ABB expands its GoFa cobot line and large robot family

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ABB’s GoFa line of collaborative robots. | Source: ABB

ABB has launched two new variants of its GoFa collaborative robot. The GoFa 10 and GoFa 12 aim to open new possibilities for companies to leverage cobot automation for enhanced efficiency. Handling payloads of up to 10 and 12 kg (around 22 and 26 lbs) with market-leading repeatability, the cobots accomplish an expanded range of tasks in close collaboration with factory workers, addressing skills and labor shortages while improving safety and productivity. Offering straightforward programming and rapid integration into production environments, the new variants lower barriers to entry for first-time users, educators and SMEs. 

The company is also expanding its large robot range with four new models and 22 variants offering more choice increased coverage and greater performance. The next generation models include the IRB 6710, IRB 6720, IRB 6730 and IRB 6740, suitable for payloads ranging from 150 kg (around 330 lbs) to 310 kg (around 683 lbs), with a reach from 2.5 m to 3.2 m (8.2 ft to 10.5 ft), offering customers greater choice and significant performance and energy efficiency improvements.

Expanding the GoFa range

In addition to their enhanced payloads, the GoFa 10 and GoFa 12 cobots offer class-beating tool center point (TCP) speeds of up to 2 meters per second (around 6.5 feet per second) with 0.02-millimeter repeatability – a two-fold improvement over comparable solutions. IP67-certified against moisture and dust ingress, they extend the benefits of fast and accurate collaborative robotics to new industrial applications, automating demanding tasks such as machine tending, welding, parts handling, polishing, and assembly. The GoFa 10’s 1.62-meter reach (around 5.3 feet) – 14% more than others in its class and enough to cover US pallets – makes it ideal for palletizing applications. 

The GoFa 10 and GoFa 12 cobots are straightforward to program, deploy, and use, lowering barriers to automation for first-time users and SMEs. Set-up is made easy with lead-through programming and ABB’s Wizard easy programming software, allowing even non-specialists to quickly automate their applications by manipulating simple graphical command blocks rather than writing complex programming code. 

Pre-installed on the cobots’ ABB’s FlexPendant robot controller, the ABB SafeMove robot safety monitoring app’s cutting-edge safety features, including safe speed limits, standstill monitoring, and orientation supervision, enable close collaboration between robots and factory workers without requiring bulky protective barriers or fencing.  

Expanding the large robot family

“Sustainable production is a major priority of automotive manufacturers, with 78% of companies identifying it as important to their business and a further 77% identifying it as a priority for their customers,” Marc Segura, President of ABB’s Robotics Division, said. “ABB’s four new robots offer 22 variants and energy savings of up to 20%, responding to our customer’s needs; offering more choice and greater flexibility for more sustainable production. These new robots will help our customers build resilience across a range of industries including automotive, general manufacturing, foundry, food and beverage and logistics.”

“Our new robot range meets the needs of the rapidly growing electric vehicle (EV) industry. As manufacturers ramp up production of EVs and batteries, they can choose from a wide range of ABB robots to ensure they have the right variant to handle batteries of varying sizes, from individual cells and modules to complete packages. They can also perform tasks such as high-precision car body assembly and spot welding and enter restricted areas within a vehicle to install seats or dashboards.” Joerg Reger, Managing Director of ABB Robotics Automotive Business Line, said.

The GoFa 10 and GoFa 12 cobots and the new members of ABB’s large robot family are powered by ABB’s OmniCore controller. OmniCore’s class-leading motion control provided by ABB’s TrueMove and QuickMove motion control technologies ensures the smooth movements needed for a variety of tasks. Energy-saving features including power re-generation and brake energy recovery reduce power requirements by up to 20%, enhancing sustainability.

Responding to the growing diversification of automation applications, ABB recently launched its ABB Robotics Ecosystem program. The program lets users easily leverage innovation from across the fast-growing ABB Robotics ecosystem by bringing together third-party accessories such as grippers, cameras, and customized software compatible with the ABB portfolio, including the new GoFa cobots.