ABB to pack FABTECH 2010 booth with 12 metal fabrication robots and system equipment

Oct. 25, 2010 - PRLog -- AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (October 22, 2010) – ABB Robotics, a leading supplier of industrial robots, will feature twelve welding, metal fabrication and painting robots at FABTECH 2010, November 2-4 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta. In addition to displaying more robots than ever before, the ABB exhibit (Hall C Booth #7323) will feature equipment and power sources from all the major welding and metal fabrication suppliers including Miller Electric, Lincoln Electric, ESAB, Fronius, POM Group, LaserMech, Presitec, Preston & Easton, Easom, RoboVent and Pilz. The diverse array of equipment and systems represents the breadth of the fully integrated metal fabrication processes supported by ABB Robotics.

"Our goal this year is to give FABTECH attendees a first hand look at the widest possible range of ABB metal fabrication robots and systems,” said Joe Campbell, vice president of the ABB Robot Products Group in the US. “We are also proud to include equipment from the top names in the industry, showing the universal compatibility of ABB and the market leading welding equipment providers.”

The specific highlights of the ABB booth at FABTECH 2010 include:
A 20 kg payload IRB 4600 robot, dressed for heavy welding, featuring a Lincoln 455 PowerWave™, remote Push Wire Feed and ESAB Marathon Payoff Pack. Launched in 2009, the IRB 4600 is the fastest, most accurate, low-weight, medium-size robot ever developed for general industrial applications. The new IRB 4600 features twice the working range, half the weight and a 25% better cycle time than comparable competitive models. It is ideal for arc welding and cutting.
An IRB 1600ID robot, featuring a digital Miller Auto Access power source with air cooled quick fit Tregaskiss MIG welding torch. The IRB 1600ID is designed specifically for arc welding. All cables and hoses are routed inside the upper arm, simplifying programming
and providing optimum protection for all media, including power, welding wire, shielding gas and pressurized air.
The new IRB 2600, equipped with Direct Metal Deposition (DMD™) equipment from POM Group. DMD is a laser based technology which uses powder technology to either produce rapid prototype products, join dissimilar materials, or simply hardface complex metals. The laser fusing technology is often produced direct from CAD data. The IRB 2600, to be fully launched by the end of Q4 2010, features a compact, high payload design with best-in-class accuracy and speed.
The IRB 2600 will also include SafeMove, a software and electronics based safety controller integrated in the IRC5 robot controller. SafeMove provides safety rated supervision of robot motion, enabling leaner robot cell solutions and more collaborative applications where robots and operators can work more closely together.
The IRB 5500 paint robot, newly updated to allow the integration of process equipment for tighter control over the paint process.
An IRB 140 robot with Fronius TIG welding equipment.
An IRB 1410 robot and Fronius Air cooled 300 AmpTransMig welding equipment, a competitive entry level robotic welding system.
An IRB 1600 robot with ESAB plasma cutting equipment.
A 16 kg payload IRB 2400 robot with a LaserMech cutting head.
An IRB 4400 robot with a Presitec laser head, served by the IRBP D, a new 600 kg, 2 axis workpiece positioner. ABB recently released a new generation of workpiece positioners with improved modularity, load capacities and best-in-class motion control.
Two different skyhook workpiece positioners that carry payloads up to 2500 kg; one from Preston & Easton and one from Easom. As an extension to ABB’s standard workpiece positioner line, these skyhook positioners are able to handle the heaviest payloads and complex motion requirements.
The heavy duty IRB 6600 robot with servo spot welding equipment.
A mini version of the “Lite-Brite” demo that stole the show at FABTECH 2009. A daring display of robotic programming agility, path accuracy and speed, featuring the coordinated interaction of an IRB 1600 robot moving a large pin at varying speeds within a tightly aligned grid of light bulbs attached to the rapidly moving arm of an IRB 2600 robot. The demo highlights the accurate coordination of complex motion patterns enabled by the MultiMove™ function of ABB’s IRC5 controller, and the “speed-independent” motion of TrueMove™ and QuickMove™.

With many authorized ABB Robotics integration partners also exhibiting, over 20 ABB robots and systems will be featured at FABTECH 2010. The list of partner exhibits includes:
Burlington Automation (Hall B Booth #3932)
Itipack Systems (Hall B Booth #3263)
Preco Inc (Hall B Booth #3003)
Arc Specialties (Hall C Booth #7412)
Durum USA (Hall C Booth #6407)
Praxair Inc (Hall C Booth #6833)
St. Louis Metallizing Co (Hall C Booth #6420)
Sulzer Metco US Inc (Hall C Booth #6327)
Tennessee Rand Co (Hall C Booth #7523)
Wolf Robotics (Hall C Booth #6661)

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About ABB
ABB (www.abb.com) is a leader in power and automation technologies that enable utility and industry customers to improve their performance while lowering environmental impact. The ABB Group of companies operates in around 100 countries and employs about 175,000 people.

About ABB Robotics
ABB Robotics (www.abb.com/robotics) is a leading supplier of industrial robots – also providing robot software, peripheral equipment, modular manufacturing cells and service for tasks such as welding, handling, assembly, painting and finishing, picking, packing, palletizing and machine tending. Key markets include automotive, plastics, metal fabrication, foundry, electronics, pharmaceutical and food and beverage industries. A strong customer focus helps manufacturers improve productivity, product quality and worker safety. ABB has installed more than 175,000 robots worldwide.