ROBOTS ON DISPLAY

ABB Robotics unveils World-First ‘Art Car’ Created by Robots

ABB’s PixelPaint robot recreates child prodigy Advait Kolarkar’s abstract art creation and digital design company Illusorr’s geometric concept

Paint-head technology delivers unprecedented precision and flexibility, reducing complexity while providing a more sustainable, efficient way to paint

Advanced robotic technology meets demand for sustainability and personalization in the automotive industry

ABB Robotics has collaborated with two worldrenowned artists, eight year old Indian child prodigy Advait Kolarkar and Dubai-based digital design collective Illusorr, to create the world’s first robot-painted art car. ABB’s award-winning PixelPaint technology has, without human intervention, perfectly recreated Advait’s swirling, monochromatic design as well as Illusorr’s tri-color geometrical patterns.

Equipped with 1,000 nozzles in the printer head, ABB’s IRB 5500 paint robots were able to complete the highly complex artworks in less than 30 minutes. The PixelPaint technology demonstrates unprecedented precision and speed, capturing intricate, elaborate detail that would be impossible to achieve by hand. A film highlighting this world-first achievement can be seen here.

Sami Atiya, President of ABB’s Robotics & Discrete Automation business area, commented: “ABB’s PixelPaint technology is more than an evolution – it is a revolution. It’s a shining example of how robotic automation and our RobotStudio® software can not only pave the way for more sustainable manufacturing but can also perfectly replicate delicate pieces of art that celebrate the originality and

ABB Robotics PixelPaint Art Car - Illusorr design

Advait Kolarkar watches the robot in action

beauty of the human spirit. At a time when consumers want more customized products, PixelPaint is a game changer and allows any design to be replicated in a manner that is both sustainable and affordable.”

ABB’s ground-breaking PixelPaint technology reimagines the paint application process and reflects the growing demand for sustainable personalization in the automotive industry, particularly in exterior paint. Multicolored car painting has traditionally been a laborious and costly process involving multiple stages of masking and unmasking, but ABB’s technology allows for a detailed, colorful, and exact replication of any design.

Carefully controlled, the paint can be quickly applied in a single application. This breakthrough in the automation of the paint process opens the door to specialized and personalized designs to the automotive market.

Influential automotive designer, Ian Callum, responsible for the design of the Aston Martin Vanquish and more recently the ground-breaking Jaguar I-Pace said: “There’s something very special about a car. People get emotionally attached to them and the importance of personalization is becoming stronger and stronger. In fact, I’m working with customers who actually want the whole car designed in a bespoke way. So, this paint offering – with all sorts of new levels of individual design for a motor car – is incredible.”

PixelPaint technology also enhances manufacturing sustainability, removing the need for masking materials and extra ventilation, which lowers emissions while saving water and energy. Coordinated by the firm’s RobotStudio software, the paint head tracks very closely to the vehicle body to ensure 100 percent of the paint is applied to the car with no airborne misting. Different paint colors are applied quickly, with the product only running through the paint shop once. For car manufacturers, this can halve the production time and reduce costs by up to 60 percent.

To create the art car, ABB refurbished a Volkswagen SUV that was damaged in the catastrophic floods in Germany in the summer of 2021. Its recycling confirms ABB’s commitment to sustainability wherever possible.

ABB supports a transformation of automotive manufacturing

the global automotive industry, as it undergoes one of the most significant periods of transformation in recent history. The transition will lead to the utilization of more robots in combination with other technologies, including Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs). This will enable ABB’s automotive customers to optimize the delivery of components across their facilities and connect integrated, scalable, modular production cells, such as PixelPaint, ensuring the necessary flexibility to meet varying levels of demand.

Sami Atiya added: “We are in the midst of a significant decade in the history of the automotive industry and the start of a new era. Automakers need to consider new ways of working towards the transition to electric vehicles. We are working to support the industry in this transition and I’m confident that with flexible automation, sustainable transportation will fast become reality.”

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Advait Kolarkar – Only eight years old, Advait Kolarkar’s artwork is internationally acclaimed and is kaleidoscopic and abstract in nature. He employs different shapes, intricate designs, and bold splatters of intertwining lines. Advait has an exhibition of his collected works, including part of the ABB robot art car, in London’s Gagliardi Gallery between 12th and 22nd May 2022. architecture and design. Their digital designs are inspired by a mixture of nature and science fiction.

ABOUT IAN CALLUM

Ian Callum (CBE) is a British car designer who has worked for Ford, TWR, Aston Martin and Jaguar Land Rover. For 20 years he was the Director of Design for Jaguar Land Rover, where he designed the X-Type, XJ, S-Type, F-Pace and I-Pace, among many others. In 2006, he was honored with a Royal Designer for Industry (RDI) award from the Royal Society of Arts. Callum was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2019 Birthday Honours for services to the British car industry. In 2019, Ian Callum founded his own eponymously named automotive and product design company, CALLUM.

ABOUT ABB ROBOTICS & DISCRETE AUTOMATION

ABB Robotics & Discrete Automation is a pioneer in robotics, machine automation and digital services, providing innovative solutions for a diverse range of industries, from automotive to electronics to logistics. As one of the world’s leading robotics and machine automation suppliers, we have shipped over 500,000 robot solutions. We help our customers of all sizes to increase productivity, flexibility and simplicity and to improve output quality. We support their transition towards the connected and collaborative factory of the future. ABB Robotics & Discrete Automation employs more than 10,000 people at over 100 locations in more than 53 countries. www.abb.com/robotics

Universal Robots Conquers New Automation Frontiers at Automate 2022

Universal Robots’ industry-leading collaborative robots was showcased in more than 30 booths, performing complex tasks that – until now – weren’t considered candidates for collaborative automation

Exhibiting at North America’s largest show for automation technologies, Universal Robots was ready with a cobot cure for a broad new range of complex applications. These provided new opportunities for manufacturers who are plagued by the inability to ramp up production that requires complex TIG or laser welding processes as well as hard-to-staff tasks such as machine tending, dispensing, labeling and screwdriving. “Our application diversity at this year’s Automate speaks volumes,” says Joe Campbell, senior manager of applications development and strategic marketing at Universal Robots (UR). Adding new meaning to the term ‘Universal’, the characteristic light-blue jointed collaborative robot arms from UR were spotted hard at work in more than 30 booths throughout Automate 2022. Coming out of a record revenue quarter, UR is experiencing broad-based growth from many different segments such as welding, an application area that grew an astounding 300% in 2021 compared to 2020 levels. “Welding is the latest example of an automation frontier now conquered by cobots,” says Campbell. “As we first entered the market, few believed cobots could handle heavy-duty tasks such as welding. Fast forward to this year’s Automate and we have numerous welding applications showcased, reflecting the robust market traction we’re now seeing - not only handling MIG welding but also within more complex processes such as TIG and laser welding.”

Exciting new applications featured at Automate

New collaborative TIG and laser welding systems meet stringent quality demands

At Universal Robots Automate, Cobot Systems, a UR Certified Systems Integrator (CSI), launched the first commercially available IPG LightWELD laser welder guided and controlled by a cobot. “Laser welding enables dramatically faster welding, is easier to learn and operate, and provides higher-quality and consistent results across a wider range of materials and thicknesses with minimal distortion, deformation, undercut or burn-through,” says founder of Cobot Systems, Brian Knopp.

Another new weld solution comes from UR CSI Melton Machine & Control Company, showcasing an enhanced version of the market’s first cobot-powered cold wire feed TIG welder, that enables the cobot to add both fusion and filler material to thinner material as it travels. “We’re seeing a really phenomenal reception from industries where the weld quality needs to show off the quality of the overall products,” says Glenn Archer, VP of sales and marketing, Melton Machine & Control Company, mentioning products such as exhaust systems on motorcycles or kitchen sinks. “Welds that you look at every day need a perfect visual appearance. Deploying a UR cobot in this process helps our customers achieve just that.”

First live press brake demo and easy-to-use mill automation system

For the first time at a North American show, UR featured a press brake tending application at its booth. The Press Brake Operator Package from Mid-Atlantic Machinery showcased a UR10e on a modular parts cart with a machine tool interface and a zone safety scanner that ensures shop safety.

Manufacturers looking for everything needed to successfully automate a CNC mill were intrigued by VersaBuilt’s UR+ certified Mill Automation System with a MultiGrip automation work-holding that allows machinists to easily add new parts. “If your CNC parts can be held with a vise, they can almost certainly be automated with a Mill Automation System,” says CEO with VersaBuilt, Al Youngwerth, stressing that the Mill Automation System is a standard automation system that requires no robot expertise or robot programming to use.

High-torque screwdriving and 360° gluing

UR’s application-diverse booth featured zones for not only welding and machine tending but also assembly and packaging application areas. In the assembly zone,

companies with the need to automate high-torque processes got a hands-on demo on how UR+ partner Estic’s screwdriving solution can handle these tasks, using a patented pulse technology, which significantly reduces torque reaction and the wear on cobot joints.

For assembling parts that require an adhesive, Robatech offered 360° Gluing, a UR+ Integration Kit that connects a UR+ cobot with Robatech’s adhesive application systems. The integration kit includes a holder for the application head and attachments for the heating hose on the cobot arm. Settings for the heating hose, the application head, and the melter can also be made easily using the cobot touch pad.

Inspection, box erecting, palletizing, and dexterous label applications

The Robot Label Applicator from UR CSI Kolinahr showcased a UR10e in a tricky application, applying a label to the inside of a roll core. This demonstrated the dexterity of 6-axis UR cobots, which can reach places that are challenging for their human colleagues. Also in the packaging zone were UR+ partner Robotiq’s new Palletizing Solution that redefines ease-of-use, and the box EZ by Flex-Line powered by the UR5e cobot that erects multiple sizes of boxes.

To ensure that the quality of manufacturing processes never fails, UR+ partner 3D Infotech showed automated robotic inspection solutions.,3D Infotech featured its cobot-powered UMA Smart Station that can run complete 3D inspection tasks with a single click; Spotlight AR++, an augmented reality software for manufacturing environments; and PartID, a machine vision tool that allows non-technical operators and engineers to quickly validate the position and shape of an object.

UR+ ecosystem rapidly expanding

Since UR launched UR+, the world’s first cobot ecosystem of 3rd-party components and application kits, the platform has grown exponentially. It now encompasses no less than 318 UR+ partners with 359 UR+ products certified for seamless compatibility with UR cobots. One of the UR+ partners, SCHUNK, will be featuring two EGP-C collaborative grippers on a UR5 in a machine tending application. After loading and unloading parts in the lathe, the UR5 will move the parts through SCHUNK’s new material-removal tool with a deburring brush, demonstrating higher utilization of the robot by completing deburring tasks between loading and unloading.

Besides the many hands-on encounters at the show, attendees also learned about cobots at Automate’s conference agenda that included UR-led presentations on “Top 10 Questions to Ask a Cobot Supplier,” “Cobots & Welding,” and “Connecting Automation to Business Challenges.”