During
Industrie 2008 held in Paris from 31 March to 4 April 2008, ABB Robotics in France presented a demonstration of Force Control.
Force Control, that can be used for deburring, assembling and autopath-learning, was selected for this last application as the best technology among 5 and received a prize.
ABB presented a newly patented version of Force Control that combines running strain of the robot with simplified user interface, where the operator doesn't need to use the FlexPendant anymore. This function, compatible with all ABB robots, from 5 to 650 kg, allows a 80% reduction of programming time. Among other advantages, Force Control makes the training duration of a deburring path on an aluminum gearbox as short as 30 hours. Another advantage is that it can be used by less skilled operators and be learnt in 6 hours.