ABB’s new OmniVanceTM FlexArc Compact cell saves space & adds flexibility to welding applications
21 June 2022
ABB today (21 July) unveiled its OmniVance FlexArc Compact – a new, smaller welding application cell with greater flexibility, ease of use and better integration – to help businesses address labour shortages in welding.
“Welding is one of the fastest-growing applications for automation – and it’s being driven by a lack of labour,” said Marc Segura, ABB’s Robotics Division President.
“Rising costs and more challenging customer needs make production more complex, meaning manufacturers need simple automation solutions that can easily adapt to changing market needs. OmniVance FlexArc is our answer. We are making it even smaller, more flexible, and easier to use.”
With the smallest footprint in its class, the OmniVance FlexArc Compact helps manufacturers optimise space, while up to four robots can be added without altering the cell's structure, aiding flexibility.
This new, ready-to-deploy, modular solution incorporates robots, controllers, software, peripherals, and other key components into one simplified, welding application-specific cell.
At 14.3m2, the OmniVance FlexArc Compact is the smallest arc welding cell in its class. Its 45-degree gantry robot mount design maximises the robot’s working parameters by placing it in the centre of a three-axis turntable, bringing it closer to the workpiece.
Every OmniVance FlexArc cell can be simulated before commissioning with RobotStudio, ABB’s simulation and programming tool, reducing integration time and effort, while minimising disruption.
In addition, ABB’s latest FlexArc software suite enables customers to collect and analyse data to refine performance and improve decision-making and welding efficiency by visualising production data against specific key performance indicators.
AMRs, material handling and quality inspection equipment can also be easily integrated to enhance the functionality of the new cell to automate and speed up manufacturing logistics.
If production increases, the OmniVance FlexArc Compact can be scaled up with additional cells. Both the hardware and the software programs used to operate the cells can be easily replicated, either at a single site or across multiple sites, reducing the time and potential risks of adding new cells.
The OmniVance FlexArc Compact is one of the latest offerings as part of ABB’s new OmniVance brand, which unifies all ABB standardised application cells. By combining robot, gripper, controller, software, and other components into a single application-specific solution, OmniVance cells require minimal integration effort and reduce the potential for errors.
The standardised design of OmniVance cells, coupled with ABB’s global footprint, ensures quick changeovers, easy expansion, and timely support.
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