terms of efficiency, the UR20 can increase joint speed by 65% (depending on joint size), average speed by 30%, and joint torque by 25% in tight spaces.

In terms of reliability, the UR20 has been completely redesigned with a simple joint structure, and the number of parts has been reduced by about half compared to the e-series, which can reduce downtime and further improve reliability.

In terms of safety, the UR20 has 17 customizable safety functions with an IP54 rating, and a certified programmable safety system that allows users to flexibly tailor safety parameters to meet their risk assessment requirements.

At the same time, the UR20 continues the flexibility that Universal Robots has traditionally achieved, with a lightweight body of 64 kg including cables, a small footprint and a base diameter of only 245 mm, making it easy to deploy and move, allowing you to achieve more in a small space.

　　Scenario accumulation and expansion of the empowerment function of the huge ecosystem

With 17 years of experience, Universal Robots has deployed more than 50,000 cobots worldwide, many of which are deployed in China. In the process, Universal Robots has accumulated a wealth of experience in various application scenarios, and continues to feed back customer feedback into product iterations. Today, Universal Robots' portfolio supports loads from 3 kg to 20 kg and covers working radii from 500 mm to 1750 mm, providing targeted solutions for a wider range of scenarios.

For each scenario, Universal Robots can also easily realize functional expansion, which is supported by Universal Robots' vast UR+ ecosystem. Universal Robots' rich ecosystem of more than 1,100 integrators, distributors, and independent partners creates a rich set of components, kits, and applications for Universal Robots that work seamlessly with every model of Universal Robots. In addition, Universal Robots' cobot arms can be combined with autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) to form composite robots. AMRs act as human "legs" and cobot arms function as "hands", further enriching the application scenarios of robots.

In September, Universal Robots and Mobile Industrial Robots (MiR), a global mobile robot manufacturer, will participate in the China International Industry Fair (CIIC), which will be held at the National Exhibition and Convention Center in Shanghai from September 26-30. Universal Robots will showcase a variety of cobot products covering automotive, electronics, metalworking, food packaging and other industries, and showcase the latest applications in welding, machine tool loading and unloading, wafer handling, dual-arm collaboration, palletizing, assembly, dispensing and other scenarios. Universal Robots welcomes industry colleagues to visit us at booth A005 in Hall 8.1 to explore how the manufacturing industry can flexibly respond to changing market conditions and needs.

Universal Robots cobots help the manufacturing industry improve efficiency

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