Productive Robotics to Highlight Cobots, Vision System, and ‘No Code’ Programming at Automate 2023

Productive Robotics LLC will showcase its OB7 model cobots and enhanced vision system later this month at Automate 2023 in Detroit.The Santa Barbara, Calif.-based company designs and manufactures its industrial collaborative robots in the U.S.

Its systems include the OB7, OB7 Stretch model, MAX 8, and MAX 12.  It has also developed a proprietary, “no programming” user interface that allows fabricators and job shops to teach the cobot by simply showing it each step of a task or job.

The plug-and-play machines are engineered to work with new or legacy equipment and have the flexibility to perform both simple and complex activities, it said.  

Productive Robotics’ cloud analytics system streamlines connectivity requirements for nimble data collection and reporting. Installation for the kitted OB7 cobots is simple and quick and can be performed whether an application calls for repetitive part work, tending a CNC machine or manning a lights-out operation.

“Cobots augment and enhance a fabricator’s capabilities with precision, repeatability, and tireless performance, freeing employees from tedious, repetitive activities so that they can provide more value to the organization in other roles,” said Zac Bogart, president of Productive Robotics.

“Because we have removed the need to program OB7, any employee can show the cobot what to do by walking it through the steps of a task,” he said. “The teach-by-touch design allows our cobots to learn jobs in just minutes.”

Seventh axis of freedom allows for flexibility

The cobots can be used for welding, gluing, deburring, material handling, packing, palletizing, and part marking, the company said. Unlike traditional six-axis cobots, OB7 has been engineered with seven-axis maneuverability. It needs no cage and is able to work alongside human operators because it can sense collisions at every joint, a function that triggers a safe stop.

To automate OB7, fabricators can add a Productive Robotics parallel electric gripper/end effector, patented robot rolling stand and work table. The cobot is also compatible with other grippers, cameras, and accessories.

Machine-tending packages can provide fabricators a complete system for automation, said the company. Installation of the OB7 can take approximately two hours.

Productive Robotics will be at Booth 2844 at Automate from May 22 to 25 in Detroit.

For more on Automate, check out Robotics 24/7's special coverage page.