Automate, North America’s biggest robotics and automation trade show, will open its doors on May 6-9 at McCormick Place in Chicago. Stäubli Robotics will present exhibits, live demonstrations, and experiences at Booth 2250, featuring flexible robots adapted to improve safety as well as productivity in a variety of manufacturing environments, from heavy industry to highly aseptic, and meet user needs across sectors.

The need for manufacturers to increase productivity while reducing production cycles is becoming more challenging with the rise of issues such as sustainability, labor shortages, supply chain disruptions, and small batch trends. A changing production landscape requires adaptability. Stäubli Robotics has been at the forefront of industrial automation for decades and continuously enhances its technologies to meet evolving needs. Innovation is the result.

Stäubli’s theme for Automate 2024 is “We make work easy and safe,” summarizing the company’s broader vision: “Our industrial and mechatronic solutions deliver unparalleled performance and generate value for our customers, organization, society, and environment.”

Look for these live demos: unique solutions for general industry

Stäubli’s comprehensive portfolio of four- and six-axis industrial robots, mobile robots, and AGVs (automated guided vehicles) adapt to applications in all manufacturing environments. At Automate 2024, Booth 2250, visitors will see firsthand how Stäubli robots “make work easy and safe” in a variety of different industrial sectors.

A new electronics demo cell will feature a TS2-60 ESD robot showing automatic screwing and connecting electrical connectors for electronic boards. Stäubli’s ESD robots, designed for the electronics industry, safely handle ESD-sensitive components and operate in electrostatic protected areas (EPAs). In another demo, focusing on lithium-ion battery manufacturing applications, a TS2-60 SCARA robot will execute a battery stacking process. Stäubli’s SCARA range is used worldwide in e-battery manufacturing for electrode stacking processes as well as downstream assembly and inspection operations.

Visitors will be surprised to discover how easy it is to program and control Stäubli robots, even without any programming expertise. In an interactive training cell, they will be able to test drive the user-friendly SP2 plus robotic teach pendant, direct a TX2-60 robot through a pick-and-place process, fine-tune settings for performance and load, and even build a basic application using the VALBlocks software tool.

Performance in motion: automated guided vehicles

Also on display at Automate will be Stäubli’s PF3 AGV platform, winner of the 2023 Red Dot Design Award for Best Smart Product. The PF3 AGV features a unique, ultra-compact yet robust design and handles payloads of up to three tons, delivering a footprint-to-payload ratio that leads the market. It also does not compromise on performance, operating within very narrow spaces, easily maneuvering around obstacles, and carrying out tasks with an impressive positioning precision of +/-5 mm. Plus, the safe, low-profile AGV’s smart features offer future-proof production and a streamlined workflow.

Stäubli is a leader in high-payload AGVs with a complete portfolio of platforms, forklifts, and autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) known for high-precision omnidirectional positioning and ability to carry payloads of up to 500 tons.

Streamlining processes in sensitive environments

Stäubli is a pioneer in automation solutions for sensitive environments, setting the benchmark in robotics for aseptic production with the launch of its Stericlean series in 2009. The company has since developed complete lines of high-performance hygienic robots for applications in industries such as food and pharmaceuticals, delivering high precision, versatility, and operator safety while helping manufacturers meet stringent hygiene requirements and high production demands.

In the food industry, Stäubli’s HE (humid environment) robots ensure product safety with hygienic design and the ability to withstand rigorous washdown procedures that involve spraying and splashing water. The HE robots will be represented at Automate by the TX2-90 HE six-axis robot, and by the North American launch of the new HE version of Stäubli’s TX2-200 robot, a powerful six-axis machine modified to master demanding tasks in wet and humid environments. It features a load capacity of 170 kg and a reach of 2.2 mm, making it ideal for heavier handling applications.

Stäubli Robotics has also distinguished itself in the life sciences sector with hygienic robots designed to ensure safety and compliance in highly regulated industries such as pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and healthcare. The company will exhibit its TX2-60 Cleanroom (CR), an ISO Class 2 robot from Stäubli’s cleanroom robot range, which features precise hand-guided functionality for use in highly delicate medical procedures.

Turning to the pharmaceutical sector, attendees will see a Stäubli TX2-60 Stericlean+ robot, developed specifically for highly aseptic processes in isolators, such as fill-finish and auxiliary tasks. The Stericlean+ series, launched in 2022, breaks new ground, delivering high precision and repeatability as well as the ability to undergo H2O2 decontamination procedures.

Solutions that support smart manufacturing

Stäubli offers a variety of services aimed at ensuring customers derive the greatest possible value from their robots. At Automate, two examples will appear in big-screen format via links to live electronics and battery stacking demos. The SCOPE (Smart, Connect, Optimize, Prevent & Enable) hardware platform provides connectivity for up to 50 robots, allowing owners to tap into their robots’ data and monitor the operating status of their fleet via a centralized dashboard to optimize performance and act quickly if maintenance is needed. A tandem presentation will offer a look at Stäubli Robotics Suite, a software platform that simplifies robot management, from automation concepts to setup, production, and improvement.

Visitors will also be able to visualize the inner workings of a robot with a virtual preventative maintenance experience connected to a robot, and explore the MyStäubli Portal, which gives customers access to an extensive technical support library, premium support options, and training.

Adding further to the breadth of Stäubli automation solutions to be discovered at Automate this year, experts from Stäubli Fluid Connectors (FCS), one of the leading manufacturers of quick connector systems, will showcase their flexible tool changing systems and Multi Coupling System (MCS), which enables quick, safe, simultaneous connection of disparate energy sources.