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Friendly robots at Germany’s K2007 exhibition

Visitors to the K2007 event in Dusseldorf will be able to shake hands with one of ABB’s IRB140 robots.

The event will take place on 24-31 October 2007, and will give visitors literally a first hand inspection of the multitasking capabilities of robotic automation in the plastics industry. They will be able to lead an IRB140 robot by the hand and teach it any moves they like. This lead by hand technique lets the user hold the robot gripper while a command de-energizes the robot and it goes limp. The user then moves the robot by hand and simply demonstrates the required positions for a machine cycle or for part processing. In the case of part processing, such as cutting or polishing, the program afterwards re-runs the robot along the taught positions and automatically adds all necessary positions to generate the perfect processing path.

The IRB140 robot is a compact and powerful 6-axis machine that combines fast acceleration, large working area and high payload.

As an adjunct to user convenience, ABB introduces a unique new service for monitoring and fault finding in robot applications, whereby diagnostics and even predictive machine condition monitoring can be effected over the Internet. The robot controllers communicate wirelessly via an embedded web server to alert of service requirements — maximising uptime, preventing unplanned stoppages and minimising maintenance costs.

There will also be preliminary details of the forthcoming tiny new IRB52 painting robot that has a remarkably small footprint and amazing agility. This new robot has the added benefit of both improving quality and saving significantly on paint consumption. Its long reach, coupled with its integrated hose package, makes the IRB52 a versatile machine for a broad range of painting applications.

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