Dispensing

Collaborative robots add flexibility, efficiency, and freedom to your gluing, sealing, painting, and other dispensing tasks. With built-in force sensing, achieve consistent quality and precise placement to reduce waste and improve efficiency.

Delivering perfection with dispensing cobots

Dispensing demands the precision of a surgeon's hand. In many manufacturing environments, even a tiny mistake can lead to significant failures. Collecting the wrong amount of materials or distributing them unevenly can result in defects of varying severity. Sometimes, addressing these defects requires reworking specific components, such as reapplying lubricants in machinery. In other scenarios, rejecting an entire batch is the only option, as it is when using less forgiving high-temperature or lead-free solder pastes in printed circuit board (PCB) assembly with surface-mount technology (SMT).

The consequences of inaccurate dispensing can be serious. Consider ineffective medications, contaminated nutritional products, hazardous chemicals, and structurally weak construction materials—all of which can result from poor dispensing practices.

Achieving consistent precision is nearly impossible without automation. Fortunately, compact and versatile cobots can be easily adapted to various dispensing tasks, which makes them a surprisingly cost-effective solution.

Dispensing cobots in action

Optimizing assembly lines

Ford Motor Company’s Craiova plant in Romania has successfully deployed UR10 cobots as a cost-effective automation solution for repetitive and ergonomically challenging tasks. Dispensing processes such as greasing camshaft followers and filling engines with oil are now performed with greater speed and efficiency, optimizing production and enhancing workplace conditions for employees. The company also uses UR10 cobots for quality control, minimizing the need for human intervention.

Simplify complex tasks

At Stellantis N.V.'s Turin factory, the assembly line for the FIAT 500 electric car underwent a considerable transformation with the installation of 11 UR cobots, including the UR10 and UR10e models. These collaborative robots now handle complex tasks such as applying waterproof liners, dispensing adhesives, and conducting quality inspections. The smart automation not only boosted product quality but also provided vital support to the factory's aging workforce by taking on physically demanding tasks.

Learn from employees

Brandt A/S has transformed its painting operations by implementing UR10 cobots powered by Nordbo Robotics' Mimic software. These collaborative robots replicate the movements of human employees with impressive precision, significantly improving the accuracy of touch-up tasks in the powder coating process. This enhancement allowed the Danish company to overcome the challenges of manual painting, which often struggled to meet its stringent quality standards.

Reduce waste and inconsistency

Manual dispensing can be unreliable, even in smaller-scale production settings, mainly due to its inconsistencies. Different operators may collect varying amounts of materials, and their speed, pressure, and motion can fluctuate with each application, compromising the product quality. While both underapplication and overapplication can result in quality control issues, the latter is also responsible for unnecessary material waste.

Improve consistency safely

Many dispensing tasks, such as gluing, sealing, and painting, can be daunting and repetitive. In some industrial settings, these processes become even more challenging. Some tasks demand unnatural movements and complex maneuvers that are tough for manual operators to perform consistently. Additionally, many dispensing applications involve hazardous materials that can pose safety risks to workers. In certain cases, substances are heated before dispensing, increasing the potential for burns or other injuries.

Cost effective automation

All these issues can be effectively resolved through automation, and with Universal Robots, implementing automation has never been easier. The compact and cost-effective cobots are equipped with advanced sensors and programmable features, making them ideal for repetitive dispensing tasks across various production environments. These versatile cobots are equipped with force-sensing and collision-detection features, making it easy to fit them into almost any industrial setup. This means you won’t need to make major changes or implement extensive safety measures like you would with traditional automation systems.

Complete your cobot

Our collaborative, industrial robots require add-ons to reach their full potential. This worlds of additional products in an entire ecosystem on its own. We at Universal Robots take the high pride in our ecosystem, which is called UR+.

Application kits

Application kits are useful for those who can install their own solution but are looking for a compatible set of end-effectors, software and other accessories

Components

Components are single products that can be combined with our UR robot to create an entire solution. This includes items such end-effectors, 7th axis, software or teach pendants.

Solutions

Solutions are flexible and easy to integrate and typically allow for variation in the choice of grippers and all the necessary accessories. These pre-assembled packages are ideal if you are looking for a plug-and-play solution with low risk, a manageable budget and on-site setup.

Tried. Tested. Trusted.

Universal Robots has deployed over 75,000 cobots into every manufacturing industry. Companies of all sizes, from Fortune 500 giants to local contract machine shops, are leveraging our 6th generation cobots to increase productivity and quality and improve job satisfaction for their manufacturing teams.

Flexible

UR cobots meet the demands for flexibility head-on with industry-leading ease-of-use, intuitive programming, and a powerful back-end for OEMs and developers to add value and meet specific needs. UR cobot-based systems generate ROI that is usually measured in months, not years.

Worker-safe, worker-friendly

Universal Robots has developed the most complete set of safety tools and functions in the industry. Our 17 safety protocols can be configured to meet the varied safety requirements of your plant or facilities and your application risk assessment, letting your manufacturing team work safely side-by-side with UR cobots.

Get in touch with Universal Robots

Thousands of businesses rely on Collaborative Robots to...

- Increase productivity
- Adapt to changing product demand
- Improve employee well-being and retention
- Staff through labor shortages