The manufacturing and production sector has been dealt a serious blow by COVID-19 and the various lockdowns taking place around the globe.

In a bid to assist businesses in those sectors, ABB’s Robotic and Discrete Automation division is making key software available for free until the end of 2020.

“Many clients, customers and partners can benefit from digital solutions that enable them to manage their production lines remotely and to keep robot systems running at optimal performance with less human interaction, particularly given the current need for social distancing and remote work,” wrote ABB in a statement sent to Hypertext.

The software being offered up for free for the rest of the year includes ABB Ability Connected Services. This software monitors the health and performance of robots. Firms can monitor one robot or an entire fleet.

ABB Ability Connected Services allows for businesses to address issues that could lead to unplanned stoppages while also allowing them to optimise their robotic fleet.

Companies will need to register their controller in order to make using of the ABB Ability Connected Services. You can find more details on that here.

RobotStudio is also available for free and allows for the simulation and offline programming of robotic installations.

“Our RobotStudio offline programming tool enables users to create, simulate and test a complete robot installation in a virtual 3D environment without having to visit or disturb their actual production line. All RobotStudio functionalities, including all Powerpacks and CAD convertors, digital twin and Virtual Reality meetings will now be available free of change,” says ABB.

RobotStudio can be download for free here.

ABB says it will also provide free technical support via the likes of Zoom, Skype and Microsoft Teams via the ABB Digital Operation centre. Customers can also contact their ABB representative for assistance as well.

[Image – CC 0 Pixabay]