Universal Robots is expanding distribution of its UR5 and UR10 collaborative robots on both the East Coast and West Coast of the United States with the additions of Numatic Engineering and Intek Systems.
The UR5 and UR10 robots handle payloads of up to 11.3 pounds. and 22.6 pounds, respectively. The six-axis robot arms weigh as little as 40 pounds with reach capabilities of up to 51 inches. Repeatability of +/- .004 allows quick precision handling of even microscopically small parts.
If the robots come into contact with an employee, the built-in force control limits the forces at contact and does not cause bodily harm, adhering to the current safety requirements on force and torque limitations. Universal Robots says the typical payback period is typically 3-8 months.
“We were looking to add some pneumatic-centric distributors,” said Ed Mullen, national sales manager of Universal Robots in North America. “With this type of distributor, the level of penetration into small accounts is much higher. The typical pneumatic distributor has 2-3 times the end-user customer base than an electro-mechanical distributor and we found that in both Numatic Engineering and Intek Systems.”
“Not only have we been able to acquire large accounts, supplying the first collaborative robots to BMW and Volkswagen, we’ve also been able to get our robots on the shop floors of many smaller businesses that never thought they’d be able to employ a robot due to cost and complexity,” he said.
Numatic’s core customers are within electronics, medical, and packaging industries.
“Our customers need a flexible robot that?s easy to operate and integrate into existing production,” said Steve Leach, president of Numatic Engineering. “A robot they can quickly reprogram and move to a new production task. I predict that this will become our largest-selling robotic solution.”
In Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Southern New Jersey, Intek Systems is seeing the industry demand for UR robots run the gamut from packaging, assembly, medical appliances to metal fabrication.
