Techman TM Cobots Review

What is the story behind Techman cobots?

Founded in 2016, Techman Robot is a subsidiary of Quanta Computer Group, a Taiwanese company that produces electronic equipment and manufactures notebooks (including the Apple McBook).

By using Quanta Storage’s optical and mechanical technologies, the group wanted to expand its expertise in the field of collaborative robots. With their TM5 900 and TM5 700 robot models, they introduced the first cobot with computer vision that manipulates objects very flexibly. They also feature the latest motion and force sensors to protect workers.

In 5 years, the Techman Robot Series has conquered many industries and SMEs, becoming the second most popular collaborative robot brand on the market. Techman has also collaborated with the leading automation group Omron to design co-branded models.

How do Techman’s TM robots work?

After unpacking the Techman robotic arm and computer controller from their box, you can install and screw the robot onto its stand. Once you have plugged it in and turned it on, you can then use the manual mode and start defining different tasks.

By pressing and holding the “Free” button, you can guide the arm to the desired positions and memorize them by pressing “Point”. The cobot will then be able to reproduce the exact gesture with its 6 degrees of freedom. On the TMflow interface, you can then add and specify action sequences such as a pause time, grabber activation or computer vision.

You can enable vision computing through a landmark that will square the robot’s perception. Users can then model the visual environment and adjust the identification of the objects thanks to a 3D representation. With its pattern recognition technology, the robot can easily position itself in relation to the landmark and grasp objects. It can also identify an object’s barcode with the eye-in-hand mode.

After defining the action pattern, you can test the robot’s movements to check your program. The interface will display errors during the process that you can easily fix. When you are sure of your workflow, you can finally launch the processes in a chain.

What are the applications of TM series ?

Thanks to their flexibility and intelligent vision, TM5 cobots can perform many object grasping and manipulation tasks, only limited by your imagination. Such as :

• Machine maintenance
• Woodworking automation
• Palletizing
• Packaging and labeling
• Assembly
• Welding and brazing
• Painting
• Screwing
• Pick & Place
• Polishing
• Laser cutting
• Injection molding
• Glue dispensing

What does interaction with Techman cobots actually look like?

Techman TM5 cobots have an efficient and easy-to-handle workflow. Workers can easily hand guide the robot, and give it the right position. They don’t have to worry about their safety thanks to accurate motion and force sensors. They can even indicate to the robot visual points on the human body to avoid.

The TMflow interface is also intuitive and user-friendly, allowing workers to visually program the work path. While more subtle tasks might require a longer and more complex work chart, they provide a lot of room for improvement. The vision computing platform gives workers the power to target objects and perform more flexible tasks. While it may require more technical skills in adjusting and modeling objects, it provides many customization possibilities.

An advanced user can perform and automate highly specialized tasks and save time for both the worker and the company. As a result, Techman robots are great companions for small and medium-sized businesses that want to speed up very specific tasks.