Universal Robots Makes Strong Entry Into U.S. Market

Since Universal Robots (UR; Odense, Denmark) launched in North America four months ago, the user-friendly, lightweight robot arms from Europe have been met with overwhelming interest from both distributors and end customers.

The collaborative robots of Universal Robots, North America (Wading River, NY) have opened up a new market for robotics in North America. The distributor list of the Danish robotic arms is rapidly expanding as resellers show the robots to end customers with production processes previously thought impossible to automate due to cost and complexity.

UR5 and UR10 models can handle payloads of up to 11.3 lb and 22.6 lb, respectively. The six-axis robot arms weigh as little as 40 lb, with reach capabilities of up to 51 in. The robots are in compliance with the ISO standard for collaborative robots; as soon as an employee comes into contact with the robot arm, the robot arm will automatically stop operating.

Repeatability of ±.004 in allows quick precision handling of even microscopically small parts. The collaborative robots can quickly be moved around the production sites and are easily integrated in all industries, from the small machine shop to the large auto assembly line. Payback period is typically three to eight months.