Posted to News on 10th Jan 2020, 00:00
Schunk gripper plays a central role in AMRC wales opening ceremony
Before Christmas, the University of Sheffield officially opened its Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) Cymru, a £20m state-of-the-art research and development facility in North Wales. As a member of the AMRC, Schunk UK played an integral role in the opening ceremony, holding the ribbon with a Schunk gripper for Wales’ First Minister Mark Drakeford to cut the ceremonial ribbon.
Described by Welsh government ministers as a ‘game changer’ for the economies of Wales and the northern powerhouse, the AMRC Cymru is a purpose-built research and development facility close to the Airbus wing-manufacturing plant in Broughton. It was officially opened by Mark Drakeford and Economy and North Wales Minister Ken Skates, who accompanied Professor Koen Lamberts, president and vice-chancellor at the University of Sheffield, on a tour of the new building to see the new technologies that will be available to manufacturing companies across Wales.
Situated in the Deeside Enterprise Zone, the facility will operate a 2,000sq/m open access research area focus with a focus on advanced manufacturing sectors such as the aerospace, automotive, nuclear and food. This region has a strong manufacturing base and AMRC Cymru will build on this, driving world-class research and expertise across the supply chain. It could increase Gross Value Added (GVA) to the Welsh economy by as much as £4 billion over the next 20 years.
Holding the ceremonial ribbon for the First Minister was a Schunk Co-act gripper attached to a Kuka Cobot that was mounted on a Kuka AGV. The EGH Co-act gripper is the latest addition to the Co-act gripper family and is a flexible system for gripping and moving of small to medium-sized workpieces in the areas of handling, assembly and electronics. The long stroke of the gripper can cover a very wide range of workpieces as the gripper fingers are particularly suited for positioning over the entire stroke. The robust parallel movement of the fingers ensures constant gripping force at a position over the entire stroke. With fast commissioning, programming and simple use of an intelligent servo gripper due to the ‘Plug and Work’ starter package, the Schunk EGH Co-act gripper offers optionally attachable flexible fingers for increased flexibility. This also increases the gripper’s range of application.
