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Rockwell Automation and Comau Partner to Simplify Robot Integration for Manufacturers

Collaboration offers industrial customers easier, smarter, and more productive ways to design, deploy, and manage robot applications

Business Wire 20 aprile 202109:30

Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE: ROK), the world’s largest company dedicated to industrial automation and digital transformation, and Comau, a global leader in industrial automation and robot manufacturer, announced today that they are joining forces to give businesses worldwide vital tools to maximize manufacturing efficiencies through unified robot control solutions.

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Comau Rebel-S (Photo: Business Wire)

“Industrial companies are looking for efficient ways to integrate robotics into their operations for process optimization and agility,” said Rockwell Automation Chairman and CEO Blake Moret. “Rockwell Automation’s collaboration with Comau will simplify programming and lifecycle management, accelerating time to value for our customers.”

Moret said this expansion of robotic applications is rooted in Rockwell’s broader strategy to help industrial companies save time and improve performance with unified robot control, ultimately providing long-term value for their business. The partnership is a collaborative development and selling model that offers the unified robot control product to both companies’ customers.

“Comau’s robotics and industrial automation expertise, as well as its reputation for high performance, reliability, and quality, combined with Rockwell Automation’s global capabilities and experience in automated material handling, food and beverage, household and personal care, and life sciences, gives customers the incremental value of an integrated robot solution,” said Comau CEO Paolo Carmassi. “Comau is eager to work with such an important partner that has a market-leading global footprint in all industries.”

Engineers will now be able to program their entire machine in one environment, including Comau robot arms directly controlled through Rockwell Automation’s Logix-based controllers. Rockwell Automation’s Studio 5000^®automation system design software provides relief from the time-consuming and often difficult task of trying to coordinate traditionally separate machine control and robot systems to work together using two different software tools.

Machine builders, system integrators, and others will gain development and deployment efficiencies through the use of digital engineering tools like Rockwell’s Emulate3D digital twin software, which creates digital models of production lines, auto-generates machine control code, and has built-in capabilities for Comau robots.

The combined Rockwell and Comau solutions will also offer benefits beyond enhanced integration. For example, end users can use analytics and digital twin tools to gain deeper insights into machine performance and potential production optimization. They can also use safety and security solutions to reduce business risks.

Operators on the manufacturing floor who use Rockwell’s FactoryTalk^®software suite will benefit from being able to see both line and robot control systems on a single interface. In-plant and remote technicians will only need to learn and maintain one architecture to monitor both systems. They can also leverage Rockwell’s augmented reality (AR) tools to improve lifecycle and service cycle maintenance.

Automazioni Industriali Capitanio, a recognized system integrator, designs, manufactures, and commissions automation systems for the metals industry and is an early adopter of the joint solution. Marco Capitanio, managing director of AIC, said the Rockwell-Comau collaboration allows the company to offer a seamless robot solution for customers, which he sees as a key advantage for a machine builder.

“We value the simple and flexible programming environment, complete access to robot supervision and diagnostic parameters, and the ability to leverage existing automation panels and standard control devices,” Capitanio said.

Rockwell products and technology that will be key to robotics integration include the following:

Allen-Bradley ControlLogix^®control systems
Kinetix^®5700 servo drive platform
Studio 5000^®automation system design software
FactoryTalk^® View human machine interface (HMI) software
FactoryTalk^® InnovationSuite™, powered by PTC digital transformation software suite
Emulate3D™ digital twin software
PTC Vuforia AR tools for remote collaboration and information capture

Comau’s comprehensive robot range meets the needs of a wide variety of industries, from automotive to logistics, food and beverage, and packaging, just to name a few. It includes more than 40 different industrial robotic arms, with load capacities from 3 to 650 KG.

About Comau

Comau, a member of Stellantis, is a worldwide leader in delivering advanced industrial automation products, and systems. With over 45 years of experience and a strong presence within every major industrial country, Comau is helping manufacturers of all sizes in almost any industry experience higher quality, increased productivity, faster time-to-market, and lower overall costs. Headquartered in Turin, Italy, Comau has an international network of 7 innovation centers, 5 digital hubs, 8 manufacturing plants that span 14 countries and employ more than 9,000 people. For more information, visit www.comau.com.

About Rockwell Automation

Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE: ROK), is a global leader in industrial automation and digital transformation. We connect the imaginations of people with the potential of technology to expand what is humanly possible, making the world more productive and more sustainable. Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Rockwell Automation employs approximately 23,500 problem solvers dedicated to our customers in more than 100 countries. To learn more about how we are bringing the Connected Enterprise to life across industrial enterprises, visit www.rockwellautomation.com.