Today, collaborative robots (or “cobots”) are helping wood, furniture and cabinet manufacturers to keep up with demand in the face of dwindling numbers of qualified shop workers, while improving product consistency and quality. Workers are benefiting too, as cobots assume sanding, machine loading and assembly tasks that contain the “3Ds,” meaning the tasks are dull, dirty and dangerous, specifically causing repetitive injuries for workers during long shifts.
RARUK Automation's customer AFK Gardens in Lincolnshire, England, has deployed two ceiling-mounted UR10e cobots to sand garden furniture. The cobots are outfitted with the Mirka® AIROS, a lightweight sanding head that integrates directly with the UR cobot arm through “URCap” technology.
This White Paper on Robotic Sanding from Universal Robots goes into more detail on how cobots are helping the woodworking industry.
Universal Robots, June 2021
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