Page 13 - Industrial Technology magazine February 2021 issue

Strategic partnership Flat Top Chain Conveyor System

enhances magnetic

levitation shuttle

BB is partnering with Canada’s
PMI to expand its machine
automation offering, saying
Athat the integration of PMI’s
magnetic levitation technology into the
company’s Machine Automation
Division’s (B&R) portfolio will accelerate
industry’s transition from strictly linear
production to an open, adaptive
manufacturing space. This will support
B&R customers in the transition to
highly flexible and precise
manufacturing in response to the amongst a swarm of other shuttles, Economical realisation of complex track designs
fundamental shift to batch size one taking its individual product on a unique Simple and fast configuration and commissioning
production and shorter product path to the stations it needs for Modular system of standardised components
lifecycles. Furthermore, ABB has taken customised production.
a significant equity stake in PMI as part “With ACOPOS 6D we are once
of the agreement. again pushing the boundaries of
PMI, founded in 2017 as a startup is technology by capitalising on our strong
based in Vancouver, Canada. It is the partner network. The capability of
global leader in magnetically levitated ACOPOS 6D delivers unprecedented www.mkprofiles.co.uk
planar motors, designing and producing flexibility for a wide range of industries,
smart conveying robot systems. PMI’s allowing sectors such as healthcare and
intelligent shuttle technology has been pharma to benefit from our flexible
integrated into B&R’s portfolio and manufacturing solutions,” said Sami
launched today under the product name Atiya, president of ABB Robotics &
ACOPOS 6D. It will offer B&R customers Discrete Automation. “Through our
the highest flexibility in manufacturing, partnership, we are complementing our
assembly, and packaging. industry-leading robotics and machine
ACOPOS 6D is a rail-free product automation portfolio and fostering our
transportation system, with intelligent position as the only company to offer
shuttles that move independently machine manufacturers and industrial
between stations, without being bound customers the entire range of integrated
to a rigid, sequential production flow. hardware and software solutions from a
The ACOPOS 6D shuttles are single source.”
contactless, noiseless and precise, Xiaodong Lu, president and co-
gliding freely above a surface, founder of PMI, said: “Partnering with
accelerating and maneuvering in every ABB will ensure we can further develop
direction with six degrees of freedom – our technology and revolutionise
they can even move vertically on walls. industrial manufacturing. Our
With no mechanical friction or technology will work seamlessly with
resulting contamination, the technology ABB’s machine automation solutions,
is particularly timely given rapid shifts in allowing customers to benefit from
manufacturing accelerated by the unrivaled flexibility, precision and
current pandemic and the need for a intelligence. We are excited to jointly
sterile environment in industries that are continue the success story of our
accelerating automation as a result, technology together with ABB’s global
including food & beverage, healthcare presence and domain expertise.”
and pharmaceuticals. B&R is a unit of ABB’s Robotics and
Similar to automated guided vehicle Discrete Automation business and a
systems (AGVs), customers benefit from global technology leader in machine
the freedom of movement of objects automation. It combines state-of-the-art
carried within or between several technology with ABB’s advanced
machines. With ACOPOS 6D, machines engineering to provide customers in
can simultaneously manufacture virtually every industry with complete
different product variants or even solutions for machine and factory
entirely different products, with each automation, motion control, HMI and
shuttle able to navigate its own way integrated safety technology.
through the production process, MORE INFO: www.br-automation.com

January/February 2021 • INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY