At this new Slovakian Robot Application Center, six cobots and three industrial robots are available for hands-on customer service. The fully equipped, multifunctional space on the first floor of the Slovakian SCHUNK subsidiary covers an area of 350 square meters. Here, you will also find a laboratory, a conference area, a training room and a workshop. In the center of the robot room with its hexagonal floor plan, a hexagonal workbench invites all visitors to the CoLab to access the world of automation directly in straightforward fashion.
In the CoLabs, a team of application engineers support SCHUNK customers in testing specific automation tasks. During the cooperation, the most suitable combination of handling, clamping technology and machining components is selected and optimal parameters are validated in a practical test. This allows the customer to prepare their planned automation task optimally and implement it without any risks. Validation in the CoLab accelerates commissioning and minimizes the investment risk for customers. František Jantoška, General Manager of Intec Slovakia, was also enthusiastic about this. At the opening ceremony for the SCHUNK CoLab, he emphasized the uniqueness of this concept. "This place is intended for anyone wanting to use automation to increase their process efficiency and improve workplace safety while reducing physical stress." There are also valuable points of contact here for the up-and-coming talents of tomorrow. "We are opening this place not only to industry professionals, but also to high school and college students who want to learn the field of automation, robotics and material processing. Therefore, we are already working on including our CoLab in the study programs of Slovak schools and universities. Students will have the opportunity to write their theses here."
In this way, the future generation of employees also benefits from the training at CoLab and can prepare themselves for the automated working world of tomorrow in a way that is close to practice. In live demonstrations, test documentations, feasibility studies, customer training sessions as well as providing extensive robotics peripherals including hardware setup by the application experts, SCHUNK places itself at the disposal of its customers as a partner, supporting them practically in all automation steps.
The Robot Application Center in Nitra has commenced operations – with further ideas for the future: The Slovakian experts want to build on the pioneering spirit of the SCHUNK company and plan to equip the CoLab with a five-axis machining center and a depaneling machine so as to be able to cover all market requirements in the Central European region.