ABB, the global power and automation technologies group, demonstrated to visitors at the Machine Building and Automation Show, NEC, why its compact six-axis robot, the IRB 140, is one of the most cost-effective automation solutions for industry.
Available from as little as £16,000, the IRB 140, compact, six-axis robot boasts one of the fastest cycle times of any articulated robot and an industry-leading payload for its size of 5kgs. The IRB 140 can be floor, wall or ceiling mounted, allowing for greater flexibility in arranging the layout of the production line and can be supplied in a wide range of configurations including a standard version, foundry version (IP67) and clean room version (Clean Room 10 standard/IP67).
Complementing its six-axis robots, ABB disclosed how it has moved one step beyond consumer-based ‘Bluetooth’ technology as used in the latest generation of mobile phones - developing and employing a wireless system in a real manufacturing situation. The actual system is located in one of the Group’s German-based production facilities, where ABB robots are automatically assembling tripping units to ABB MS116 manual motor starters - controlled and monitored by ABB’s wireless proximity switches which are activated by radio waves. Examples of this wireless sensor technology were demonstrated at the Show.
ABB business manager - robotics, David Marshall, comments: "The IRB 140 amply demonstrates that the days when robot-based automation was the preserve of the automotive giants alone are long gone. Intense development and worldwide demand have driven down the costs of robot technology, and ABB’s family of six-axis robots are readily affordable for even the smallest industrial enterprise, yet their unerring accuracy and unparalleled levels of serviceability revolutionise productivity and output."