Idle equipment is costing you revenue and profits. Manufacturing positions are tough to fill and retain, whether it’s welders, machine loaders, assemblers or material handlers. But cobots are always on the job, keeping machine utilization and productivity high. Collaborative automation can run around the clock, consistently and reliably, making it ideal for applications ranging from machine tending, welding, palletizing, screwdriving, surface finishing and more. Keep your equipment running, and move your skilled manufacturing staff into higher value and more rewarding positions – a true win / win.
Metals & Machining
The new normal in manufacturing requires truly flexible automation to meet shorter product life cycles and constantly changing customer demands. Collaborative robots meet these demands for flexibility
head-on.
Versatile automation for diverse applications
What do you make?
From tiny ball bearings to large truck bodies, the Metals & Machining sector is adopting cobots at a rapid pace. Find your product here and see how cobots meet the complex application requirements of this diverse industry:
The most popular applications
Cobots for Machine Tending
Your business is all about uptime. Idle equipment means money and opportunity lost, but repetitive machine loading jobs can be especially hard to staff and retain. Cobots excel at loading and unloading CNC machine tools, assembly dial tables, press brakes, and other process machines around the clock. When UR cobots handle machine tending, productivity increases and ergonomics improve, enabling operators to take on higher value assignments.
Customer success machine tending story
Die-casting manufacturer RCM Industries found itself in competition with lower-wage countries for a large outsourced project. The company successfully won the job after deploying Universal Robots’ UR10 cobots in two identical cells where they each tend two dual-spindle CNC lathes in the same cycle, manufacturing a consumer plumbing product. Operators simply load parts on a table and the cobots move them from station to station, picking up a raw part, putting it in a pre-fixture to align it correctly, placing it on the first chuck then the second chuck, and finally dropping the completed part onto a conveyor belt to return to the operator.
"We’re always asking, ‘Can it be automated, and what is that investment, and does it make sense?’ And we’re finding in more cases than not, it makes sense"
Mike Higgins, sales and marketing director, RCM Industries
Didn’t see your application here?
Not to worry - check out our customer success section with hundreds of customer applications examples
Ready-Made Solutions for Metals & Machining
The UR Marketplace is loaded with ready-made solutions for common applications in the Metals & Machining segments Whether you go for a 100% turnkey solution, or an application kit solution, you will have UR cobots up and running production in a fraction of the time of traditional automation. And because UR Marketplace solutions and kits are pre-engineered by our partners, cost and time to deploy are under strict control.
Predictable costs and fast payback
Relying on an agreed budget, where each element has been calculated in, ensures peace of mind and accelerates the payback period.
Fast delivery and quick deployment
Swift delivery and rapid deployment mean your solution is ready in weeks, not months.
Ease of use
UR partners offer very intuitive yet advanced software that further simplifies palletizing pattern programming
Welding
Ready-to-weld solutions are available from UR Marketplace partners throughout the world and are typically based on the UR10e or UR20 cobots. Systems are available for MIG, MAG, TIG, spot, and laser processes, incorporating industry leading brands of welding equipment. Each solution includes integrated software that provides control of all weld parameters and can be mastered by a competent welder with no prior robotics experience in an hour or less.
Why Universal Robots?
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.
Cobot or solution deployment processes
Find out more about how Universal Robots can help assess your automation project and recommend the most suited deployment process tailored to your needs.
Get your Metals & Machining brochure
Want to know more about collaborative robots in the Metals & Machining industry?
Local Office
- Universal Robots USA, Inc
- 27175 Haggerty Road, Suite 160
- 48377 Novi, MI
Contact us: +1 844-462-6268
Contact us: + 1-844-GO-COBOT