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Rexroth takes control of Danish 7-axis cobot-maker

22 March, 2022

Bosch Rexroth is taking a majority stake in Kassow Robots, a Danish manufacturer of seven-axis collaborative robots (cobots). The companies have agreed not to disclose the purchase price.

Kassow, launched in 2018, has around 25 employees at sites in Copenhagen and Prague, in the Czech Republic. Since it started selling its first cobots in 2019, the company’s product family has grown to five models with payloads from 5-18kg, reaches from 850mm to 1.8m, and joint speeds of up to 225 degrees per second. The total number of cobots it has sold is “in the lower three-digit range”.

Bosch Rexroth says it is planning to “significantly” expand the Kassow business internationally.

Unlike most competing products which have six axes, Kassow’s cobots have seven fully controlled axes which, the company claims, results in more flexibility and allows the arms to replicate the movement of human arms more precisely. The arms can not only move an object in a straight line from A to B, but can also follow a curved path at a specified speed. Kassow says that this offers real advantages in tasks such as welding, painting and gluing, or where particular manoeuvrability is required – such as when loading machining centres in confined spaces.

Programming and operation are said to be easy using a modular software platform that integrates peripheral devices such as grippers, image-processing systems and customer-specific functions

Bosch Rexroth says the deal will give customers a wider range of automation technologies from a single source. Kassow’s lightweight seven-axis robots, it points out, can work in the tightest of spaces, and can reach around corners like an arm. They offer a level of flexibility that is “unique on the market”.

Bosch Rexroth board Dr Marc Wucherer (left) with Kristian Kassow, managing director and co-owner of Kassow Robots.
Image: Bosch Rexroth

“Collaborative industrial robots are another important building block for the versatile factory of the future,” says Dr Marc Wucherer, Bosch Rexroth’s board member responsible for sales and factory automation. “There is a huge demand for flexible robotic systems. In the coming years, the market for cobots is expected to grow by 15-20% each year. We want to take advantage of this potential and expand our portfolio with collaborative robots from Kassow Robots, which will primarily benefit our customers in the consumer goods and mobility industries, including battery production and semiconductor production.”

“With Bosch Rexroth, we have found a partner who is an international leader in factory automation and who can help us expand our business activities,” adds Kristian Kassow, the company’s founder, managing director and joint owner. “This will enable us to open up new markets for our cobot portfolio.”

Bosch Rexroth:  Twitter  LinkedIn  Facebook

Kassow RobotsLinkedIn




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