With the ending cell, ABB stated it hopes to bridge the hole between custom-made automation and entry-level instrument kits. | Supply: ABB Robotics
ABB Robotics final week launched its first totally automated sanding and sharpening cell. The Zurich, Switzerland-based firm stated the OmniVance Collaborative Floor Ending Cell can automate key floor ending duties, resembling sanding and sharpening.
Floor ending is a important step in manufacturing throughout just about each trade. Nonetheless, companies are going through twin pressures of extra complicated manufacturing calls for and a scarcity of expert labor. Deloitte and The Manufacturing Institute have predicted that 1.9 million manufacturing jobs can be unfilled by 2033.
“A rising variety of firms wish to automate processes resembling sanding and sharpening, however many smaller companies lack in-house robotics experience – so whereas they should ship good high quality each time, till now, many haven’t had an answer that matches their wants,” stated Craig McDonnell, managing director of business-line industries at ABB Robotics.
“Many companies are cautious of investing in complicated, bespoke automation, whereas off-the-shelf instruments lack the scalability and functionality they require,” he adde.d “With our new OmniVance Collaborative Floor Ending Cell, we’re introducing industrial-grade robotics in a easy, reasonably priced, and scalable answer.”
OmniVance designed to be self-contained, simple to deploy
With the OmniVance Collaborative Floor Ending Cell, ABB stated it hopes to bridge the hole between custom-made automation and entry-level instrument kits with its turnkey answer. It makes use of a GoFa cobot to execute high-quality, precision floor ending.
The cell is fully self-contained, delivered as an entire plug-and-play providing together with GoFa and security parts. The totally CE-certified cell doesn’t require any extra engineering to change on and start manufacturing, famous ABB. The corporate claimed that it’s simple so as to add new instruments and equipment, making the system extremely adaptable for high-mix environments.
By automating repetitive sanding and sharpening duties, the cell can improve throughput and cut back conventional scrap and rework, saving time, effort, and prices, ABB stated. Built-in mud extraction readiness helps preserve a clear, wholesome work setting whereas additional enhancing completed product high quality. Automation additionally reduces bodily pressure and frees expert staff to focus on extra precious duties, stated ABB Robotics.
The corporate stated it developed its software program to be intuitive for simple deployment and to control the complete ending course of. A tablet-style interface is user-friendly for these with out robotics experience and desires no customized programming, in keeping with ABB.
Options resembling lead-through 3D path recording, 2D preset path creation, and intuitive path enhancing, built-in into Wizard Straightforward Programming blocks, can cut back programming time by as much as 90%, it asserted.
Ending cell joins rising ABB Robotics portfolio
ABB is without doubt one of the world’s main producers of robots. The firm‘s portfolio contains industrial automation, collaborative robots, and autonomous cellular robots (AMRs) for a variety of industries, together with automotive, electronics, and logistics.
In October 2025, ABB Group introduced plans to promote its robotics unit to SoftBank Group for $5.3 billion. ABB Robotics has about 7,000 workers, and its U.S. headquarters and manufacturing facility are in Auburn Hills, Mich.
Final month, ABB launched its new PoWa household of force- and power-limited robots. PoWa extends ABB’s cobot capabilities with industrial-grade efficiency, together with six totally different payload classes, from 7 to 30 kg (15.4 to 66.1 lb.), and it might attain a prime velocity of as much as 5.8 m/s (13 mph).
