Industrial robot manufacturer ABB recently launched its latest modular large robots at Automate 2024 in booth 2239. The trade show is being held May 6-9 at the McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago, Illinois. Attendance is free.
A3 said this year’s show is the biggest yet, featuring more than 365,000 square feet of exhibit space, over 800 exhibitors, and an expected 30,000 registrants, with learning and networking opportunities. Attendees will be able to see the latest in robotics, machine vision, artificial intelligence (AI), and motion control.
ABB Robotics is continuing the expansion of its modular large robot portfolio with the introduction of its new IRB 7710 and 7720. The new robot arms, combined with recently launched IRB 5710 through 5720 and IRB 6710 through 6740 models, offer a combined total of 46 different variants capable of handling payloads between 70 and 620 kilograms, or about 150 to 1,350 pounds.
“As businesses introduce new technologies and components to meet productivity and sustainability goals, we’ve engineered our modular large robot portfolio to enable them to select the best robots and variants to allow them to efficiently undertake their operations,” said Marc Segura, president of the robotics division at ABB. “The latest robots extend our portfolio even further, helping our customers navigate labor shortages and ensuring they remain competitive, while operating in a sustainable manner.”
IRB robots suited for automotive assembly, modular construction applications
ABB’s new IRB 7710 and IRB 7720 robots offer 16 new variants and are ideally suited to support applications across various industries, ABB said. Operators can choose from a wide range of ABB robots to ensure they have the ideal variant to handle various automotive manufacturing applications for electric vehicles (EV), hybrid, and traditional car production - spanning press automation, body-in-white, EV battery construction, and final assembly. These robots are suited for high payload assembly, such as giga casting, high speed press tending and palletizing, as well as high-accuracy contact applications, such as machining and friction stir welding, the company said.
Powered by OmniCore controllers, ABB said its new robots can achieve motion control with path accuracy down to 0.6 millimeters, or about 0.025 inches, even with multiple robots running at high speeds of up to 1600 millimeters per second, or about 63 inches per second, and moving payloads of up to 620 kilograms, or about 1,350 pounds.
Customers can also benefit from an up to 25% reduction in cycle times compared to previous ABB robots. In the automotive industry, the all-new IRB 7710 with the latest OmniCore controller, can boost the production output of robotic press lines from 12 to 15 strokes per minute to produce 900 parts per hour, ABB said. In the construction sector, the new robots can support the growth in modular construction, capable of constructing steel building frames and surface finishing.
ABB said the IRB 7710’s energy efficient design in combination with OmniCore’s regeneration technology achieves up to a 30% energy reduction compared with its predecessor IRB 7600 running in the same payload of 500kg on the previous controller IRC5, while the built-in power pack can relay energy back to the grid.
New robots demonstrated in automotive production workcell
ABB’s new large robots made their debut at Automate, working in a fully-functional automotive production cell at ABB’s booth performing car body component material handling, spot welding, and arc welding. The demonstration featured three ABB six-axis robots, one representing the new IRB robots in ABB’s portfolio. Two autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) were showcased, including ABB’s first AI-powered AMR with visual simultaneous location and mapping (SLAM) navigation technology.
ABB said it provides a range of welding solutions to join aluminum or steel parts that help automotive OEMs and tier suppliers assemble car components more efficiently, accurately and safely. The demo represents a sub-assembly process, featuring the following equipment:
- New large ABB six-axis IRB robot performing material handling
- IRB 6730 performing spot welding
- OmniCore V400XT controllers
- OmniVance FlexArc IRB 1660ID performing arc welding
- AMR P604 Flexley Mover transporting components between manufacturing operations
- AMR T702 Flexley Tug with Sevensense Visual SLAM AI navigation and AMR Studio
Cobots, unstructured picking, and delta picking demonstrations
There will also be an area with four GoFa collaborative robots of varying models displaying their ability to handle a diverse range of applications:
- GoFa (10 kg) Agility with the new Bullseye 10, a fully automated tool center point (TCP) with customized pre-defined programs that enable precise calibration during production execution.
- GoFa (12 kg) Machine Tending, includes all the components needed for SMEs and first-time robot users to adopt automated machine tending of smaller parts.
- GoFa (5 kg) Arc Welding, a solution that simplifies creating and executing welding sequences, empowering first-time robot users to create high-quality welds without the need for in-depth knowledge of robot programming.
- GoFa (5 kg) Laboratory Automation, interfaces with different types of laboratory equipment to automate the flow of samples that are routinely handled manually in many quality and research labs. Coordinated by the LabX Laboratory Software from Mettler Toledo.
Another demonstration will be a robotic item picking cell with ABB’s new AI Solution: an AI- and vision-based functional module that can accurately detect and pick items in unstructured environments in warehouses and fulfillment centers. It can help customers automate order picking and sorter induction operations.
An ABB IRB 360 FlexPicker delta picking robot, equipped with B&R machine vision systems ACOPOStrak Intelligent Track, ACOPOS 6D, and integrated machine vision will simulate a batch size one process. A B&R Smart Camera will be used to identify physical product information such as orientation, position, color and type to correctly route the ACOPS 6D shuttles to the IRB 360 FlexPicker to fulfill custom orders delivered to ACOPOStrak - all while maintaining high speed throughput, track and trace, and adaptability to last second order changes.
ABB said its digital corner will highlight its suite of software tools that can take the time, effort, and complexity out of programming and operating robots - from RobotStudio to ABB’s new range of OmniCore robot controllers.
ABB to celebrate 50 years of expansion and education
ABB said its investment in AI, including the recent acquisition of Sevensense, an AI-enabled 3D vision navigation specialist company, underlines the company’s strategic investment focus on innovative AI solutions transforming logistics and manufacturing industries. ABB said AI technology addresses customer needs for greater flexibility and intelligence amidst critical skilled labor shortages.
“While our 50 year legacy of global robotic leadership is a tremendous milestone, ABB’s focus is on serving current and future customers of all sizes with the industry’s most comprehensive portfolio of industrial and collaborative robots, autonomous mobile robots, and machine automation solutions,” said John Bubnikovich, ABB’s US robotics division president. “The recently completed, $20 million expansion of our robot facility in Michigan will bring us closer to our US customers as we help them build resilient competitive advantages in their respective industries.”
Additionally, a STEM education package in the Education Pavilion, Booth 5672, with an accompanying collaborative robot training cart, will showcase ABB’s initiative to inspire students to pursue advanced manufacturing careers while preparing them for the future of work.
ABB said its Robotics education package unlocks the potential of STEM training by providing hands-on robotics experience for students at a wide range of educational institutions. Featuring a collaborative robot cell, comprehensive teacher and student course materials, and a globally-recognized STEM certification, ABB said its package empowers both educators and students to get hands-on experience in real-life industrial robotics applications.
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