Full Report
This collaboration makes the Thomson Movotrak CTU the first cobot 7th axis technology that ABB Robotics has certified for use in its partner ecosystem.
Analysis Summary
# Industry News: Regal Rexnord and ABB Drive Automation Efficiency via Cobot 7th Axis Integration
## Summary
Regal Rexnord has partnered with ABB Robotics to deeply integrate its motion control technologies (under brands like Thomson, Kollmorgen, Boston Gear, and Huco) as a certified, seamless 7th axis solution within the ABB Robotics ecosystem. This collaboration simplifies deployment for integrators by embedding configuration tools and specialized hardware/software interfaces directly into ABB’s robotic control environment, aiming to unlock greater productivity and flexibility in advanced automation applications.
## Key Details
- **Date:** Announcement made around August 2025 (based on provided links context).
- **Companies Involved:** Regal Rexnord (incorporating Thomson, Kollmorgen, Boston Gear, Huco brands) and ABB Robotics.
- **Category:** Partnership / Product Integration.
## The Story
Regal Rexnord is leveraging its portfolio of precision motion and mechanical components to create a "plug-and-play" collaborative robot (cobot) 7th axis system officially compatible with ABB Robotics’ offerings. This integration goes beyond a simple hardware connection; it involves substantial software engineering, including the development of a specialized wiring harness and programming modules that interface directly with ABB’s software platform (including the ABB Web App and RAPID Module Code). Certified ABB robotic application developers will now be able to use Thomson configuration tools directly via the ABB FlexPendant interface. Louis Pinkham, CEO of Regal Rexnord, emphasized that this system-level thinking simplifies complex automation setups for end-users, enhancing productivity and flexibility.
## Business Impact
### For the Companies Involved
- **Regal Rexnord:** Gains significant market access by becoming a certified, pre-integrated partner within the expansive ABB ecosystem, validating its differentiated technologies (Thomson, Kollmorgen) as scalable automation components. This is a strategic move to push higher-value system solutions rather than individual components.
- **ABB Robotics:** Enhances the functionality and reach of its existing robot portfolio by offering a ready-made, certified solution for extending robot reach and dexterity (7th axis), reducing its own engineering burden for such custom extensions.
### For Competitors
- Competitors offering similar cobot add-on axes or linear motion solutions without deep, certified software integration into major robotic platforms may face a disadvantage in ease-of-deployment and validation speed.
### For Customers
- **End Users & System Integrators:** Benefit from dramatically reduced setup time, complexity, and risk associated with integrating linear extension axes onto cobots. The "plug-and-play" nature lowers the barrier to adopting more complex, flexible automation cells.
### For the Market
- This deal solidifies the trend toward **platform integration** in industrial automation, where component providers focus on certified, deep integration with major platform holders (like ABB) to capture value further up the technology stack. It standardizes the deployment of highly flexible robotic tooling.
## Technical Implications
The technical centerpiece is the creation of a specialized, plug-and-play wiring harness and specific programming interfaces (ABB Web App, Wizard, RAPID Module Code integration) that allows the 7th axis controls to communicate natively within the ABB control environment. This moves integration from custom coding to pre-engineered, certified modules.
## Strategic Analysis
- **Market Positioning:** Regal Rexnord is positioning itself as a crucial enabler within the high-growth collaborative robotics segment, moving beyond being a parts supplier to being a system integration partner for industry giants.
- **Competitive Advantage:** The key advantage lies in the *certified, seamless software integration* via the FlexPendant, which significantly lowers integration friction compared to purely mechanical or less deeply integrated electrical partnerships.
- **Challenges:** Maintaining software compatibility through future ABB hardware and software rollouts will require ongoing commitment and investment from Regal Rexnord.
## Industry Reactions
- Industry analysts would likely view this as a positive, mature step in the cobot market, signaling that basic automation is maturing, and the next value layer is in integrated, high-dexterity solutions built on trusted componentry.
## Future Outlook
- We can expect other major automation providers to pursue similar deep integration partnerships to rapidly expand the capabilities of their core robotic platforms without developing all supplementary hardware internally.
- Watch for Regal Rexnord to announce similar certified integrations with other major robot manufacturers.
## For Security Professionals
While this is an automation integration story, the deepening of software interfaces (especially those involving new Web Apps and direct code manipulation via the FlexPendant) introduces new potential attack surfaces into the robotic control ecosystem. Ensuring the security validation and integrity of the "plug-and-play" communication layers (especially the wiring harness programming) is critical to prevent malicious modification of robotic behavior.