The combination of a collaborative robot and state-of-the-art vacuum technology can relieve worker strain during lifting operations, according to euroTECH Vertriebs GmbH. The company this week said it is the exclusive distribution partner of Cobot Lift ApS in Germany.
Collaborative robot arms can safely work alongside people, saving time and money as well as protecting health, said Slagelse, Denmark-based Cobot Lift, which manufactures mobile and stationary systems.
Cobot Lift upgrades lifting payload
Cobot Lift said it has upgraded the performance of its system by increasing the payload of the integrated UR10 robot from 10 to 45 kg (22 to 99.2 lb.). This is made possible by a vacuum tube lifter that carries most of the weight, the company said.
As a certified UR+ solution partner, Cobot Lift said it can perform custom programming reliably and quickly.
The company has also integrated the SMARTSHIFT mechanical quick-change system from Norway-based SMARTSHIFT Robotics. The system makes it very easy to change the lifting unit's tools for maximum flexibility and variability with the simplest handling, it added.
euroTECH claimed that its vacuum technology complements Cobot Lift's systems. The Rosenfeld, Germany-based company said in a press release that the cobot's improved lifting capacity, in addition to its small footprint and mobile design, allow it to work wherever it is needed.
Users can easily program Cobot Lift's enhanced system for a variety of operations, making it an inexpensive response to persistent labor shortages, said euroTECH. Its simplicity and flexibility can particularly benefit workshops and small businesses that were previously not in a position to adopt robots, it noted.
Typical loads include bagged goods, boxes, luggage, plates, and buckets. This opens up a wide range of applications to relieve the burden on companies and employees, asserted euroTECH.
euroTECH provides precise, powerful vacuum systems
euroTECH develops and produces vacuum systems and components for automated handling tasks. The company said customers can easily adjust its modular components to meet their individual requirements, and they can install spare parts in a quick and cost-saving manner.
Last month, euroTECH announced use cases for the eT-Litocran700 add-on module for telescopic handlers and loading cranes. The “red gazelle” system combines telescopic handling and vacuum lifting to help facade construction specialists install fragile elements at height quickly and precisely and with minimum staffing, it said.
The system avoids the challenges of mounting windows from within a building, since robots for that process can be heavy and difficult to maneuver, noted euroTECH. The vacuum module allows a telescopic forklift from manufacturers such as MAGNI Telescopic Handlers to smoothly lift loads up to 500 kg (1,102.3 lb.), it said.
Blickle GmbH, a manufacturer of wheels and castors, built a factory covering more than 37,000 sq. m (398,265 sq. ft.) and needed to install window elements at a height of 20 m (65.6 ft.) at a challenging angle below roofing.
SAXONIA Glas- und Fassadenmontage GmbH used the eT-Litocran700 to install a 400 kg (881.8 lb.) pane with only 1 cm (0.3 in.) clearance and millimeter precision (see video below). euroTECH also cited a facade builder that was able to apply glazing to an airport building in one month instead of three with its system.