The Best Robotics Solutions Come from a Pedigree of Robotic Development Spanning over 30 Years

2008-03-08 - With over 150,000 robots installed in all industries, ABB Robotics has also an unequivocal claim to be the largest supplier in the packaging industry. From its portfolio of standard robots, ABB Robotics has developed a range of specialised packaging machines that meet every conceivable packaging need.

ABB argues that while the robots themselves are clearly an important consideration - they must be fast, accurate, reliable and so forth - it is the application, control and application-specific function of the machines that delivers the payback.

The company has taken an holistic approach to the design of its packaging robot solutions that embraces the robots themselves - there are all types provided for packaging - the gripping technology, the controls and, vitally, the programming software.

ABB FlexPicker ABB manufactures the most widely used FlexPicker(TM) Delta robots for picking and placement. These portal mounted machines are fast, flexible and take minimal floor space.

The greatest argument for using FlexPicker Delta robots is in combination with ABB's PickMaster software.

ABB PickMaster software Recognising that some operators remain fearful of the complexity of programming robot lines, the new PickMaster makes easy the integration of picking, packing and palletising via a simple intuitive interface.

PickMaster is the fastest tool for guiding robots in the packaging process, including picking, packing and palletising. The PC based software product uses comprehensive graphical interfaces to configure powerful applications where up to 16 robots may work in a team along conveying belts.

With many proven process functions packaged in a standard software product, PickMaster efficiently minimises the risks in complex production solutions.

The powerful vision identification and inspection tools combined with a high performance conveyor tracking process makes true flexible production a success. PickMaster is set to become the new industry benchmark in robotic software - all thanks to its flexibility, functionality, scalability, user-friendliness and connectivity to large-scale industrial IT systems.

ABB robots in Packaging The IRB 140 is a compact and powerful 6-axes multipurpose robot that handles payload of 5 kg, with an 810 mm reach. It has the option of floor, wall or suspended mounting, which allows for greater flexibility in arranging the layout of production lines.

Using IRB 140, cycle times are considerably reduced where axis 1 and 2 are predominantly used. This faster version is well suited for packing applications and guided operations together with PickMaster.

Designed for flexible packing systems, the IRB 260 has the ability to work close to base in order to minimise floor space. Low on weight and height, the IRB 260 fits easily into compact production cells, combined with high speed and a 30 kg payload capacity.

The IRB 660 is an extremely fast, 4-axes palletizer that combines a 3.15 metre reach with a payload of 250 kg, to meet the demands of just about any palletising application.