ABB FABTECH 2023 - Beijing Plastic Parts Group

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POSTED 08/29/2023

ABB Robotics will highlight next generation collaborative robotic technologies that enable metal fabricators to efficiently weld and cut parts with unmatched simplicity and precision at FABTECH 2023, September 11-14 at McCormick Place in Chicago (Booth # B17053).

The highlight of the exhibit is the first North American appearance of the new GoFa™ 12, ABB’s most accurate collaborative robot. The breakthrough solution is designed for small to medium size enterprises, fabricating job shops and first time users of robotic welding equipment.

Handling payloads of up 12kg and a reach of 1270mm, the GoFa 12, ABB’s highest payload cobot model, offers class-beating tool center point (TCP) speeds of up to two meters per second with 0.02-millimeter repeatability – a two-fold improvement over comparable solutions. IP67-certified against moisture and dust ingress, the GoFa 12 extends the benefits of fast and accurate collabo-rative robotics to a wide range of metal fabricating applications.

”With an emphasis on flexibility, accuracy and ease-of-use, ABB’s mission is to provide the benefits of the automation industry’s most comprehensive and integrated portfolio of industrial and collaborative robots to metal fabricators of all levels of technical sophistication,” said John Bubnikovich, ABB’s US Robotics Division President. ”Businesses of all sizes must continue to manufacture the highest quality components as they manage labor shortages and the growing demand for customized products.”

More detail on ABB’s FABTECH 2023 demos:

GoFa (5kg model) Collaborative Robot Arc Welding Package

A breakthrough solution that simplifies creating and executing welding sequences, empowering first-time robot users to create high-quality welds without the need for in-depth knowledge of robot programming. The main innovation of the Cobot Arc Welding Package is the Easy Teach Device, which uses lead-through programming and interactive buttons to determine weld points. The device is a revolutionary hardware interface between the robot and users, enabling non-robot experts to effortlessly program welding sequences without the need to interact with the FlexPendant. Using the Easy Teach Device, users can automatically generate the programming code by simply guiding the robot's arm along the welding path.

The package makes it easy to change from part to part and is well suited for both low volume, high mix, and high volume, low mix operations. The compact and lightweight system works with all major power supply brands, and contains all the components necessary to quickly set up and begin welding.

ABB GoFa (5kg model)– Lincoln Electric “Cooper” Cobot Arc Welding Package

ABB Robotics and Lincoln Electric have co- developed a robotic Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW) Package featuring an ABB GoFa 5kg collaborative robot and Lincoln welding equipment. Known as the “Cooper™ Cobot Welding Package,” it includes proprietary programming software that makes it among the easiest robotic welding cells on the market to program and set welding parameters. The software features built-in welding libraries where all a user needs to do is enter the material type and thickness, and move the robot to the beginning and end of the weld. All the welding parameters and the travel speed of the robot are then set, and upon pushing a button the robot is ready to weld.

Bullseye 10 Tool Center Point (TCP) with GoFa (12kg model)

The new Bullseye® 10 is a fully automated tool center point (TCP) with customized pre-defined programs that enable precise calibration during production execution. This latest Bullseye release, which features a revolu-tionary codebase and state-of-the-art sensor technology, can be used to calibrate tools of a variety of shapes. While earlier versions of BullsEye were restricted to welding MIG tool designs, BullsEye 10 is also suited to cutting tools that do not have a consumable wire electrode such as a MIG tool.

Plasma Cutting with GoFa (5kg model)

The demo displays the GoFa cobot’s ability to inexpensively cut a part in the least amount of time with the best cut quality possible. Until recently, only a CNC could provide the necessary level of accuracy for plasma cutting. With GoFa’s unmatched precision, fabricators can now robotically cut various shaped materials in three or more axes of motion.

FlexArc U2 Welding Cell w/ ScalableArc™ Programming Platform

Scalable’s technology enhances ABB’s existing portfolio of no-code programming applications that help remove the need for specialized programming knowledge. The ScalableArc™ platform allows a welder to teach a task to the robot by pointing to where the weld should be applied, with the robot learning the path on its own. The platform features a 3D camera in a protective box attached to the robot end-of-arm tooling, and uses a touchscreen interface to guide the welder through the scan, teach, validate and tuning steps. The FlexArc® U2, a member of ABB’s family of standard, pre-engineered industrial robot welding cells, simplifies the transition from manual to robotic welding.

Click here for more information on ABB’s robotic solutions for Metal Fabrication.