Robotic OEMs Partner with Cobots to Drive Plastics Automation

An unmistakable trend signals that collaborative robots—commonly called “cobots”—are becoming essential in plastics processing, as evidenced by major robotic OEMs expanding their portfolios to include cobot solutions.

At the 2018 National Plastics Expo (NPE2018), Yushin America—a prominent Cartesian robot supplier—launched the OB‑7 cobot in partnership with Productive Robotics of California. The OB‑7 brings Yushin’s precise motion control to the flexible, human‑friendly world of cobots.

German‑based Hahn Group’s U.S. arm, Hahn Plastics Automation, recently acquired the intellectual property for the Sawyer cobot, originally developed by Rethink Robotics. Hahn announced plans to upgrade and expand the Sawyer line while continuing to produce its own Cartesian robots and turnkey automation solutions.

In a strategic move announced by Sepro Group of France, the company has partnered with Denmark’s Universal Robots. Sepro will embed its Visual Control platform—engineered specifically for injection‑molding robots—into Universal Robots’ cobots sold through Sepro’s automation systems. The integration will ensure seamless operation between the cobots, Sepro’s existing Cartesian and co‑branded articulated robots, and molding machines. Sepro will also offer global service for these integrated systems through its 42 worldwide service centers and will debut the new cobot solutions at the K 2019 show in Düsseldorf in October.