Mazak launches portable plug and play cobot solution

Mazak has developed a new flexible cobot automation cell for machine users making frequent production changes. The new Ez Loader 10 (pronounced ‘easy’) is a highly portable plug-and-play collaborative robot ideally suited to jobshops and subcontractors operating multiple machines with a high-mix, low volume workload.

One of the Ez Loader’s key selling points is its ability to be quickly and easily moved around the factory floor to support different machines. This ultimately helps to free operators for more creative tasks, drive productivity and remove production bottlenecks.

Fanuc cobot

The automation cell is a true collaboration between Mazak and Fanuc. The cell consists of a Fanuc collaborative robot equipped with a tried-and-tested camera system, Mazak software, tablet terminal and a portable mounting stand. Crucially, there is no requirement for expensive guarding systems to protect the operator, which makes the cell highly affordable.

Three easy features

The Ez Loader 10 is a long-arm robot with a maximum reach of 1,200 mm and is capable of lifting a workpiece weight of 5.0 kg. The automation cell offers an enhanced operator experience with three easy features for operation, setup and robot motion. Ez Operation enables automatic operation by placing workpieces on one of three template positions. Once connected to the machine with a cable, Ez Setup recognizes the machine model and automatically adjusts to the correct position by reading three positional markers, located on the machine, with its Camera system. This makes the cell highly portable around the factory floor with setup completed in as little as 15 minutes. Finally, Ez Custom enables the easy creation of motion patterns via the manual operation of the robot arm and the order of motion set by a separate tablet terminal.