Chinaplas 2017: BASF to unveil lightweight 'cobot' to help factories work faster

At Chinaplas 2017 to be held May 16–19 in Guangzhou, BASF will present the prototype of a “cobot”—a collaborative robot for industrial use—made be Chinese firm Siasun Co., Ltd. The cobot is made with BASF’s Elastollan thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer, Ultramid glass fiber-reinforced polyamide (PA) and 3D-printed PA 6.

The lightweight design and materials used in the cobot will reportedly help manufacturers boost production speed while lowering energy costs. This is one of five co-creation projects under the banner of Trio, a collaboration between BASF, leading designers and brand owners.

Cobots are important in the robotics and automation field, as they are more affordable, adaptable and portable compared to traditional industrial robots. BASF’s advanced materials not only provide a lighter weight alternative, they also allow molding or 3D printing into complex shapes. The materials are said to have superior properties, including mechanical strength, comfortable haptics, abrasion resistance, chemical resistance and electrical insulation. Additionally, compared to traditional materials, Elastollan and Ultramid are simple to process and provide greater ease of coloring and decoration.

“BASF provided us with great solutions to realize our vision of replacing several parts with lightweight, yet durable materials. They will also offer us many solutions to develop the next generation prototype cobot in future,” said Yang Luo, Vice President, Siasun.