|
Take heed to this text  |
Volvo will use ABB’s robots for quite a lot of electrical automobile manufacturing duties. | Credit score: ABB
Volvo Automobiles is deploying greater than 1,300 industrial robots from ABB to assist construct its subsequent technology of electrical autos. Volvo will use ABB’s new IRB 6710, 6720, and 6730 industrial robots for quite a lot of duties, together with spot welding, riveting, shelling out circulation drilling, and extra.
The aforementioned robots will likely be used at Volvo’s amenities in Torslanda, Sweden and Daqing, China. The robots are a part of ABB’s new line of modular industrial robots that function interchangeable hyperlinks that allow customers to simply change the scale and attain of every mannequin. The robots are appropriate for payloads starting from 150kg to 310kg, with a attain from 2.5m to three.2m
We mentioned the modular robotics innovation at size with Marc Segura, president of ABB Robotics, in July 2023 on The Robotic Report Podcast. Together with the {hardware} and practical packages, ABB’s newest vary of OmniCore robotic controllers will assist to ship vitality financial savings of as much as 20% at these websites.
“The automotive trade’s historic transformation, pushed by rising client demand for electrical autos and a need to function extra sustainably, is creating new alternatives in addition to challenges for world producers,” stated Segura. “This newest dedication from our companion Volvo Automobiles demonstrates our shared focus of delivering extra sustainable manufacturing. Via our new, energy-efficient giant robotic household and OmniCore controllers, we’ll assist to ship vitality financial savings of as much as 20 p.c at websites world wide.”
The primary deployment of those robots will happen in early 2024.
ABB’s 2023 yr in evaluation
As standard, it was a busy yr for ABB’s robotics group. Considered one of its main bulletins was a new European robotics hub that may price almost $300 million. Primarily based in Västerås, Sweden, the ability will improve ABB’s manufacturing capability for its collaborative and industrial robotic arms by 50% and allow it to raised serve the European market. Segura lately advised The Robotic Report ABB will max out its manufacturing capability at its present amenities by 2026. Development on the brand new campus is anticipated to begin within the first quarter of 2024 and be accomplished by the tip of 2026.
ABB additionally opened in June 2023 its Robotics Packaging and Logistics Headquarters in Alpharetta, Georgia. The power serves as ABB‘s devoted heart for robotic automation options within the logistics and packaging industries.
Along with the brand new IRB modular industrial robots, right here’s a take a look at a few of the robots ABB launched this yr:
- Robotic Merchandise Picker – AI and vision-based system that detects and picks gadgets in unstructured environments
- IRB 1090 – an industrial robotic for instructional functions
- GoFa 10 and GoFa 12 cobots – new cobot arms deal with payloads of as much as 10 and 12 kg, respectively
- AMRs with VSLAM – The autonomous cell robots ABB acquired from ASTI Cell Robotics now use Visible Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (VLSAM) for navigation and impediment avoidance.
- IRB 9030 SCARA – a robotic arm that handles payloads weighing 12 and 22 kg for pick-and-place and meeting duties
ABB additionally spent hundreds of thousands to improve its present North American robotics headquarters and manufacturing facility in Auburn Hills, Michigan. ABB stated this funding will profit clients within the Americas, notably these in development sectors together with electrical autos, healthcare, packaging and logistics.
And simply final week, we bought our first glimpse of a cell manipulator that makes use of ABB’s GoFa cobots and AMRs. XtalPi and ABB teamed as much as produce a variety of automated laboratory workstations in China. The businesses stated ABB’s GoFa cobots and XtalPi’s software program will increase analysis and improvement productiveness in biopharmaceuticals, chemical engineering and chemistry, and new-energy supplies.