Cobots are now the fastest-growing segment of industrial automation, expected to jump tenfold to 34% of all industrial robot sales by 2025, according to the International Federation of Robotics. In a press conference held Sept. 10 at the IMTS manufacturing trade show, Kay Manufacturing, a small precision machining company headquartered in Calumet City outside Chicago, was presented with Universal Robots’ (UR) Golden Edition Cobot, in celebration of the supplier’s 25,000th unit sold. At the event, Universal Robots President Jürgen von Hollen delivered the cobot, with joints in a rich golden finish, while emphasizing how the company couldn’t have reached this historic landmark without customers like Kay Manufacturing.
Unlike conventional industrial robotic solutions that usually stay bolted down in cages dedicated to one task only, cobots are designed to work hand-in-hand with operators on a wide range of tasks, opening up more opportunities for human-robot collaboration. Kay Manufacturing is using UR cobots for end-of-line tasks, packaging, and palletizing parts off a conveyor.
