Industrial robots can benefit virtually all manufacturers, but small and medium enterprises often view robots as too expensive, cumbersome and difficult to program and integrate into existing production, according to Thomas Visti, chief commercial officer and vice president for Universal Robots A/S. The company introduced its low-cost, lightweight and easy-to-program robotic arms to the U.S. market at IMTS 2012.

"Many companies worldwide have invested in UR robots to save manpower, whereas others have used them to boost product quality or productivity," Visti said. "Sometimes they are used in repetitive tasks to improve working conditions for employees. We see potential in all these applications in the U.S. market."

Courtesy of Universal Robots

A robot from Universal Robots loads steel workpieces into a CNC lathe at Nymann Teknik, a machine shop in Hobro, Denmark. Below: A UR robotic arm comes with a controller and touch panel.

The UR5 sells for less than $31,000, weighs 40.6 lbs. and has a payload capacity of 11 lbs. The UR10 sells for around $39,000, weighs 63.7 lbs. and has a payload capacity of 22 lbs. Both arms come with a controller and touch panel.

Visti explained that users can graphically program the robot using a touch-sensitive screen with a graphic user interface or with a teach function. Programming the latter way involves manually moving the arm to show the robot the movements it needs to make, which the robot then remembers.

According to the company, a significant benefit is the robot's ability to operate without safety shielding as long as the end-of-arm tooling isn't carrying something that can injure a worker, such as a knife. As soon as a worker comes into contact with the robot arm and a force of at least 150 newtons is exerted, the arm automatically stops operating. The 150-newton force is also the arm's maximum gripping force.

Universal Robots is in the process of creating a network of U.S. distributors, which will often assist with integration tasks, such as providing end-of-arm tooling and mounting.

According to Visti, the company sold 400 arms last year and expects to sell 800 to 1,000 this year, with sales doubling again in 2013. "Many customers are first-time users," he said. "We're adding to the market, not taking share."

For more information about Universal Robots A/S, Odense, Denmark, call +45 89 93 89 89 or visit www.universal-robots.com.