February 28 , 2007
Welcome to the February 2007 issue of Motoman Direct, containing news, product information, and updates from Motoman Inc.
Featured Products
ArcWorld-V-OC 6200 XHD »
New compact ArcWorld® cell features two or three overhead-mounted robots and high-speed, extra heavy-duty positioners.
MotoPallet EG
Enhanced PC-based software makes programming palletizing jobs faster and easier...
Motoman Palletizing
Motoman EPL-Series “Expert Pallatizing” and HP-Series “High-Performance” robots are designed to palletize a wide range of products with payloads up to 600 kg...
« Dual-Arm DA9IC Robot
Motoman's unique DA9IC robot features coordinated and independent control of up to 11 axes of motion. Two 5-axis manipulator arms move up and down independently on the vertical lifting axis which has a turning axis at its base. This innovative design provides unmatched flexibility and the ability to perform multiple processes, such as small parts assembly, handling and machine tending...
Yes, I would like a member of Motoman's sales team to contact me about the above product(s).
Corporate News
Excerpts of comments made by Motoman President Craig Jennings for Robotics Online's industry outlook article, entitled "Robotics Industry Strives to Diversify in 2007":
Motoman's President Craig Jennings sees general industry as a driver for growth in robotics in 2007 while the automotive sector gets back on track. "In general industry, there does not seem to be too much of a downturn," Jennings says.
"Motoman is seeing strong orders from the construction and mining markets. Those markets are serving us quite well. Consumer markets are still percolating along with no impact from the downturn in automotive," he explains.
"Going into 2007, the robotics industry is still going to have problems with the Big Three Automotive makers because they are still not going to be growing at their potential capacity," Jennings continues.
Jennings adds that he believes the automotive sector will be finishing their downsizing in 2007 and will be poised to invest in robotics more in 2008.
TJMPO to sell Motoman’s RoboBar
Motoman Inc. recently signed an agreement with TJMPO Consultants Inc. (Quebec, Canada) making them sales agents for RoboBar™, Motoman’s complete robotic beverage service solutions. TJMPO is an international sales and marketing organization that has developed a global network, producing sales in the entertainment and amusement industries throughout North and South America and Europe in more than 100 countries worldwide.
Click on the following links to see Motoman's latest ads:
Editorials, Case Studies, & Articles
"A 'Butter' Way to Palletize" - Packaging Digest - December 2006
California Dairies implements a robotic palletizing system with two Motoman EPL160 "Expert Palletizing" robots to handle 275,000 lbs of butter a day. This highly flexible palletizing system handles more than 170 SKUs in case sizes ranging from 8-55 lbs...
"Robots Rack Up Productivity at Tru-Form: A Robot Case Study" - Robotics Online - December 14, 2006
Motoman robots at Tru-Form help this full-service fabricator of returnable metal racks for the automotive industry and other fabricated parts stay competitive in the face of strong foreign competition.
"Robots at Work" - Today's Medical Developments - November/December 2006
Midmark Corporation uses a Motoman ES165 "Expert Spot" welding robot to help cost-effectively produce their new design of more robust manual medical examination tables
Customer Satisfaction & Training
Consider Robot Maintenance
Most people don't relate the maintenance on their robot to the maintenance on their car. Motoman robots are scheduled for their first greasing at 6,000 hours of operation. In the same amount of time driving a car, averaging 50 mph, you would travel 300,000 miles! That's more than most cars' life expectancy. And with a Motoman's scheduled overhaul at 36,000 hours, that would be like wearing out six new cars!
MotoSoft Software Support
Motoman offers Application Services to provide on-site technical support for initial setup and configuration of MotoSoft™ software packages. For additional information and pricing, contact Motoman Customer Service at 937-847-3200.
Robot Life Cycle Management Tiered Services Options
Packages including annual PMs, RobotPro software, recommended spare parts, and/or programming assistance are available with initial sale of EA1400/EA1900 ArcWorld® and FabWorld® solutions. For additional information and pricing, contact your Regional Sales Manager or call Motoman Customer Service at 937-847-3200.
Register Online for Motoman Training
Classes
You can register for
all Motoman training classes in the U.S. and Canada on-line through Motoman's website.
Helpful Hints
Customer Service Questions
Problem: Why does Customer Service ask me so many questions when I call to report a problem with my Motoman robot?
Solution: Motoman Customer Service supports in excess of 300 products, not including custom variants, systems, software and associated equipment. The questions we ask you are necessary to properly identify the product in question. All newer products are delivered with WARRANTY ID NUMBER stickers added to both the controller's ID plate and the manipulator's ID plate. This number is extremely helpful when identifying a system's components and options. In addition, every manipulator ID plate contains the arm's TYPE number. Some arms have as many as 16 variants. This information can be critical when replacing specific components. Save time by always have the Warranty ID number and both controller and manipulator model numbers at the ready when calling for support or replacement parts.
Speed Override Function for NX100 and XRC controllers
Problem: I want to be able to increase the speed of my Motoman robot while it is running in Play mode.
Solution: Use the Speed Override Function to increase robot speed while operating the robot in Play mode. This function will affect all motions expressed as a constant, allowing speed to be globally changed by a percentage (50-150%) during play mode. When you perform a speed override on a job that includes child jobs or subroutines, the change will affect the motions that are actually executed. If you have a parent job or a child job that has its job header set to EDIT LOCK: ON, then the speed override will not be executed. You will see an alarm number 4476: CANNOT EDIT (Edit LOCK JOB). With this function, you can increase the speed of the robot to its maximum allowed speed. That speed increase can be limited by certain basic limitations of your robot application (for example, the weight of the tool and the acceleration and deceleration of the robot as it is performing the programmed path execution).
Trade Shows
Motoman recently exhibited at:
ATX - January 29-31 - Anaheim Convention Center - Anaheim, CA - Booth #4161. Motoman's exhibit showcased a dual-arm DA9IC robot simulating complex machine loading and an HP20 case palletizing solution.
Motoman products and services will be exhibited at the following trade shows and expositions. If you plan to attend, please visit our booth:
Seatrade Cruise Shipping - March 13-15 - Miami Beach Convention Center - Miami Beach, FL - Booth #2436
National Restaurant Association (NRA) - May 19-22 - McCormick Place - Chicago, IL - Booth #3038
Robots & Vision - June 12-14 - Donald E. Stephens Convention Center - Rosemont (Chicago), IL - Booth #1423
FIN-X – September 18-20 - Indiana Convention Center – Indianapolis, IN - Booth #819
PackExpo - October 15-17 - Las Vegas Convention Center - Las Vegas, NV - Booth #3543
G2E – November 13-15 – Las Vegas Convention Center – Las Vegas, NV
Fabtech - Nov. 11-16 – McCormick Place - Chicago, IL - Booth 5017
MotoQuote Puzzle
Decipher the following encrypted "MotoQuote" phrase and e-mail the answer, along with your name, company name, company address, and work phone number to marykay.morel@motoman.com. On March 5, we will draw a winner from eligible respondents who correctly solve the puzzle. The prize, a Motoman ball cap, will be sent to the lucky winner.
Clues: Our company name appears somewhere in the following phrase. If you need more help, B=H and D=F.
OPFGRLCQGEYOJ SGCGSYE OGVGCA UQCB “BLSYE-RQWP” SGCQGE
TOGFQIP DRPHQVRP, SLRCQ-TOGXPAA YLCGSYCQGE AGRLCQGEA