Digitized production processes don't just enhance the strategic options of companies, they also spark new trends such as individualized products in small runs and shorter product life cycles. That's why the people who develop intelligent production automation solutions would be well advised to get to grips with these rapidly changing requirements. PIAB Vakuum GmbH was one of the first companies to identify this development early on. It is pursuing the ambitious aim of becoming a leading global supplier of gripping and handling solutions through continuous technical development work in the field of automation and robotics and through high-growth customer segments and regions.

By unveiling the new compact KCS vacuum gripping solution at HANNOVER MESSE 2018, PIAB is getting much closer to achieving its vision. The system behind the solution can pick up objects in a whole range of shapes and materials and with all sorts of surfaces. This great flexibility enables companies to deploy the cobot (collaborative robot) in various areas of production and make optimum use of its capacity. Cobots are an especially popular entry-level option for SMEs that want to automate manual processes involving small batch sizes and a wide range of variants. However, such solutions must pay for themselves quickly, and that is an area where the lightweight robotics of the cobot perform particularly well. Low in weight but strong in suction performance and highly versatile, the KCS vacuum gripping solution offers both practical and commercial benefits.