Technology Days at Stäubli (Novi, MI) showcases new robotics, innovations

Stäubli's robotics division has been around since 1982, but their Novi, MI office—a quick 40-minute drive from BNP Media's headquarters in Troy, MI—opened more recently, in May 2018. Recently it hosted a Technology Days seminar at the office, and I was able to check out its new robots. 

The company was founded in 1892, and is still family-owned; in 2005, it acquired Bosch-Rexroth's robotics activity, and in 2007 its TS SCARA range was introduced. In 2018, it acquired WFT (mobile robots), and the company's headquarters is in Duncan, SC. Stäubli has three branches: connectors, textiles, and robotics.

Stäubli has 5,000 employees worldwide, 500 R&D specialists, and about 2,000 pending or granted patents, according to one of their brochures. They also have 60 locations in 29 countries, and agents in 50 countries. 

Some of its newest robotics solutions, which were on display during the event, include HelMo Robotics Solutions, and AGV (Automated Guided Vehicles). The AGV has its own navigation system (can be guided with remote) and also has certified HelMo safety technology. It also has a robust drive unit and a modular and compact system. 

Stäubli also has a comprehensive line of 4- and 6-axis robots:

• 4-axis: TS SCARA line for assembly and pick-and-place operations
• 6-axis: RX and TX line for any application, thanks to its closed structure and high dexterity
• FAST Picker: TP line for all high-speed packaging applications

Those mentioned above are part of its standard line; it also has a specialized line, which includes the ESD (4- and 6-axis line for electronics applications); Stericlean (6-axis line for pharmaceutical research and production); and the HE (6-axis and FAST Picker line for applications in humid environments). 

It also recently introduced the TS2, which is an ultra-competitive generation of collaborative robotics. According to Stäubli, it's the only robot range on the market that combines speed and safety, and functions like Safe Speed, Safe STop, and Safe Zone "pave the way for a new era in robotics." 

Overall, it was interesting to see Stäubli's new line, though I was a little disappointed that the robots didn't serve us our lunch (as one friend suggested they might, when I told her about my 'office' for the day, ha). Stäubli will be exhibiting at both IBIE and PACK EXPO, and I have it on good authority that they'll be serving macarons in their IBIE booth, too.