3D Infotech Announces Aruna Robotics Division To Make Automation More Affordable

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 5, 2020
  • 3D Infotech announced it has launched a new division named Aruna Robotics. This new division will utilize technologies for dimensional inspection cells in order to create a series of products to address the growing need for affordable robotic automation in any industry.

Irvine, California-based 3D Infotech announced it has launched a new division named Aruna Robotics. This new division will utilize technologies for dimensional inspection cells in order to create a series of products to address the growing need for affordable robotic automation in any industry. 3D Infotech has been developing 3D scanning and probing technologies over the past 15 years.

With teams focused on selling and supporting PolyWorks metrology software in the western US and focused on developing Universal Metrology Automation (UMA) solutions for manufacturing companies in aerospace, automotive, and consumer electronics industries, 3D Infotech has enjoyed consistent annual growth. And UMA solutions by 3D Infotech are highly repeatable and configurable to adapt to customers’ changing needs.

The company has experience working with over seventy 3D scanners used in metrology and with a variety of robots ranging from Fanuc, ABB, and Universal Robots. The company has development labs, manufacturing facilities, and offices in Eastern Europe, China, and Latin America.

“We realized that a lot of what we’ve developed over the years could be used outside metrology. Some of the software and hardware tools that we’ve created exclusively for dimensional inspection can benefit other areas of production,” said Abdul Martinez, Director of Technology and Marketing at 3D Infotech.

Robotic automation using collaborative robots is going to lead the way in this transformation as it is the most accessible and affordable path. 3D Infotech works as a Universal Robots Certified System Integrator (CSI) and also a UR+ partner, bringing Cobot based solutions to the market at a very rapid pace — including a series of software and hardware products that will work together with Universal Robots. And 3D Infotech is focused on making them affordable, accessible, and easy to use.

The severity of the COVID-19 pandemic has pushed for a new era of manufacturing. And 3D Infotech realized that many companies would need to embrace automation to survive.

“Small and medium companies urgently need to embrace automation; having products that can work out-of-the-box without custom integration is critical, reducing total cost of ownership while enabling rapid deployment of automated solutions. Budgets are tight right now, and pressure is intense, that’s why we expect that our new line of products will fit perfectly into this mix,” explained Rohit Khanna, President & CEO of 3D Infotech.

This summer, the Aruna Robotics division will be unveiling a line up of products. And Aruna Vision plans to lead the way as an affordable machine vision tool that turns a simple USB webcam into a smart sensor that can be used for: 1.) ‘Presence and absence’ detection 2.) Visual inspection using comparison 3.) Error proofing for unknowns in any process 4.) Automated product testing and 5.) Part placement

The Aruna Vision software runs directly on the PolyScope interface found on the Universal Robot’s controller. And it is integrated into the easy-to-use workflow for deploying systems in any type of factory automation application.

Aruna Vision serves as a URCap that runs directly in the controller of the UR cobot without the need for an external computer or controller. And it allows any USB camera to give object detection and comparison features to any UR. And these two operations constitute the building blocks that can help your cobot to create checkpoints for:

1.) Comparison – Validate what the camera sees to what was recorded and take a decision.
2.) Clearance – Validate if there is available space to work or if something is on the way.
3.) Position and Shape – Is this the object I am looking for? Is it in the right position?
4.) Unidentified elements – Make a decision when the robot finds something that is not supposed to be there: Stop, pause, or go to another position.

 

3D Infotech creates custom scripts, designs new hardware, and develops custom software for delivering a multitude of automated systems for metrology applications. This experience and knowledge led to the development of a series of motion control, machine vision, and augmented reality products as driven by customer’s needs. And these products also fit the needs of other automation applications beyond metrology.