Regal Rexnord and FANUC Launch Cobot Transfer Unit

Regal Rexnord Corporation has announced a strategic collaboration with robotics leader FANUC to deliver a fully integrated collaborative robotics solution. The offering combines the Thomson Movotrak™ Cobot Transfer Unit (CTU) with FANUC's CRX Series of collaborative robots. Leveraging complementary technologies from across Regal Rexnord’s portfolio—including Boston Gear gearheads, Huco couplings, and Kollmorgen motors and software—the CTU functions as a seamless, out-of-the-box external axis solution to expand human-robot collaboration and increase operational productivity.

Seamless Integration and Extended Reach
Through a co-developed plug-in interface, certified FANUC integrators can configure the Thomson Movotrak CTU directly from their teach pendant. This external linear axis provides flexible floor, wall, or ceiling mounting options. It is billed as the first external linear axis solution to feature integrated collision detection, automatically stopping both the axis and the cobot if an obstacle is encountered. By consolidating linear systems, gearing, and motors into a single part number, the robust CTU supports even the largest FANUC cobots, such as the CRX30iA, while significantly accelerating deployment and reducing downtime via an easy-to-use Freedrive mode.

Additional Context
This section provides technological and market background not explicitly detailed in the original release.

The integration of a "seventh axis" (an external linear rail) is a rapidly growing trend in industrial automation, allowing a single collaborative robotic arm to service multiple CNC machines, welding stations, or extended packaging lines without the need for facilities to invest in multiple static robots. By offering a pre-engineered, plug-and-play solution with built-in collision detection, Regal Rexnord and FANUC are lowering the barrier to entry for manufacturers that lack extensive robotic programming expertise. Furthermore, consolidating the hardware into a unified software ecosystem ensures that collaborative safety protocols remain strictly intact across both the cobot and the external rail, which is a critical requirement for maintaining a fence-free workspace on the factory floor.

Edited by Lekshman Ramdas, Induportals editor – adapted by AI.

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