Robots perform more complicated tasks

The latest generation of robots presents the ideal solutions for manufacturers wanting to improve their production efficiency. Aside from their ability to perform heavy-duty and even complicated tasks, robots offer such benefits as considerable savings in raw materials, time and manpower. The International Federation of Robotics released the World Robotics 2009 Industrial Robots (www.worldrobotics.org) which states that the worldwide operational stocks of industrial robots increased to about 1 million units in 2008. In the same year, global sales of industrial robots reached $6.2 billion and that the world market for robot systems has risen to about $19 billion annually. While the global economic crisis brought robots sales down in 2008-2009, this will slowly recover starting this year. The report also said that trends in manufacturing industries can be summarised in one term: "Green Automation" Energy-efficiency, reduction of CO²output and quality management are the main factors of future production processes in all industries. Thus, robot suppliers are hard pressed to provide the right solutions for industries to be able to face the challenges ahead. Multi-functional robots set the trends The plastics industry is now seeing a new range of automation systems that could define tomorrow's manufacturing trends and directions. Robots have contributed to increased productivity, better product quality, while reducing cycle time and unnecessary downtime to yield substantial savings. More compact, highly flexible versions are also being offered. ABB Robotics'robots are ideal for the entire spectrum of mould machines - small, medium-sized and heavyduty. A glance at the typical applications reveals true robot versatility: insertion of parts in the mould, extraction as well as a wide variety of post-process applications such as cutting, gluing, assembly and quality control. Since these machines can be floor-mounted, mounted on pedestals or shelf-mounted, maximum flexibility is achieved. ABB's IRB 4600 is a fourth-generation multi-purpose robot that features twice the working range, half the weight and a 25% better cycle time than comparable competitive models and the renowned IRB 4400 model that it succeeds. The development of the IRB 4600 responds to widespread market demand for an agile and flexible robot, with reduced weight, superior performance and improved cost efficiencies. The robot can be floor- or shelf-mounted, tilted and even inverted. It weighs of just above 880 lbs (400 kg). The IRB 4600 is ideal for numerous manufacturing and material handling applications, including machine tending, arc welding, cutting, dispensing, assembly, palletising and packing, measuring, deburring and polishing. The IRB 4600 is designed to withstand harsh environments, and all models are protected according to the IP 67 standard. A Foundry Plus model is also available. ABB has also introduced its smallest ever multipurpose robot, the IRB 120, a 6-axis robot that has all the functionality and advanced design features of the larger robots in an economical, lightweight model that will provide agility, accuracy and speed to a broad range of applications where a smaller footprint and profile are required. Weighing just 25kg (55 lbs), the IRB 120 has a standard payload of 3kg (6.6 lbs), a vertical wrist payload of 4kg (8.8 lbs), a reach of 580mm, a best-in-class stroke of 411mm and the ability to reach 112mm below its base. The IRB 120 is available with a new compact version of the industry-leading IRC5 controller, making it easy to program and control for a variety of tasks. The Compact IRC-5 is fully compatible with the standard and panel mount IRC-5 controllers. KUKA Robotics launched four innovative solutions for the plastics industry in cooperation with the KUKABest Seller