Productive Robotics Unveils Industry’s First Production Welding System Run By Augmented Intelligent, Vision-Enabled, Teach-By-Touch Cobots
(SANTA BARBARA, CA) (July 28, 2022) Productive Robotics will introduce the world’s first augmented intelligent, vision-enabled, teach-by-touch 7-axis cobot production welding system at IMTS, Booth #338519. The company will demonstrate a two-station welding system and a single station welding system with an 8 ft. long table for extra-large parts. The single station model has the largest table on the market. Productive Robotics designs and produces its line of collaborative cobots in the U.S.
Conventional robot-run welding systems use a lazy susan mechanism to rotate parts into the welding zone while an operator sets up another part. “We’ve eliminated the lazy susan from our design,” says Zac Bogart, president of Productive Robotics. “We designed a 4 ft. by 8 ft. table that is separated into two halves and fully enclosed. The operator sets up one part, shuts the door, and moves to the other side to set up the second part while the cobot welds the first one. Simultaneous part setup and welding supports high volume production without interruption.”
Productive Robotics’ budget-friendly 7-axis OB7 collaborative cobots can automate repetitive tasks, reduce setup time and perform a variety of machine operations. A proprietary, “no programming” user interface allows operators to teach OB7 by simply showing it each step of a job. Booth visitors will be able to see 20 OB7 cobots performing a wide range of end user applications including deburring, machine, lathe, mill and EDM machine tending as well as gluing, bonding and part marking.
Earlier this year, Productive Robotics introduced OB Vision. “Our goal has always been to simplify the use of cobots on the shop floor by eliminating the need for software and programming,” Bogart says. “Now we’ve made OB7 even easier to use by giving it sight.”
The sighted cobots eliminate the need for fixtures and staging parts for pickup; two of the largest bottlenecks when it comes to implementing collaborative robots. Fabricators can deploy the cobots faster and produce more complex parts while reducing costs.”
Each of the OB7’s joints can rotate 360 degrees in both directions. The cobot can sense collisions at every joint, a function that triggers a safe stop. The OB7 can also be stopped with an operator’s hand and restarted with a tap on one of its joints. When running at collaborative speeds, guarding is not required. For high speed operations, a laser safety scanner is available.
To automate OB7, fabricators can add a Productive Robotics parallel electric gripper/end effector, patented robot rolling stand and work table. The cobot is also compatible with other grippers, cameras and accessories. Data collection is supported by Productive Robotics’ cloud analytics system making it easy for small to medium-sized job shops to implement real-time reporting on cobot activity. Installation of the OB7 can take approximately two hours.
Productive Robotics Inc. designs and manufactures industrial collaborative robots and accessories for a wide range of markets. Productive Robotics’ augmented intelligent machines—the OB7, OB7 Stretch model, MAX 8 and MAX 12—are the only cobots on the market designed and built in the U.S. A proprietary, “no programming” user interface allows fabricators and job shops to teach the cobot by simply showing it each step of a task or job. The plug-and-play machines are engineered to work with new or legacy equipment and have the flexibility to perform both simple and complex activities. Productive Robotics’ cloud analytics system streamlines connectivity requirements for nimble data collection and reporting. Installation for the kitted OB7 cobots is simple and quick, and can be performed whether an application calls for repetitive part work, tending a CNC machine or manning a lights out operation.
Visit www.productiverobotics.com or call (805) 244-9300