Collaborative Robots with Quick-Change Grippers & Production Data Reporting
Rethink Robotics’ Sawyer can change grippers in seconds and has new software that reports real-time manufacturing data.
So-called “collaborative” robots, or “cobots,” that can operate safely in proximity to humans are gaining applications in plastics. One of the pioneers in this automation category, Rethink Robotics, is showing off its one-armed Sawyer cobot with two recent enhancements.
One is the ClickSmart family of gripper kits that can be switched out and automatically sensed by the robot in seconds. These grippers come in pneumatic and vacuum versions.
Second is the Intera 5.2 software with Intera Insights, said to be the first cobot software to display real-time manufacturing data such as cycle time, part count, speed and force on a customizable dashboard.
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