Competitive pressures and dynamic market demands have made the automotive industry the most automated in the world. But today, it's about more than just fast, repetitive, high-volume production. Collaborative robots are a fast-growing trend with automotive OEMs and Tier suppliers due to their easy setup, quick integration and safe operation.

This white paper takes an in-depth look at machine tending operations within today’s factories, and how cobots help machine shops free up valuable personnel, increase capacity while improving quality, and breathe new life into idle equipment.

Robots used to be thought of strictly as stationary machines. They were bolted to a floor, table, ceiling or wall and that's where they stayed. Now, thanks to collaborative robots, that's changing.

An education program developed by Universal Robots to teach people how to program and implement collaborative robots has been accredited by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET) and is now authorized to issue continuing education units.

In December, Universal Robots sold its 50,000th cobot, which was purchased by a German manufacturer to increase productivity and improve employee safety.

Two members of Universal Robots' UR+ partner program have been nominated for Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Robotics & Automation (IERA) Awards by the International Federation of Robotics (IFR).

Headquartered in Columbus, IN, Cummins Inc. manufactures engines, generators, and components for trucks and tractors, such as turbochargers, exhaust systems and filtration products. Cummins engines can be found in trucks, buses, recreational vehicles, construction and agricultural equipment, military vehicles, and even large boats. The company tallied $23.6 billion in sales in 2019.

There are no unimportant or unnecessary parts in an assembly. Each component within a product, be it large or small, simple or complex, has been delegated there by an engineer to perform a specific task.

Robots are an important piece of the Industry 4.0 puzzle. Tomorrow's smart factories will depend on new types of machines, such as collaborative and mobile devices that are interconnected. Artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing and data analytics will also make industrial robots more reliable than ever.