Grippers*¹ from SMC and CKD are added to the collaborative robot peripheral devices "Plug & Play" to expand the range of grasping and carrying objects -Large assortment of end-effectors makes it increasingly easy to use collaborative robots for flexible manufacturing-

• November 09, 2020

OMRON Corporation (HQ: Shimogyo-Ku, Kyoto, Japan; President & CEO: Yoshihito Yamada) has added grippers from two leading manufacturers of pneumatic equipment, SMC Corporation (HQ: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, JAPAN; President: Katsunori Maruyama) and CKD Corporation (HQ: Komaki, Aichi, Japan; President: Kazunori Kajimoto) to its "Plug & Play" peripheral devices for the TM series collaborative robots, expanding the range of objects that can be grasped and carried by a robot hand. OMRON will continue to contribute to the innovation of our customers' manufacturing sites by realizing a new human and machine collaboration with our TM series collaborative robots, and will provide total solutions to our customers by combining our industry-leading assortment of control equipment.

【"Plug & Play" grippers from SMC Corporation (left/center) and CKD Corporation (right)】

Industries are facing labor shortage issues in recent years, moreover, the world is experiencing a major turning point with how society conducts business due to new global health concerns. Under such circumstances, a demand for collaborative robots that can work safely alongside operators without safety fences and can flexibly handle multiple tasks is increasing. On the other hand, to expand the number of tasks the collaborative robot can handle, it is necessary to have a wide range of peripheral devices for each application. Furthermore, for more easily installation of the collaborative robot system, it is necessary to be able to easily install and configure these devices.

OMRON set forth a strategic concept called "innovative-Automation" consisting of three innovations or "i's"--"integrated" (control evolution), "intelligent" (development of intelligence by ICT), and "interactive" (new harmonization between people and machines). OMRON is now committed to bringing innovation to manufacturing sites by materializing this concept. OMRON have been collaborating with more than 10 partner companies and adding the collaborative robot peripheral devices as "Plug & Play" products to realize a manufacturing site where machines collaborate with human. Two leading manufacturers of pneumatic equipment, SMC Corporation joined the partner in September 2020 and CKD Corporation will join the partners in November 2020. In addition to processes such as screw tightening and simple transfer operations, this enables the transfer of a variety of objects, such as heavy objects and complex shapes, which were previously difficult to be grasped by a cooperative robot. OMRON will continue to contribute to solving problems at customers' manufacturing sites by expanding the variety of "Plug & Play" devices, evolving human and robot collaboration, and making it easier to use cooperative robots.

*¹ Gripper：A type of devices attached at the end of a robotic arm to grasp and carry workpieces. Depending on the transport method and the shape and weight of the object, there are kinds of grippers such as two or three fingers and suction cups with vacuum.
*² End-effector: The device at the end of a robotic arm.

About "Plug & Play"
"Plug & Play" are peripheral devices can be used with our TM series collaborative robots. It enables easy installation, configuration and easy programing to use peripheral devices. OMRON will expand variety of our "Plug & Play" devices.

【Assortment of "Plug & Play" devices】

Screwdriving application:
https://www.fa.omron.co.jp/product/special/robotics/collaborative/mov/application11.html
Machine tending application:
https://www.fa.omron.co.jp/product/special/robotics/collaborative/mov/application09.html
People and robots work in harmony at OMRON Shanghai factory:
https://robotics.omron.com/collaborativerobots/case-study-3/

About "innovative-Automation"
Recently, OMRON has developed a manufacturing innovation concept, called "innovative-Automation" With this concept, OMRON is currently committed to bringing innovation to manufacturing sites through three key innovations, or three "i's." Through these innovations in the area of automation, OMRON aims to enable significant productivity improvements in manufacturing sites in order to achieve high-value-added manufacturing. With the first "i," "integrated" (control evolution), OMRON will seek to advance automated control technology so that virtually any operator, even inexperienced operators, can effortlessly perform work that previously required the expert skills of experienced workers. With the second "i," "intelligent" (development of intelligence by ICT), OMRON seeks to create constantly evolving equipment and production lines. By adopting a wide range of control devices and artificial intelligence (AI), machines can learn through experience and maintain themselves in optimal condition. For the third "i," "interactive" (new harmonization between people and machines), OMRON pursues the development of a new harmonious relationship between human operators and machines; as they work together in the same workspace, machines will be able to assist human operators by recognizing human thoughts and behavior in a way that only OMRON, a specialist control equipment manufacturer who knows production floors inside and out, can realize.

About OMRON Corporation
OMRON Corporation is a global leader in the field of automation based on its core technology of "Sensing & Control + Think". OMRON's business fields cover a broad spectrum, ranging from industrial automation and electronic components to social systems, healthcare, and environmental solutions. Established in 1933, OMRON has about 30,000 employees worldwide, working to provide products and services in around 120 countries and regions. For more information, visit OMRON's website: http://www.omron.com/

About SMC Corporation
SMC is a manufacturer, seller, importer, and exporter of "automatic control equipment", "sintered filtration elements", and "various filtration devices" that can contribute to the automation of production facilities. When SMC was established, our products gained a foothold in the industry, making SMC a comprehensive manufacturer of pneumatic equipment that included filtration devices such as sintered metal elements. SMC's automatic control equipment boasts a massive product line made up of approximately 12,000 basic types (with approximately 700,000 unique part numbers ordered in 2015). Since the needs of each user will differ depending on their applications, we have a detailed lineup of products. Each of SMC's departments including sales, product development, manufacturing, production engineering, and production management are always working together to meet our customer requirements. The sophistication of automation equipment is advancing every day. As a result, SMC's business is expanding its usage into mechatronics, fluid control, electronic, temperature control, and other equipment with pneumatic equipment making up its central hub.

About CKD Corporation
CKD Co., Ltd. has been a pioneer of fluid control and automation technology since its foundation in 1943. It has been a general machinery manufacturer that has operated two businesses unit: automated machinery and Components.
Beyond the hundreds of thousands of items in machinery components and packaging machines, it also supports the automation of monodzukuri in all industries around the world, including automotive, consumer electronics, semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, and beverage & foods and so on.
See https://www.ckd.co.jp/ for more information.