Yushin Showcases Smarter, Collaborative Robots Driving Industry 4.0 at NPE

How smart can a robot be? At Booth W2173, Yushin America tested several linear robots—including unique non‑linear models—within fully automated cells. Chris Parrillo, national sales manager, frames these machines as integral to Industry 4.0, emphasizing connectivity and autonomous regulation. The newest FRA series servo robots feature the E‑touch V controller, enabling remote diagnostics and predictive maintenance.

Introduced alongside is Intu Line, a cloud‑based reporting service that streams production statistics directly from the molding cell via the robot controller. Metrics captured include production counts, uptime ratios, cycle times, error counts, stoppage logs, and live cycle‑by‑cycle imagery from a built‑in kick‑beam camera. FRA robots deployed across NPE booths transmit data to the cloud, where it is visualized on smartphones and tablets within Yushin’s booth, allowing service teams to pinpoint issues and restore production swiftly.

Parrillo highlights additional intelligent features. Active Vibration Control reduces “shake,” permitting faster cycle times by sensing and counteracting vibrations in real time. Arc Motion Control blends linear movements on multiple axes into a single smooth curve, trimming overall path length. “At the booth, we demonstrate a 9 %–35 % reduction in cycle time,” he says.

Adaptive Motion Control further refines performance by optimizing acceleration and deceleration to dampen vibration. The robot adjusts its speed profile—running faster when its axes are close to the base and moderating servo speed at the extremes—during critical operations such as part removal, insertion, degating, and placement.

While many exhibitors showcase robots governed by the injection machine, Yushin proves that its robots can act as full cell managers. FRA robots support DeviceNet, EtherCAT, and EtherNet/IP, facilitating seamless integration with downstream equipment for conveying, assembly, decorating, visual inspection, and packaging.

Yushin’s flagship cell combines three robots and two injection machines to mold, assemble, and label a sports‑protein drink cup and lid, complete with in‑mold labeling and post‑mold pad printing. The robots’ custom end‑of‑arm tooling, featuring rotating servo nests, removes threaded parts from the mold—simpler and more cost‑effective than traditional rack‑and‑pinion unscrewing mechanisms.

After assembly, the cup is placed on a conveyor by Yushin’s newest collaborative robot, the OB‑7 from Productive Robotics. The seven‑axis unit operates safely around personnel, eliminating the need for extensive guarding. Its mobile base allows quick relocation between machines, and its intuitive lead‑through teach method removes the need for advanced programming. A built‑in camera reads QR codes at each station, automatically loading the appropriate job recipe. A future software update will grant the robot vision‑based tracking of randomly placed parts on a conveyor.

“Collaborative robots have a clear place in modern manufacturing,” Parrillo concludes. “Clients often struggle to find operators for short runs; these robots excel at simple pick‑and‑place tasks such as case packing or tray loading.”