Advancing sustainable automation in Africa

Global technology leader in electrical distribution and automation ABB intends to enable a more sustainable and resource-efficient future in Africa through its technology leadership in electrification and automation, producing products such as the collaborative robot, YuMi.

ABB’s solutions aim to help customers increase circularity, labour productivity, energy efficiency, flexibility, and safety while improving the working environment, ABB senior VP Graham Abrahams tells Mining Weekly.

The company displayed YuMi - IRB 14000, the dual-armed collaborative robot, first introduced globally by ABB in 2015, at Electra Mining Africa 2024, to show its ability to automate repetitive tasks, which helps manufacturers cut down on waste while improving production efficiency.

“Traditionally, a robot is kept [isolated] within a cage or safety fence to eliminate the possibility of injuring an individual or damaging property. Robots are programmed to move from point to point at a high speed and anyone or anything which gets in its way could be injured,” elaborates Abrahams.

He notes that this is a collaborative robot which allows for safe operation without the need for safety fences.

The YuMi enables workers to stand side by side during its production cycle. Torque sensors and soft padding on the arm ensure that Yumi will stop in the event of a collision and the system can be reset within a few seconds to  continue with its assigned tasks, should a worker accidentally bump into it.

In addition to being able to operate throughout an entire day without stopping, the YuMi can be used in a variety of applications such as pick and place and electronic component assembly.

ABB also showcased its Terra Direct Current (DC) fast charger, designed for the quick, convenient charging of all electric vehicles, that can take AC and DC inputs, (AC- Type 2 and DC- CCS2). It is also ideal for public and fleet use because of its compact size.

Urbanisation and the energy transition are leading to “everything” – including vehicles that traditionally use fossil fuels – being electrified.

Abrahams notes that this shift to electrification has provided “massive” opportunities for ABB, including the introduction of a range of medium- and low-voltage products for the African market.

The Terra DC fast charger, with its modular design, allows for an increase in charging power of up to 180 kW, compared with “traditional chargers” that typically provide charging of only about 60 kW.

Compared with such chargers, which can charge only one vehicle at a time, “the Terra DC fast chargers allow for up to 3 vehicles to charge simultaneously, on the same charger”, he adds.

Additionally, these chargers allow for client-based customizations, such as credit card payment terminals while providing an output of up to 920 V DC.