Robotic Developments Boost Productivity, Resilience and Adaptability

In response to global trade disruptions, supply chain issues and widespread labor shortages, American manufacturers are turning to automation and robotics to achieve greater flexibility and relocate production closer to home.  Automation’s role in reshoring and improving productivity in the US is also dependent on bridging the skills gap in robotics education and better educating and upskilling workers.

Against this dynamic backdrop, ABB developed over 30 new robot, software, digital and educational products in the last year, designed to help industrial manufacturers of all sizes increase their operational performance and gain ready access to a well-trained workforce.

Joe Chudy, US general manager, ABB Robotics says, “Now, more than ever, businesses of all sizes need to embrace robotics to efficiently adapt production to satisfy their customer’s most pressing needs. While investment in automation plays a key role in flexibility in operations, equally important is investment in education and vocational training.”

ABB’s recently developed products emphasize the company’s recognition of these important aspects in the future of manufacturing. Among its new expanded lineup is the GoFa Collaborative Robot Welding Cell. Designed to safely work directly and continously alongside humans, GoFa aims to help businesses automate processes involving heaviers loads and longer reaches, assisting workers with repetitive and ergonomically challenging tasks. ABB says in addition to these features, GoFa is user-friendly and easy to install.

ABB’s next generation of compact, standardized machine tool tending, the FlexLoader Machine Tool Tending Cell, is another of ABB’s new developments. The tending cells include a 6-axis robot ideally suited to the reach and payload requirements of the specific application. FlexLoaders are designed for both low and high-volume production, tending vertical lathes, horizontal and vertical machining centers, 5-axis machines and grinders. User-friendly FlexLoader Vision provides the flexibility to automate the machine tending of parts that range from small to very large, increasing machine tool utilization by as much as 60% while reducing operating costs, according to ABB.