The Robot Report ABB Single-arm YuMi ABB’s IRB 14050 single-arm YuMi is challenging head on the Meca500. ABB essentially cut in half its popular dual-arm YuMi, reducing its footprint, to create the new YuMi. The 7-axis IRB 14050 features the same 0.5kg payload as the older YuMi, with a repeatability of 0.02mm and a maximum reach of 559mm. It also features the same lead through programming as dual-arm YuMi for streamlined set-up. ABB said the single-arm YuMi increases flexibility to help meet high-mix, low-volume production in short cycles. ABB envisions applications that combine the YuMi family of robots. For example, a single-arm YuMi can be used to feed parts to a dual-arm YuMi to speed up cycle time, or added as an extra arm to integrate a testing and inspection station into an electronics assembly application.
Meca500 6-axis small industrial robot arm | Mecademic
Meca500 Small Industrial Robot Arm Our first glimpse of Mecademic’s Meca500 small industrial robot arm came in 2014. The robot officially launched in mid-2016, and the Montreal-based company launched an upgraded version of the 6-axis arm at Automatica. The major upgrade is the absolute encoders that allow the Meca500 to remember its position when it’s powered down or has an outage. The Meca500 also now has faster joint velocities, unlimited rotation on joint 6, and a safety module with an integrated power supply. The rest of the $15,000 robot remains the same, including the embedded controller in the base and the lack of a proprietary robot programming language, which is designed to make the robot easier to use. The precision, which is co-founder Ilian Bonev’s specialty, is incredible. The Meca500 has a repeatability of 0.005 mm and a path accuracy better than 0.1 mm. Bonev credits this to the fact Mecademic makes many of the Meca500’s parts in-house. It buys the motors and drives from third-party companies, but that’s about it, according to Bonev. Mecademic has sold about 200 Meca500s to date, but it expects to sell hundreds more in 2018. Primary applications, to date, include inspection and pick and place. Mecademic is seeing increased competition from ABB, Denso and Yaskawa, which all showed competitive products at Automatica. Bonev said competition is good because companies will start making tool changers and grippers, for example, specifically for smaller robots.
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ABB single-arm YuMi | ABB
Comau ‘MATE’ Exoskeleton Comau, an industrial automation provider, unveiled a spring-based exoskeleton called “MATE Fit for Workers.” This is Comau’s first exoskeleton, and MATE is designed to reduce the stress placed on shoulder muscles caused by manual, repetitive labor. MATE doesn’t use batteries or motors. Instead, the lightweight exoskeleton offers ergonomically-assisted movement to help workers increase the precision of repetitive tasks and do the same tasks with less fatigue. MATE is the first in a series of wearable robots it is commercializing in partnership with IUVO, a spin-off company of The BioRobotics Institute (Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna) and Össur, an Iceland-based non-invasive orthopedics company. www.designworldonline.com
DESIGN WORLD
7/27/18 1:45 PM