Boston, Massachusetts – ActiNav from Universal Robots (UR) is a UR+ application kit for companies of all sizes that simplifies the integration of autonomous bin picking of parts and accurate placement in machines using UR cobots. ActiNav synchronously handles vision processing, collision-free motion planning, and autonomous real-time robot control, eliminating the complexity and risk usually associated with bin picking applications.
ActiNav Autonomous Bin Picking allows manufacturers with limited or no bin picking deployment expertise to quickly achieve high machine uptime and accurate part placement with few operator interventions.
ActiNav combines real-time autonomous motion control, collaborative robotics, vision, and sensor systems in one easy to use, fast to deploy and cost-effective kit. The system requires no vision or robotic programming expertise but is instead based on a “teach-by-demonstration” principle using a six-step, wizard-guided setup process integrated into the UR cobot teach pendant. ActiNav can be easily and quickly deployed by manufacturers’ in-house automation teams or through assistance from a UR distributor or integrator to deliver increased productivity, quality and efficiency.
“Machine tending has always been one of the mainstay applications for our collaborative robot arms,” says VP of Product and Applications Management at Universal Robots, Jim Lawton. “We discovered a significant market need for a simple solution that enables UR cobots to autonomously locate and pick parts out of deep bins and place them precisely into a machine. This is not pick and drop; this is accurate pick and part-oriented placement.”
ActiNav is available through UR’s distribution channel and via the UR+ Application Kits platform, an expansion of the cobot pioneer’s successful UR+ ecosystem of components certified to work seamlessly with UR cobots. Like other UR+ application kits, ActiNav is developed with in-depth application knowledge that eliminates the duplication of engineering efforts when deploying widely used applications. ActiNav works with UR’s UR5e and UR10e e-Series cobots, a UR+ component or user-defined end effector, and application-specific frame or fixture as needed. The kit includes the Autonomous Motion Module (AMM) and ActiNav URCap user interface software, along with a choice of 3D sensors.
While many approaches to automating machine tending stations include implementing trays, bowl feeders, or conveyors to get the parts to the machine, Lawton explains how ActiNav bypasses this step. “Parts are often already in bins, so the most flexible and scalable option is to deliver that bin of parts to the machine and then pick them directly from the bin and place them into the machine,” he says. “This minimizes floor space and reduces the need for part-specific tooling.”
ActiNav autonomously inserts parts into CNC or processing machines such as drilling, deburring, welding, trimming, or tapping. The high-resolution 3D sensor and CAD matching enables high-accuracy picks powered by ActiNav’s Autonomous Motion Module (AMM) that determines how to pick the part, then controls the robot to pick the part and place it in a fixture each time. The autonomous motion control enables ActiNav to operate inside deep bins that hold more parts; something that standalone bin picking vision systems struggle to accomplish.