June 2020

MITSUBISHI HAS announced a series of collaborative robots (cobots) designed to be deployed quickly using intuitive programming software. It says that the combination will help to achieve more efficient production, and cut the total cost of ownership (TCO) of robot systems. The Melfa Assista cobots have a rated payload of 5kg, a reach of 910mm, and a repeat accuracy of ±0.03mm (compared to ±0.1mm on some rivals). They are designed to work collaboratively with humans using safety functions such as collision detection. They comply with the ISO 10218-1 safety standard for industrial robots, and the ISO/TS15066 specification for cobots. Robots that allow human-robot collaboration are expected to help meet new requirements for adequate distancing of workers in manufacturing sites. The robots can switch between relatively slow movements in the collaborative mode, and higher speeds for “cooperative production” environments. Operating sequences can be created by dragging and dropping elements in Mitsubishi’s RT VisualBox engineering software to form a chain of events, including connections to devices such as grippers and cameras. The flow-chart programming technique results in fast program development and design times that help to reduce TCO. Mitsubishi plans to expand the range of certified companies and connectable devices to widen the cobots’applications. The cobot’s movements can be taught and recorded speedily using a dedicated control panel on the arm, thus eliminating separate teaching boxes. The user holds the arm and moves it to a series of positions which are saved by pressing buttons on the keypad. Even inexperienced users without expert knowledge of robots can set up the system. A six-colour LED encircling the robot’s arm indicates its status and any faults. It eliminates the need for conventional monitoring devices. The cobots can optionally be supplied with NSF H1 food-grade lubricant approved by the US National Sanitation Foundation for food and beverage applications. Mitsubishi is initially hoping to sell about 1,000 of the cobots in the first year. https://eu3a.mitsubishielectric.com/fa/en TECHNOLOGY n n On-arm panels and intuitive software shorten cobot set-ups and cut TCOs Mitsubishi's new cobots have control panels t and status LEDs built into their arms