PENCOM, a global provider of engineered fastening solutions and assembly technologies, is pleased to announce that collaborative robots from Standard Bots are now available as integrated accessories for PENCOM’s Fastener Insertion Technologies™ (FIT) machines.
By combining Standard Bots cobots with FIT fastener installation equipment, PENCOM can provide complete, turnkey automation systems designed around each customer’s parts, fasteners, production requirements, and facility layout.
In an integrated FIT automation cell, a Standard Bots cobot can perform repetitive material-handling operations such as loading components, positioning workpieces for fastener installation, initiating machine cycles, repositioning parts for multiple insertions, and unloading completed assemblies. Automating these processes can help manufacturers increase throughput, improve consistency, reduce repetitive manual handling, and make more effective use of their available workforce.
“Adding Standard Bots cobots to our FIT product line is an important step in PENCOM’s continued expansion from a fastener supplier into a complete fastening solutions provider,” said Bill Gardiner, Founder and CEO of PENCOM. “We can now help customers select the right fastener, installation machine, feeding system, tooling, and robotic automation as part of one coordinated solution.”
A Cobot for Every Application
PENCOM offers Standard Bots’ Spark, Core, and Thor cobots, providing customers with a range of payload capacities, reaches, and footprints to accommodate everything from small precision components to large sheet-metal assemblies.
Spark
Spark is a compact tabletop cobot with a payload capacity of 7 kg (15.4 lb) and a reach of 900 mm (35.4 in). Its small footprint and ±0.025 mm (±0.001 in) repeatability make it well suited for smaller components, light manufacturing, precision assembly, inspection, and workbench-level automation.
Core
Core provides a balance of reach, payload, and versatility for a wide variety of manufacturing applications. With an 18 kg (39.7 lb) payload capacity, a 1.3 m (51.2 in) reach, and ±0.025 mm (±0.001 in) repeatability, Core can support part handling and positioning for many common FIT fastener installation applications.
Thor
Thor is designed for applications requiring greater lifting capacity and an extended working envelope. Its 30 kg (66.1 lb) payload capacity and 2 m (78.7 in) reach make it suitable for handling larger panels, heavier components, oversized fixtures, and applications requiring access to multiple machines or workstations. Thor also provides ±0.025 mm (±0.001 in) repeatability.
Standard Bots cobots feature intuitive, no-code programming and are designed to integrate with manufacturing equipment and accessories such as grippers, conveyors, machine controls, linear actuators, and vision systems. Their flexibility makes them especially useful in high-mix production environments where manufacturers may need to reconfigure an automation cell for different parts or assembly processes.
Complete FIT Automation Systems
Spark, Core, and Thor can be paired with any FIT machine equipped with a Modular Auto-feed System. This includes the SE 22 2B, TTF 22 2B, and STF 22 4B.
Depending on the application, a turnkey system from PENCOM may include:
- A PENCOM FIT fastener installation machine
- A Standard Bots Spark, Core, or Thor cobot
- Modular automatic fastener feeding
- Application-specific upper and lower installation tooling
- Robotic grippers or other end-of-arm tooling
- Part-handling fixtures and workholding
- Communication between the cobot and FIT machine
- Part-present and process-monitoring sensors
- Guarding, safety scanners, conveyors, and other cell components
- System programming, installation, training, and support
Each system is configured according to the customer’s components, production volumes, fastener requirements, available floor space, and safety requirements. The final system layout and operating mode are determined through an application-specific risk assessment.
This integrated approach gives manufacturers a single resource for developing automated installation processes for self-clinching nuts, studs, standoffs, and other press-in hardware. PENCOM’s engineering team can evaluate an existing production process and recommend the appropriate FIT machine, Standard Bots cobot, tooling, feeding equipment, and supporting automation.
The new offering is particularly beneficial for applications involving large or difficult-to-handle components, repeated fastener locations, high production volumes, and processes in which consistency and traceability are critical. Standard Bots cobots can also be reprogrammed or redeployed as production requirements change, allowing manufacturers to adapt their automation investments to future products and programs.
“With FIT equipment, automatic feeding, and robotic part handling working together, customers can automate much more than the insertion stroke,” Gardiner added. “PENCOM can provide a coordinated system that supports the fastener and the workpiece throughout the installation process.”
Standard Bots cobots are now available through PENCOM for new FIT equipment installations and may also be considered for compatible existing FIT applications.
About PENCOM
Founded in 1982, PENCOM provides engineered fastening solutions, custom-manufactured components, installation equipment, and supply-chain services to manufacturers worldwide. Through its Fastener Insertion Technologies™ product line, PENCOM offers equipment for the repeatable installation of self-clinching nuts, studs, standoffs, and other press-in hardware. PENCOM supports customers from product selection and design assistance through manufacturing, installation technology, automation, and inventory management.
About Standard Bots
Standard Bots designs and assembles advanced robotic systems in the United States. Its Spark, Core, and Thor cobots combine intuitive, no-code programming with flexible integration capabilities for manufacturing applications including machine tending, material handling, assembly, inspection, pick-and-place operations, welding, and palletizing.