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Cobot manufacturer Techman Robots introduces TM AI+. An application to detect and classify objects using AI (artificial intelligence) and machine learning. The Techman Robot creates its own principles for the built-in vision module to perform these tasks.

With TM AI+ several problems can be solved. The new application ensures that image data from all robots in the world is stored en masse. In this way, the robots can learn from each other. This image data is processed by AI deep learning into machine principles that the robot can learn and draw conclusions from for object classification or detection.

Examples of use

For example, it can be difficult for users to instruct the robot on how to exclude objects that look similar. Think about apples and pomegranates. With the help of Artificial Intelligence, robots can easily learn how to tell the two apart. It can also be complicated to define properties that have multiple forms, for example if a product needs to detect defects. A defect can have multiple forms. Deep learning can help solve this. Watch the video below to see how TM AI+ works.

User-friendly, browser-based interface

TM AI+ has a browser based user interface. This makes it easy for users to open a browser and log into the software. With the TM Robot’s built-in vision system, image data can be automatically collected and uploaded to the server for users to label. Examples of the training results can be displayed in the application to see if they meet expectations. Then they can be imported into the robot arm to apply the AI module function.

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OnRobot launches the 2FG7, a complete, affordable, easy to program and use, out-out-of-the box, cleanroom-ready Parallel Gripper. The latest tool in OnRobot’s range is designed to move in the smallest of work environments and enable companies of all sizes to set up gripping applications at low cost.

With a payload of 11 kg, a gripping range of up to 73 mm and a gripping force of 20-140 N, the 2FG7 Parallel Gripper can handle heavy, versatile loads. Smaller than OnRobot’s RG2 and RG6 grippers, yet more powerful than both, the size of the 2FG7 makes it the perfect gripper for use in low-volume, high-mix production environments, which is a very important bonus point on shop floors, where space is limited in combination with tight working environments.

OnRobot stands for ease of use and this is reflected in the 2FG7 Parallel gripper, within minutes the gripper can be deployed and can be seamlessly integrated with the major collaborative robot brands. Users of the 2FG7 can easily program settings for power, speed and stroke control through an intuitive software interface. This makes OnRobot’s 2FG7 Parallel gripper ideal for companies dealing with high and low volume production, as it allows them to quickly and easily adjust settings depending on the parts being processed.

The 2FG7 is a production-ready gripper that can withstand tough production conditions and applications. The 2FG7 is not only IP67 certified, but has also been awarded clean room certification (ISO class 5), which is required for many applications in the pharmaceutical and electronics industry. It also complies with ISO/TS 15066 with regard to the risk assessments of the joint robotic cells.

CEO Enrico Krog Iversen shares the creation of this new tool: “Our customers asked for a parallel gripper that can handle loads of more than 6 kg without sacrificing the ease of use they are used to from OnRobot products. By combining power, functionality and simple programming in a small form factor, the 2FG7 is that powerful, production-ready gripper”.

“The cost of robot hardware components has fallen in recent years, but this has not translated into an advantage for smaller manufacturing companies because the vast majority of industrial robot peripherals remain prohibitively complex and time consuming,” explains CEO Iversen. “OnRobot is changing all that.

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Collaborative robots stand for taking over or supporting employees in boring, time-consuming and repetitive tasks. One of these tasks is manual screwing, a major cause of dissatisfaction on the production floor.

During manual screwing, even your best employees will find themselves in a situation in which they are or become sensitive to missing screws and the over or under-tensioning of these screws. In addition, manual screwing can lead to disruption of the production lines or quality problems and product scrap.

The situations outlined above, with regard to reality, make screwdriving an ideal candidate for automation, especially for collaborative automation.

Unfortunately, until now no application had been developed that could easily be implemented on the robot arm without extensive technical knowledge. As a result, a lot of costly downtime of the cobot was lost and the flexibility with which the collaborative robot is associated was missed.

Meet OnRobot screwdriver

With this screwdriver solution OnRobot has thought completely out-of-the-box. In June 2020 they will launch a plug-and-play screwdriver that enables manufacturers to automate screwdriving processes on the production floor easily, quickly and flexibly. The OnRobot screwdriver is electrostatic discharge (ESD) certified to be safe for electronic assembly.

The uniqueness of this screwdriver is that it has a ‘z-axis’, which means that the robot arm does not have to move when screwing. With the OnRobot screwdriver, the screws are pulled into the reeschap and automatically driven. So no extra programming is required.

The process for attaching this application is simple, compared to traditional screwdriver applications. You insert the screws into the available infeed and then attach the screwdriver to your collaborative robot. The next and final step is to enter the required screw length and torque via an intuitive interface.

The automation of this repetitive task can begin.

The OnRobot screwdriver automatically calculates the speed and force required for accurate screwdriving using the built-in force and torque sensing and linear motion control.

If a screw is subjected to excessive force along its axis, a safety stop will automatically be activated.

By means of the simple programming interface as you are used to from the cobot applications, you can switch to a desired screw size, length or product line in a few minutes.

Manufacturers need simple, easy-to-implement solutions that increase quality on the production feed. The OnRobot screwdriver makes the previously impossible possible.

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The Coronavirus introduces us to new, previously unknown terms. One of these terms is the one-and-a-half-metre society, in which at any moment, in any situation, each individual has to distance himself from another person by 1.5 metres.

Many employees and companies find out while picking up their daily work that it is very difficult to carry out your work as before and to adhere to this rule.

We hope, like you, that the virus will disappear soon and that one and a half meters of society will be short-lived. Yet it is not wrong to think about the future of yourself, your employees and your company because of this unusual situation.

We sketch below a fictitious situation, which your company may have to deal with.

Impact COVID19 within a company

One of your production workers gets infected with the Corona virus. You have probably been informed several times via newspaper, radio or television that there have been several companies in the Netherlands where only one employee tested positive for Corona. These employees work on a production floor, working together with 10 or even 100 other employees. Once you have been informed of this, the other employees who (may) have had contact with this person must leave the premises. This situation causes your production to come to a standstill for a few hours or even days.

How do I prevent my production from going out of business?

Cobots are a suitable solution in various situations. In the situation outlined by us, the cobot can perform a task, without any guidance. The production process does not come to a standstill and you can even carry out the same production with less capacity or speed up your production process.

Prepare your company for the future

Prepare yourself, your company and your employees for the future. Would you like more information about automating processes with collaborative robots? Then download our free cobot demo.

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Automation is well known within various industries. The food supply chain took a long time, now that they too are aware of the many advantages that cobots can offer them, cobots have become an established value within the food industry.

Manufacturers within this industry are facing more and more challenges, consumer behavior is constantly changing and various trends continue to emerge. In order to be able to flexibly deal with a very fast changing market and perhaps because of this a larger product range they are looking for new solutions. This is where automation comes into play.

Still, a very important question remains before entrepreneurs and companies within this industry can start automating processes: can cobots handle the cleaning procedures that are very strict within the food industry?

The answer to the above question is yes. Collaborative robots, like all food processing equipment, comply with sector-specific guidelines and regulations. Within robotic production, manufacturers are engaged in the continuous development of hygienic, easy to clean designs, which are also compatible with the required cleaning solutions. This ensures safe contact between food and the cobots.

The range of accessories within robotics, such as a gripper to pack the vegetables, is very broad. For example, there are sensitive grippers on the market with the appearance of a hand. Picking up and packing food is therefore very precise, so the cobots will not damage the products. After the cobots have performed the given task, they can immediately perform a quality analysis.

The predictions with these developments are that the value of the global food processing industry will soon increase.

After reading this article, are you curious about what a cobot can do within your company? Feel free to contact us and we will look into the possibilities together with you.

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We at Wiredworkers launch a unique opportunity for anyone interested in collaborative robots, a Virtual Reality showroom. This showroom offers its visitors an online experience in the world of cobots. The first room launched today is dedicated to the collaborative robot Franka Emika Panda. Visitors can access the VR room via the Phoenix Calibration website. Once in the room, they will see the Franka Emika Panda in action. The Panda executes various applications.

VR showroom accessible from anywhere

The aim of the VR showroom is to provide visitors with an enlightening image of collaborative robots, from home or office. The visitors no longer have to visit our location in Doetinchem, but can discover more about this cobot in an accessible way. In addition to the online showroom, users can also view the showroom with VR glasses, which makes the experience even more realistic.

The VR showroom gives the visitors freedom, they decide for themselves which application is relevant for them and what they focus on. The Franka Emika Panda room is accessible to everyone.

Expectations VR showroom

The Techman Robot is expected to follow in October 2020 and the Universal Robots showroom will be launched in November 2020. Sign up to stay informed about this launch.

Visit the Franka Emika VR room.

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Mobile Industrial Robots (Mir) from Denmark introduced a new generation of Autonomous Mobile Robots. Meanwhile, MiR is market leader in the field of flexible autonomous internal transport. MiR’s robots have been used in factories, laboratories, hospitals and distribution centers for some time now.

These mobile robots allow employees to focus on important tasks, while the robots shorten lead times, transport materials and goods, and reduce the risk of bottlenecks. This extra flexibility in production can save your company time and money during the manufacturing process.

MiR Range

The MiR range now consists of 5 different robots, the MiR100, MiR200, MiR250, MiR500 and MiR1000. The MiR100 has a payload of 100kG and the MiR1000 has the heaviest payload.

The robots can be equipped with various modules including conveyors, elevators and collaborative robots.

‘Old’ AGV’s VS. MiR

What makes these robots so special compared to the ‘old’ AGV’s you may wonder, the MiR robots are very user friendly and feature an intuitive mapping technology. You don’t have to make any adjustments to your existing infrastructure and the robots are very easy to control via a PLC, ERP, tablet or even smartphone.

The MiR robots are safe, cost efficient and can find their own way on your work floor. By means of built-in sensors the robot scans its environment. It can deal with changes and unexpected situations such as your employees changing position, but also recognize holes, walls, glass doors or windows and stairs. In addition to the above, the robots are able to make a 360 degree scan, allowing them to safely drive backwards.

Do you want more information about the MiR robots or do you want to know what they can do for your company? Feel free to contact us.

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RoboDK, a powerful and cost-effective simulator for robot programming and also a spin-off from the CoRo laboratory, where it was tested on all major robot brands. Since its launch in 2015, the program has been downloaded more than 30,000 times and we at Phoenix Calibration explain why in this article.

RoboDK

The software package of RoboDK (version 5.0) consists of an extensive library with more than 500 robot arms and is suitable for everyone. You do not need any programming knowledge and your robot is programmed within a few clicks.

RoboDK uses offline programming, this means that it is possible to program the robots outside the production environment. Offline programming eliminates the production downtime caused by programming on the shop floor.

The offline programming and simulation software can be used for many production projects, including milling, welding, pick-and-place, packaging and labelling, palletizing, painting, robot calibration and more.

RoboDK version 5.0

RoboDK launched the latest update, version 5.0, last month. In this version they introduce both improved and new features. For example, it is possible for the user to create a complete palletizing process within 5 minutes with the Palletizing Plugin.

With the software package of RoboDK you can simulate and program your robot within 5 easy steps:

Step 1: Select your robot
When you open RoboDK you get instant access to an extensive library of robots. The RoboDK library includes more than 500 industrial robot arms from 40 different robot manufacturers.

Step 2: Define your tool
Load a 3D model of your tool and convert it to a robot tool by dragging it to the robot.

Step 3: Load your 3D model
The 3D model can be either of the robot’s environment or of the robot’s workpiece.

Ste 4: Simulate your toolpath
Step 4 creates a robot path using RoboDK’s intuitive user interface.

Step 5: Generate robot programs
You can send the created robot programs from your computer with a cable to the robot as well as save them on a USB stick.

With the RoboDK simulation software you will get the most out of your cobot. Do you have any questions or would you like to know more about the RoboDK software package? Feel free to contact us.

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