Trailblazing Robotic Technologies for Future Business Growth at Automate

To effectively address increased demand and accelerated change, company leaders are fine-tuning corporate strategies to incorporate cutting edge technologies, including flexible, smart and easy-to-use robotic automation. From skilled labor shortages and unfavorable working conditions to factory production bottlenecks and seasonal product demands, highly reliable and efficient robots are helping manufacturers and suppliers deal with a range of tough challenges.

More recently, advancements in robot manipulation, mobility and perception are improving application functionality for greater automation confidence. This is prompting a new wave of robot implementation, optimizing production efficiency for both experienced and novice users throughout the industrial landscape.

Join Yaskawa at the Automate Show
Presented by the Association for Advancing Automation (A3), the 2022 Automate Show will feature the largest and most inspiring collection of robotic automation in North America. From AI-powered automation to tried-and-true technologies, robotic solutions to address nearly every application will be on display. Back to in-person attendance, this year’s show is making a grand return to Detroit, Michigan (June 6-9) at Huntington Place Convention Center.

With over 20,000 attendees and 500 exhibitors from around the world, Automate 2022 is primed to help your business unlock greater production potential. At the show, be sure to stop by the Yaskawa booth (#4432) to meet our experts from both Yaskawa Motoman and our sister division, Drives & Motion. Plus, gain inspiration for your production floor from the following demonstrations:

Collaborative Robot Palletizing – enabling humans to safely work with or in close proximity to robots, the six-axis HC20 collaborative robot will be featured in a palletizing workcell. Bolted to a riser, the robust HC20 offers a 20-kg payload capacity and an impressive 1,900 mm maximum reach, making it ideal for loading and unloading 40 x 48” pallets without the presence of an elevator.

Made of cast aluminum for durability, the easy-to-program HC20 robot is well-suited for a variety of tasks including assembly, dispensing, machine tending, material handling, packaging and welding. The industry’s first IP67-rated collaborative robot for use in damp or splash-prone environments, the HC20 offers an easy-to-clean surface and can be used in sanitary environments. NSF H1 certified food-grade grease enables use in spaces where there is the possibility of incidental food contact. Meeting established safety standards (ISO 13849-1) and complying to ISO TS15066, the HC20 offers four modes of collaborative operation, such as Power and Force Limiting (PFL), and it can easily shift between collaborative speed in PFL mode or full speed in industrial mode (based on risk assessment and process requirements).

Collaborative Welding – designed to add capacity to current production, the six-axis HC10 collaborative robot is ideal for supplementing manual welding or for rolling up to large, heavy workpieces. To be showcased on a modular weld table with arc flash and fume mitigation, the HC10 robot offers a 10 kg payload capacity and a 1,200 mm effective reach.

Four modes of collaborative operation are offered, including Power and Force Limiting (PFL) to enable operation with or in close proximity to human workers. Depending on production requirements, the HC10 can shift between collaborative speed in PFL mode or full speed in industrial mode. It can also operate without additional protective measures based on risk assessment and process requirements. Easy hand-guided programming helps quick implementation of the robot system, and an IP67 rating allows operation in harsh welding environments. This weld cart will highlight Yaskawa’s very intuitive Universal Weldcom Interface (UWI) pendant application.

Collaborative Machine Tending – utilizing PFL technology to protect users from potentially harmful contact situations, the six-axis HC10 collaborative robot reduces the need for hard safety fencing and is featured in a machine tending workcell. Easily integrated with existing automation or machinery, this demo highlights the use of Speed and Separation Monitoring, where additional sensing devices (i.e., laser scanners and light curtains) for safety zone monitoring are used.

Fast, Small-part Processing – featuring a compact and efficient six-axis GP7 robot combined with an extremely fast four-axis SG650 SCARA robot, this workstation demonstrates precise operation for small part production. Ideal for assembly and sortation, as well as multi-process systems requiring pick-and-place capability, the SG650 features a 650 mm radial reach, 210 mm long U-axis stroke and 6-kg payload capacity. MotoSight™ 2D provides feature-rich vision functionality.

The SG650 robot is controlled by the compact YRC1000micro controller that has a small footprint (425 W x 125 H x 280 D mm), and it can be installed in either a vertical or horizontal position, as well as within a 19-inch rack. It also uses a lightweight standard teach pendant with a user-friendly touchscreen interface, enabling fast and easy programming.

Flexible 3D Bin Picking – showcasing a GP7 robot working alongside the extremely compact MotoMini robot, this bin-picking workcell features MotoSight 3D BinPick – the next generation of vision technology for picking applications. The system uses a single 3D camera with integrated lighting to quickly and easily recognize and pick parts that are randomly placed in bins. 3D CAD matching provides simplified, accurate part registration, enabling even complicated parts to be identified.

Quick Pallet Pattern Generation – enabling fast deployment of complex palletizing systems, PalletSolver® is featured in a handling workcell with two highly efficient GP7 robots. An easy-to-use PC-based software solution, PalletSolver allows users to quickly generate ideal pallet patterns offline for virtually any mix of SKUs. An online component optimizes execution of pattern files and robot operation. Single and complex multi-line palletizing is easily handled.

Hands-on Robot Programming – this demonstration features three HC10 direct teach collaborative robots and highlights hand guiding for fast deployment or redeployment on demand. The easy-to-use touchscreen Smart Pendant – using software version 2.1 with a built-in Classic Interface function – will also be featured. Ideal for novice robot programmers, the innovative Smart Pendant utilizes patented Smart Frame technology that determines the user’s orientation relative to the robot. This makes the user the frame of reference and eliminates the use of conventional coordinate (X, Y, Z) frames for easy command of robot movement.

Interactive Drives & Motion Kiosk – offering a full suite of industrial AC drives, HVAC drives, machine controllers and more, our sister division – Yaskawa America Inc., Drives & Motion – will be providing a preview of the new iCube Control™ product platform to be released in the Americas this fall. The iCube Control machine control platform gives you the flexibility of open system design, the scalability of modular system integration, and the certainty of safety and support for which Yaskawa is known.

Register for Automate
Technology never stops, and it is important to keep pace with innovative change to stay competitive. Whether you’re new to robots and looking to trailblaze a new path for your company or looking to refine operations by adding capacity to current automation, we look forward to seeing you in booth #4432. Register for Automate today!