Central McGowan Automation Introduces a CRX Fab-Pak Cobot Welding Package at the 2021 ATX/Automation Technology Show in Minneapolis

ST. CLOUD, Minn. (October 23, 2021) – Central McGowan (www.CentralMcGowan.com), a leading supplier of gases and state-of-the-art equipment/technology for the manufacturing, welding, medical, and food and beverage industries in the upper Midwest and a FANUC- and Lincoln Electric Automation-authorized  integrator, is introducing a new CRX Fab-Pak* Cobot Welding Package at the 2021 ATX/Automation Technology Show. The new unit combines the latest in technologies from FANUC and Lincoln Electric Automation to create a highly reliable and portable system that’s easy to set up, install and program.

According to Pete Rogers, VP & General Manager of Automation at Central McGowan, the product serves as a great example of innovation and collaboration. “Lincoln has taken its very best welding technology and combined it with FANUC’s newest collaborative robot to create an incredibly easy-to-use, highly reliable automated welding system,” Rogers explains, “that we can quickly train our customers on and support for years to come.”

The new cobot welding package includes a FANUC CRX Cobot, available in two models: a CRX-10iA Standard Arm or CRX-10iA/L Long Arm. The prior boasts a reach of 1,249 millimeters (49 inches), the latter 1,418 millimeters (56 inches). Cobot speed is 1,000 millimeters/39 inches per second. The arm requires zero maintenance for 8 years and has a UV-rated exterior for durability. The cobot’s tablet teach pendant offers simplified, drag-and-drop programming with integrated hand guidance. This makes the programming learning curve very quick. “Typically, someone can be proficient at programming in just a few hours,” says Rogers. Another plus: the tablet is dust- and liquid-proof and impact-resistant, making it suitable for even the roughest, toughest manufacturing environments.

The welder is a Lincoln Electric Power Wave*—proven to deliver reliability day in and day out. It is equipped with intelligent process control for optimized arc performance, and features standardized processes for quality and productivity monitoring and innovations that make it ready for industry 4.0. It includes 10 rolls of Lincoln Electric SuperArc L-59* premium wire. The combined cobot welding unit’s light weight and small footprint make it highly portable, so it can be moved to where it’s needed in minutes. It runs on 480VAC power, and has an integrated table top for single-weld fixturing.

Central McGowan got its first operating unit in August, and its team has been putting it to the test and undergoing training to ensure in-field excellence. “We’re excited to get selling and bringing this cobot welding innovation to our customers,” adds Rogers. “It’s just the start of things to come.”

Want to take it for a test drive? You can. Stop by the Central McGowan Automation Booth #716 at the 2021 ATX/Automation Technology Show. You can also visit the CRX Cobot Welding Package Page at CentralMcGowan.com. Or either email Automation@CentralMcGowan.com, or call 320-257-4800/800-569-1322, OPTION #5, and ask to speak to one of the company’s automation project specialists or sales engineers.

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About Central McGowan  Central McGowan is a third-generation, family-owned, diversified company founded in 1965 with the merger of McGowan Welding Supply of Little Falls (founded in 1947) and Central Welding Supply of St. Cloud. Its dynamic business model includes three integrated businesses: a FANUC- & Lincoln Electric Automation-authorized integration division; a leading industrial, welding and medical gas & supply business; and a CO2 Solutions division that supplies beverage carbonation, industrial CO2 and dry ice solutions. Serving 20+ industries with customers spanning most of Minnesota and Iowa, and areas of North Dakota, South Dakota & Wisconsin; and automation implementations across the U.S. and internationally, it has fully stocked retail stores in St. Cloud, Little Falls, Mankato (Preferred Welder Sales), and Minneapolis (Metro Welding Supply), Minn. and Fargo, N.D.; more than 70 Minnesota dealers; and CO2 distribution locations in St. Cloud and St. Paul, Minn. and Des Moines, Iowa (Fessler Carbonic Gas). It believes quality and integrity are the keys to success, as is always putting customers first. Its promise of “WE WORK FOR YOU,” means it strives to make life work better for its customers. Visit online at WWW.CENTRALMCGOWAN.COM, on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

* Fab-Pak® is a line of robotic welding systems from and a registered trademark of Lincoln Electric Automation®. Power Wave® and SuperArc® L59® are welding innovations from and registered trademarks of Lincoln Electric®.

MEDIA CONTACT
Julie Berling
VP, Marketing
D: 320-640-2949 | M: 320-267-4336
E: JulieB@CentralMcGowan.com

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