Robotic Workspace Technologies, Inc. and The Classic Companies team up to form strategic alliance

Citation

(2000), "Robotic Workspace Technologies, Inc. and The Classic Companies team up to form strategic alliance", Industrial Robot, Vol. 27 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/ir.2000.04927cab.008

Robotic Workspace Technologies, Inc. and The Classic Companies team up to form strategic alliance

Robotic Workspace Technologies, Inc. and The Classic Companies team up to form strategic alliance

Keywords: Robotics, Alliances

Mr Walter Weisel, President and CEO of Robotic Workspace Technologies, Inc. (RWT) and Mr Kenneth Kareta, President and CEO of The Classic Companies, have announced that their two companies have agreed to form a strategic alliance specifically to serve the growing market for robot and robotic workcell redeployment.

RWT is the developer of the Universal Robot Controller™ (URC) (see Plate 4) introduced in 1997. The URC is a PC, open architecture control system for robots, servo-driven multi-axis articulated devices, and cell control. It can be retrofitted to existing controllers or specified on new robots. The URC utilizes the RobotScript™ universal programming language also developed by RWT with the Microsoft ® Visual Basic programming language. To date, certain models of ABB, Cincinnati Milacron, Fanuc, Kawasaki, Motoman, and Toyota robots have been retrofitted with the URC controller.

Plate 4The Universal Robot Controller

"The URC is truly a 'plug-and-play' technology", says Walter Weisel. "It has taken us years of development and field trials, and now we are ready!"

The Classic Companies is comprised of Classic Design, CSI, CD Products and Classic Graphics. Together The Classic Companies provides the full scope of manufacturing engineering services from process engineering, through simulation, to equipment manufacturing and systems integration, to final installation and runoff. The IS0-9001 certified organization operates from four facilities in the Detroit area, including a new state of the art 100,000 sq. ft facility to develop robotic work cells and automated systems for assembly, welding, material handling and other processes. The Classic Companies' customers include ABB Robotics, BMW, DaimlerChrysler, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Johnson Controls, and other manufacturers in the aerospace, automotive, and general industries. URCs running robots have been installed at The Classic Companies to support sales demonstrations, customer training, and integration and upgrade services.

"Our customers are continually challenging us to increase the number of 'standard' components in a system, and also to maximize that system's flexibility", explains Mr Kareta. "Major manufacturers are working to reduce diversity on the plant floor to reduce the costs associated with engineering and manufacturing custom components, large spare parts inventories and training. They are also demanding more flexibility in production equipment so that several different parts can be processed concurrently or so that the equipment can easily and cost-effectively be changed over to run new parts after the initial product life cycle has ended."

"By teaming up with RWT and utilizing the Universal Robot Controller/RobotScript in the systems we provide, we believe The Classic Companies can take a leadership role in providing our customers the added benefits of commonality and flexibility that this open architecture platform offers", says Mr Kareta.

For more information contact: Sandra L. Brooks, Robotic Workspace Technologies, Inc., 17105 San Carlos Blvd, Ste. A6151, Ft. Myers Beach, FL 33931. Tel: (941) 466 0488; Fax: (941) 466 7270; E-mail: brooks@rwt.com or Mark A. Contesti, The Classic Companies, 667 Elmwood, Troy, MI 48083. Tel: (248) 588 8670; Fax: (248) 597 9166; E-mail: mark.contesti@classic-co.com