The new UR20 cobot was unveiled at FABTECH on September 11 in Chicago.
The long rumoured higher payload UR20 cobot has made its debut after months of anticipation, but it brings more to the party than just a longer reach and higher payload capacity.
Yes, the new cobot adds 18 inches of reach radius which broadens the range of weldments that will be achievable and was designed from the ground up to use half the number of parts in its axis drivetrains.
The UR20 was redesigned to better perform welding, cutting and grinding operations and to handle deeper integration into CNC processes.
“This cobot will have a huge impact on the market, improving on UR’s already robust and high-performance cobot products,” says Josh Pawley, co-founder of Universal Robots (UR) partner, Vectis Automation.
Vectis Automation will showcase its UR20 Cobot Welder in Universal Robots’ FABTECH booth B17063. The cobot is integrated onto a rigid 48-in. by 48-in. cart with a heavy-duty water cooled package.
The UR20 will also be showcased in cobot welding systems in booths by partners Hirebotics and Melton Machine & Control Co. in addition to a press brake tending application by Cincinnati Inc.
Will Healy, Global Segment Manager for Welding at Universal Robots says the new cobot was completely re-engineered to include a new coordinated motion feature as part of UR’s PolyScope software.
Coordinated motion means the cobot and external axis such as a rotary positioner or a linear rail will move in sync.
“Coordinated motion enables fabricators to weld larger or more complex parts without having to manually reposition the work piece or welding robot,” says Healy.
The coordinated motion feature is showcased at UR’s booth as well as in the booths of integrators THG Automation and Vention.
Since the first UR cobot-powered welder made its debut 2017, a wealth of OEM partners now standardize weld solutions on the UR platform, constantly innovating their offerings. At this year’s show, UR partner Hirebotics will launch Beacon Recommendations, a new feature using AI to recommend welding and cutting parameters when setting up a part, helping manufacturers. Hirebotics is also launching the Cobot Cutter, its first UR cobot-powered system for plasma cutting.
