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Robot of year wins National Robotics Challenge

ControlDesign.com
05/01/2007

An injection molding cell designed, built, and programmed by the robotics team at Ohio Northern University (ONU) won the Gold award in its division and was named the “2007 Robot of the Year” at the National Robotics Challenge, March 9-10, in Marion, Ohio.

“The students really have something to be proud of, since last fall they had nothing but a blank sheet of paper,” says Dr. Adam Stienecker, assistant professor of technological studies at Ohio Northern.
The award winning cell featured a Kuka KR3 robot that processed poker chips in the injection molding cell. The workcell manufactured poker chips from raw materials and labeled them “ONU” before passing them out as souvenirs to other competitors and attendees.

KR3 is a six-axis robot that can be mounted on a floor, table, or ceiling. It’s capable of handling up to a 3 kg payload and has a reach of 635 mm.

The robot is one of seven that Kuka Robotics recently provided to Ohio Northern’s Robotics Technology Center of Excellence.