Universal Robots' New UR20 Cobot Makes its Welding Debut

Will Healy, Global Segment Manager for Welding at Universal Robots, looks forward to the UR20’s welding and bending debut: “We redefined the cobot, completely re-engineering it from the ground up,” he says, adding how UR will also debut a new coordinated motion feature to launch through partners as part of UR’s PolyScope software. With coordinated motion, the cobot and external axis – such as a rotary positioner or a linear rail – move in sync. “Coordinated motion enables fabricators to weld larger or more complex parts without having to manually reposition the work piece or welding robot,” explains Healy. “This means UR cobots can weld more parts per run for increased efficiency and are capable of welding bigger and more complex parts." The new coordinated motion feature will be showcased at UR's own FABTECH booth in addition to the partner booths of THG Automation and Vention.

After a weld process is completed, fabricators often have to perform the hazardous chore of manual grinding and finishing. Equipped with the precision of a UR10e cobot and FerRobotics’ ACF-K end-of-arm grinding tool, the new GRIT TM solution from UR partner Kane Robotics liberates workers from this tedious task, grinding welds at twice the speed of human technicians while improving material removal productivity by as much as 50-80%.

Manufacturers visiting UR’s booth looking to optimize parts feeding, will be intrigued by UR partner PBC Linear demonstrating its Applied Cobotics Cobot Feeder, a CNC machine feeding application kit that delivers and stages parts to be placed into welding and fabricating equipment as well as CNCs, grinders, vertical mills, and other machine tools and processes. The Cobot Feeder demonstration combines a UR10e cobot and the Flexxbotics FlexxCNC™ to control the process of loading and unloading trays into a pneumatic vise. The modular and easily re-taskable Cobot Feeder empowers one machinist to do the work of up to eight machinists while increasing the amount of raw materials available to cobot machines tending work cells.