ATI Industrial Automation

A sense of touch and fast tool changes

ATI Industrial Automation of Apex, North Carolina, founded in 1989, is now part of the Novanta group. It describes itself as a developer of robot accessories and arm tooling. The range includes automatic tool changers, multi-axis force/torque sensors, utility couplers, material-removal tools, collision sensors and compliance devices. The company does not build robots, but its products often decide whether an arm can do something more demanding than moving parts around.

Force/torque sensors

The core of the range is sensors that measure six components: three forces and three torques (Fx, Fy, Fz, Tx, Ty, Tz). The catalog describes the transducer as monolithic, with silicon strain gauges that reduce noise and give high stiffness and an overload margin. The Axia family (Axia80, Axia90, Axia130) has its electronics built into the body and communicates over EtherCAT or Ethernet. According to the manufacturer, the Axia80 is 82 mm in diameter, 25.4 mm high and weighs about 0.3 kg; measuring ranges depend on the chosen calibration.

A separate branch is the "FANUC-Ready" kits: a 2022 manual describes Axia sensors prepared for the force-control function of FANUC robots. The documents also cover EtherCAT and network interface modules, higher-resolution calibrations and data-acquisition units.

Why an arm needs a force sensor

Without a force measurement a robot is blind to pressure: it knows its position but not how hard it is pushing. A wrist sensor makes it possible to polish and grind with controlled pressure, assemble parts by feeling resistance, or insert components into holes. Some cobots models measure torque in their joints, but for tasks that need more precise information about force at the tool, a separate sensor is mounted at the flange. The ideas behind safe work around people are covered in “Robot Safety Standards”.

A tool changer, in turn, lets one arm work in sequence with a gripper, a screwdriver and a grinder. Combined with grippers from other suppliers such as Robotiq and OnRobot, it forms a complete working end of arm.

Where we meet it

ATI's integrator documentation focuses on industrial arms and cobots such as the FANUC CRX-10iA series or the UR5e, although specific sensor-to-robot pairings must always be checked in the manufacturer's compatibility tables. The typical setting is factories: assembly, surface finishing, testing. Similar tasks in a laboratory concern manipulation research.

Cost and availability in Poland

We do not publish sensor prices because we have no reliable price list; all that can be said is that a force sensor in this class adds a separate, noticeable item to an arm's budget, which “Humanoid Robot TCO: How to Calculate Total Cost” discusses in the context of a whole robot. Integrators usually order through Novanta's European sales network or intermediaries; a request for quotation should include the robot model and the required force-range calibration.