Ohio Northern team wins ‘Robot of the Year’

Posted By on March 27, 2007

ONU Robotics Team 2007It is nice to be able to take pride in one’s alma mater and with the Ohio Northern University robotics team winning the “2007 Robot of the Year” award, its just enough to be a little boastful. Believe it or not, way back when … when I was a polar bear trudging across the ‘tundra ‘(walk to class in the middle of winter and you’ll know what I mean) … tying manufacturing to robots was just getting its start in old Taft Hall. Twenty-five years later, the department and professors now oversee this important manufacturing technology which has a significant place in the curriculum. The university turns out well trained students and each year the improvements continue as technologies advance. The department prepares graduates that can quickly adapt to modern industry methods which are vital to the continued manufacturing success of our country. Ohio Northern University assembles an impressive team of students yearly that engineer and design industrially competitive manufacturing robots on par with universities of any size. Kudos to this years team; the announcement makes me proud to be alumni. (BTW … its a beautiful campus and well worth a visit if you know someone looking for an excellent, but smaller, university)

Injection Molding Cell Using KUKA KR3 Robot Wins National Robotics Challenge

CLINTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. — KUKA Robotics Corporation, a leading global manufacturer of industrial robots, today announced an injection molding cell using its KUKA KR3 robot won the Gold award in its division and was named the “2007 Robot of the Year” at the National Robotics Challenge held March 9-10, 2007 in Marion, OH. The cell was designed, built, programmed and entered into the competition by the robotics team at Ohio Northern University’s (ONU). The KUKA robot is one of seven robots that KUKA Robotics recently announced it had provided to ONU’s Robotics Technology Center of Excellence.

“We are delighted to be a part of ONU’s winning cell as the National Robotics Challenge is one of the premier robotics and engineering events in the nation featuring real world categories including best manufacturing robotic work cell and robotic problem solving,” said Stuart Shepherd president of KUKA Robotics.

“The students really have something to be proud of, since last fall they had nothing but a blank sheet of paper,” said Dr. Adam Stienecker, assistant professor of technological studies at Ohio Northern University. “The award-winning entry was made possible by their hard work and the KUKA robot which served as an important building block in the project.”

The award winning cell featured the KUKA KR3 robot which processed poker chips within the injection molding cell. The KUKA KR3 is a 6 axis robot which can be mounted on the floor, a table or ceiling. It is capable of handling up to a 3kg payload and has a reach of 635mm.

Founded in 1871, Ohio Northern University, located in West Central Ohio, is a private university offering a diverse, dynamic and unique learning community, with rigorous professional programs in partnership with the arts and the sciences. Its 3,500 students study for graduate and undergraduate degrees in five colleges: Arts and Sciences, Engineering, Business Administration, Pharmacy, and Law. Ohio Northern takes pride in being a student-centered, service-oriented, values-based institution. It is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

KUKA Robotics Corporation, with its parent company KUKA Roboter GmbH, Augsburg, Germany, is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of industrial robots, with an annual production volume approaching 10,000 units, and an installed base of over 75,000 units. The company’s 5 and 6 axis robots range from 3kg to 570kg payloads, and 635mm to 3700mm reach, all controlled from a common PC based controller platform. KUKA robots are utilized in a diverse range of industries including the appliance, automotive, aerospace, consumer goods, logistics, food, pharmaceutical, medical, foundry and plastics industries and in multiple applications including material handling, machine loading, assembly, packaging, palletizing, welding, bending, joining, and surface finishing. For more information contact KUKA Robotics at866-873-5852 or visit their website at www.kukarobotics.com.

The KUKA logo is a registered trademark of KUKA Roboter GmbH. KUKA and KUKA KR3 are trademarks of KUKA Roboter GmbH. All other trademarks are owned by their respective companies.

Source: KUKA Robotics

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