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Complete Blown Film THE X -DIE & High Performance V -RING www.halpine.com T: (508) 655-1123 F: (508) 655-9337 ALPINE AMERICAN T H E B L O W N F I L M E X P E R T S AUTOMATION MATERIALS Collaborative Robots Get Vision Capabilities At the recent ATX Automation Tech- nology East show in N.Y.C., Universal Robots USA Inc., Ann Arbor, Mich., showed off several new vision capabilities for its UR "collaborative" robots, or "cobots." Cameras, software, grippers, force/torque sensors, and a number of other auxiliaries are avail- able via the new Universal Robots+ "app store," which catalogs products certified as compatible with UR cobots. At the ATX East show, two partners demonstrated some of their enhance- ments for UR cobots. Robotic Vision Technologies, Silver Spring, Md. (roboticvisiontech.com), demonstrated vision capabilities such as shape/ pattern recognition for pick-and-place applications where part position or orientation varies. This requires no programming—the user shows the robot what to look for by means of a camera image and Microsoft Paint software. The cobot can even accom- plish stacking, effectively using 2.5D vision with only a single 2D camera. Another UR partner, EnergidTechnol- ogies, Cambridge, Mass. (energid.com), demonstrated vision-based abilities for collision avoidance, finding a path around obstacles, and for "adaptive" pick-and-place (the ability to find an object whose location varies). The software involves importing a CAD image of the target object. 844-462-6268 • universal-robots.com Lubricated PEEK for Implantable Medical Devices Two new lubricated, biocompatible PEEK grades designed for implantable medical devices have been launched by Solvay Specialty Polymers, Alpharetta, Ga. Zeniva ZA-500L and ZA-600L offer melt indexes tailored for injection molding and boast broader design latitudes for manufacturers developing next- generation implantable devices. 800-621-4557 • solvayspecialtypolymers.com @plastechmag 79 Plastics Technology N E W P R O D U C T S F O R P L A S T I C S P R O C E S S I N G