Omron will be displaying its next-generation manufacturing robotics at Pack Expo 2019 in Las Vegas this month.
The company plans to demonstrate a new autonomous mobile manipulator and integration between Omron’s collaborative robot arm and Robotiq Inc.’s vacuum grippers.
At its stand at Pack Expo Omron said it will offer “a unique opportunity to explore near-future manufacturing equipment as part of a wide-ranging, interactive demo.”
Omron says its latest autonomous mobile manipulation system supports flexible manufacturing and can improve operational efficiency.
Omron will integrate its self-navigating LD Series mobile robots with the new TM Series collaborative (cobot) arm.
On display will be Robotiq’s AirPick and EPick vacuum grippers, which are now compatible with Omron cobots. These vacuum grippers, which can be fully customised, provide an effective, low-cost solution to help automate applications such as machine tending, pick-and-place operations, packaging, and assembly, said the company.
Humans and machines working in harmony
Visitors to Omron’s booth will have the opportunity to see humans and machines working in harmony.
Its exhibit will include a broad range of advanced pick-and-place technology, laser engraving and mobile and collaborative robots, all working under human supervision.
The robots will assemble a personalised tin filled with sweets for conference attendees.
Pack Expo is one of the world’s biggest exhibitions for the packaging and processing industry.
For the first time, the show features a new Robotics Zone.
At the Robotics Zone Omron will also have a dice-playing collaborative robot.
Impacts on employment
At Pack Expo, Mr Keith Kersten, industry marketing group manager for Omron Automation Americas, will give a presentation on A Future That Works: The Role of Automation in the Future of Packaging.
He will address the speed with which automation technologies, especially robotics, will become a reality in the workplace and the impacts they are likely to have on employment and productivity in the packaging industry.
Omron says its products promote harmony on the factory floor through improvements in safety, speed and efficiency driven by AI programs that learn from processes on a daily basis.
Humans can safely interact with the company’s collaborative and mobile robots, which it says are designed to adapt to workers’ needs.
In the factory of the future, humans and machines will work together to meet demands for flexibility, customization, complete product traceability and a higher standard of worker safety.
