ABB makes digital services free to help customers maintain production during pandemic

ABB’s Robotics & Discrete Automation business has announced plans to make key software services free of charge to help customers and partners keep production lines going and to enable businesses to continue to function while many are working from home. These software services will be offered free of charge until December 31, 2020.

This move will help companies manage production lines remotely and keep robot systems running with less human interaction, particularly given the current need for social distancing and remote work. Digital tools can help prepare for projects that will be ready to go as soon as everyone returns to the workplace.

Among the services included are condition monitoring and diagnostics, asset management software and remote troubleshooting and monitoring of production lines for the delivery of important supplies.

The software services being made available free of charge include ABB Ability™ Connected Services, RobotStudio®, and Virtual Technical Support.

ABB Ability™ Connected Services key features include:

• A secure 24/7 monitoring and diagnostics service
• Identification of the most frequent failures
• Condition Monitoring and trend analytics for mechanical units and controller measurements
• Immediate critical alarm notifications via e-mail
• System snapshot in case of alarm for fast root cause analytics
• MyRobot and alarm dashboard with actionable information
• Virtual training support during office hours

RobotStudio® simulation and offline programming software provides a complete digital replica (digital twin) of physical assets or systems so you can see what’s going on in your production line remotely. The 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 charge.

If technical support is needed, ABB will offer free virtual technical support enabled via video (Skype, Zoom, Teams).