When building a new automotive manufacturing facility or retrofitting one to keep current with developing trends, automating as many processes as possible will be among your highest priorities. In an industry known for high capital expenditures and bottom-line pressures, automated processes clearly promise greater efficiency, throughput and labor savings. Collaborative robots — or cobots — offer many benefits to help machine and system designers achieve these goals.

A Safe and Flexible Six-Axis Cobot Offers Many Advantages

One such cobot, Automationware’s six-axis AW-Tube PLUS, is designed to provide a high level of reliability, safety and flexibility for automotive manufacturing.

Cobots offer many advantages that make them well-suited for automotive industry applications. Here is a summary of some, using Automationware’s AW-Tube PLUS CS Series as an example:

• Labor savings. Cobots are made to handle repetitive and exhausting movements, allowing workers to take on more valued tasks while keeping headcount — and associated costs — low.
• Safety. Cobots have many built-in protective features. In fact, Automationware AW Tube cobots work alongside humans without the need for safety fencing.
• Flexibility. Easy to transport, assemble and disassemble, cobots are programmable and can adapt to a wide range of equipment, processes, payloads and production requirements. For example, the AW-Tube PLUS CS Series is available in many different configurations, to best fit the customer’s work area and payload requirements. The CS Series can be equipped with the most common tools for cobots or a TCP force and torque sensor especially made for assembly, sanding and polishing tasks.
• Efficiency. Cobots reduce the number of manual tasks involved in production — along with their associated injuries — and they perform with greater precision. This video shows an AW-Tube installing parts at a rate of 20 per minute.
• Programmability. AW-Tube PLUS cobots feature a new software and hardware infrastructure, along with a fully redesigned user interface that is simple, intuitive and user friendly. These attributes allow users to program the new cobot’s working tasks quickly and easily, and in a highly expandable way — all to ensure a rapid return on investment.

In addition, AW-Tube PLUS is compatible with the powerful, flexible and versatile Python-based programming language. Users may interact with the cobot to monitor, control or program it either remotely via laptop, or through the supplied teach-pendant.

AW-Tube PLUS is lightweight and easy to integrate and program. It is available with a DC (48 to 220V DC) or AC (100 to 240V AC) power supply. Additional features and specifications include:

• Maximum Tool Central Point speed up to 3.9 meters per second.
• IP65 degree of protection rating for applications in dusty or humid environments.
• Easy integration of force sensors.
• EN ISO 13849-1, PLd Category 3, EN ISO 10218-1 Industrial Certifications
• Five versions to choose: 3 kg, 6 kg, 12 kg, 20 kg and 25 kg.

AW-Tube PLUS CS Series

MODEL	CS63	CS66	CS612	CS620	CS625
PAYLOAD	3 kg	6 kg	12 kg	20 kg	25 kg
REACH	624 mm	914 mm	1304 mm	1800 mm	1500 mm
FOOTPRINT	∅128 mm	∅150 mm	∅190 mm	∅240 mm	∅240 mm
ACCURACY	±0.02 mm	±0.03 mm	±0.05 mm	±0.1 mm	±0.08 mm

Highly flexible, AW-Tube PLUS is desirable for use in a host of automotive manufacturing applications such as engine tightening, car seat tightening, reducer gluing, window gluing, headlight welding, instrument panel and printed circuit board (PCB) detection loading and unloading, flywheel pick-up and assembly, palletizing, and machine tool loading and unloading.

Meet Automated Production Targets

Human-robot collaborative robots offer an exceptional combination of benefits, plus the ability to adapt to ever-changing production demands in automotive manufacturing processes. Our AW-Tube PLUS six-axis cobots are safe and easy to use, giving automobile manufacturers the flexibility and efficiency to meet their automated production targets while minimizing labor requirements and costs.

To see AW-Tube in action, watch this video.

IKO is the U.S. distribution partner for AutomationWare. Visit www.automationwareusa.com, or contact IKO at ikoaw_usa@ikonet.co.jp for more information.