Kassow KR Cobot Review

What’s the story behind Kassow cobots?

Founded in 2014 by Kristian Kassow, a former Universal Robots co-founder, and his team, the Danish company Kassow wants to set its mark on the cobot market.

With their KR series launched in 2018, they have worked extensively on the technical design of their robots to provide unique specifications. In doing so, they have provided robots with particularly high speed, load and reach, while keeping a lightweight design.

Besides that, their main selling point lies in a 7ᵉ axis of motion to enable more demanding applications. They also ensure to give impeccable user and safety experience.

Now, as they gradually expand their KR series, they try to cope with the growing competition in the market. But how do the KR models really fare?

How to use Kassow robots?

After unpacking the robot arm, power base and interface, you can set up the robot on the mounting bracket and connect the power cables to the proper I/O port. You can now turn on the interface and free up the robot’s brakes, moving it to the zero position using the Robot Online section.

To install the end effector of your choice on your robot, you need to fix it with its tool changer and launch the end effector software in the dedicated menu. The interface will then calibrate the tool automatically.

When this is done, you can start creating your first program. In the programming tree, you can define a move position, either by moving the robot arm accordingly or with the manual control buttons behind the tablet. Then you can add the different code blocks (SET, MOVE, PAUSE) to design your work process. With the LOOP and IF blocks, you can make the robots operate according to specific loops or conditions. You can also add the block related to your effector to code an action.

When you’re finished programming, you can test it by pressing the START button. If the program looks good, you can continue running it with CONTINUE.

What are the possible applications of KR cobots?

Thanks to its strong features and performance, Kassow robots can handle demanding applications such as :

• Handling of heavy parts
• Loading of CNC machines
• Packaging and palletizing
• Painting and gluing
• Polishing and material removal
• Quality inspection

What about interaction with Kassow cobots?

Kassow delivers a high level of experience with its wide KR series, worth competing with the best models on the market. For several reasons.

First, Kassow cobots provide really attractive technical features. The KR range extends to reach and payload capabilities that allow larger applications, including metalworking. The 7ᵉ axis of motion gives the robotic arm new agility, allowing it to optimize its movements and reach more inaccessible places. Their build quality also ensures a high speed of execution, even when carrying larger parts. Thus, Kassow, especially the latest models, are among the most productive for specialized sectors.

Secondly, thanks to their lightweight and portable design, the KR series give great flexibility to industrial operators. Thanks to their small volume, yet large size, they are easily deployable in tight applications. Their safety features also help, allowing safe collaborative work in small workshops. Kassow also supports traditional end effectors to perform more specialized tasks.

Finally, Kassow has not neglected user experience on the interface either. Setting up and calibrating the tools is very simple and fast, without complex or additional protocols. The programming area is rather intuitive and easy to use, with the addition of code blocks. Although it will take some time to master it, users familiar with coding can do wonders with this tool. At the same time, the compatibility with partner software allows for better customization of workflows.