ABB Robotics’ ‘Productivity Days’ give manufacturers insight into more efficient robot operation.
ABB has staged a resoundingly successful ‘Productivity Days’ event, at the ABB Robotics Centre, Milton Keynes, with representatives from many UK industry sectors attending.
‘Take a day-off… and improve your productivity’ was very much the emphasis of the two days and those customers and potential customers attending were well rewarded with ABB’s UK Robotics’ team on hand to offer helpful in-depth, one-to-one advice on all aspects of robot operation and training.
With the days split up into a busy schedule of exhibits, displays and seminars, the event was highlighted by a series of technical demonstrations on how robots can improve quality and productivity, while reducing labour costs, across a wide field of applications.
A significant highlight, attracting a large audience, was a demonstration of the Cold Metal Transfer process, regarded by industry insiders as the most significant innovation in automatic and robot-assisted MIG/MAG welding for many years. Complementary, welding-based highlights included a live demonstration of ‘MultiArc’ - a 13 axis coordinated welding system featuring two IRB1600 robots, and the new FlexArc ‘Plug & Produce’ standard arc welding system.
In other applications, ABB demonstrated robotic roller hemming and geometric end of arm tooling for ‘Body in White’ applications, a robot-based grinding and polishing cell, and high speed picking using PickMaster & MicroSoft .NET ‘User Hooks’.
ABB Robotics’ UK channel partners were also in attendance, including RNA Automation demonstrating the innovative MiniFlex robot-based parts feeding system and KMT demonstrating its plastic routing ‘Cutting Box.’
ABB Robotics UK Sales Manager, Nigel Platt comments: “The theme of the event was to impress on our visitors the need to take time out and review their manufacturing systems against the dramatic strides taking place in robot technology. Modest SME’s and even ‘one man bands’ can now take advantage of low pricing structures and the significant impact robots can have in terms of improved quality, increased productivity and reduced labour costs. With the event well attended over the two days, I’m sure we got our key message across.”