ABB provides software for offline robotic programming

A partnership with ABB, a leading global technology company, is bringing an industrial robot and software licenses to Pennsylvania College of Technology for instructional use in manufacturing engineering programs.

ABB, based in Zurich, Switzerland, with U.S. operations headquartered in Cary, North Carolina, is providing $150,000 worth of software licenses for offline programming of its YuMi robot, which the college has purchased. This eliminates the need for programming at the robot itself using the teach pendant. The software can communicate with all ABB robots to download and upload files. Software benefits include freeing the robot for production or maintenance and allowing multiple programmers simultaneously to create and edit programs.  In manufacturing, today, most robot programs are created offline and “touched up” at production lines.



YuMi is a 14-axis collaborative robot with integrated vision; Penn College manufacturing students will create a home base and a mobile platform to share YuMi among various School of Engineering Technologies departments at the college. The college’s Robotic Applications course is open to multiple majors within the school.

Rob Crane, an electrical technologies alumnus of Penn College and account executive, Discrete Automation and Motion Division, Robotics Business Unity, for ABB Inc., helped facilitate the software donation as part of the robot purchase.

“As a fellow alum of Penn College, it was my pleasure to represent ABB and help facilitate this donation for offline robotic programming software,” Crane said.  “Partnering with the college will help students enhance their skills as they enter the workforce, while giving them a greater familiarity with ABB and the quality provided through our technology and equipment.”

“Our software will enable students to design the robot cell using CAD programs,” Crane continued. “Students will draw everything in the robotic work cell. The way the software works is that it simulates cell activities. The visual feedback will help decision makers generate the correct program for the robot. This software saves tremendous time in this purpose. The software also helps generate programs impossible to create by other CAD software – complex movements; integration with vision.”

“We are grateful for this enhanced partnership with ABB,” said Elizabeth A. Biddle, director of corporate relations for the college. “This software is used in the real world and will further allow students in a number of our manufacturing and industrial programs to gain experience generating a robotic program offline and then downloading it to the robot.”

For more about the career fields/departments in which YuMi is being shared, visit the School of Engineering Technologies.

For more about Penn College, a national leader in applied technology education, email the Admissions Office or call toll-free 800-367-9222.