Weld shops running Universal Robots cobots want the same thing: powerful hardware on the floor matched by process control built specifically for welding. SmoothTool was built to deliver exactly that, giving UR cobots the arc control, seamless performance, and process intelligence that real production welding requires. With Universal Robots’ Gen 7 platform and the new PolyScope X operating system, that fit gets even tighter. SmoothTool for PolyScope X brings our weld control software directly onto Gen 7 hardware, and we’re bringing it to the floor at IMTS.
The Challenge
Welding calls for precision at every step. Seam position shifts part to part, arc parameters need to respond in real time, and getting robot, weld process, and control software working together takes time. On the earlier UR platform, connecting SmoothTool to cameras, seam trackers, and welding power sources meant working within bandwidth and compute limits that predated advanced welding use cases. Integrators and end users still got reliable results, however Gen 7 makes getting there simpler and faster.
The Solution
Gen 7’s extra compute is what changes things for SmoothTool. The CB7 Core controller gives SmoothTool more processing headroom to run heavier arc-control logic without competing for cycle time, and PolyScope X’s open APIs let us build and update SmoothTool’s edge-AI features natively on the platform rather than working around it. The result is a weld control experience that feels built into the robot and not just layered on top of it.
Moreover, SmoothTool is designed with full functionality using the SP7 Smart Panel, which guarantees shorter deployment times and faster implementation into the production flow.
What This Means on the Floor
- More headroom to run heavier welding routines without impacting cycle time
- A programming and teaching experience through the SP7 Smart Panel and TP7 Core pendant that matches the precision and flexibility required for welding applications
- Runs on a platform independently certified to ISO 10218-1:2025 for robot safety and IEC 62443-4-1 ML3 for secure software development, giving SmoothTool a rigorously vetted foundation to build on
That shift in what’s possible is something we feel directly on the Smooth Robotics team:
“Gen 7 of Universal Robots elevates the field of cobot welding to a whole new level. With SmoothTool for PolyScope X we are able to enhance the welder’s experience with fully native software that is built around what the welder actually expects from a welding automated tool.”
– Lucy Lehocka, Customer Success & Marketing Manager, Smooth Robotics
Universal Robots Gen 7
Universal Robots (UR), the original collaborative industrial robot manufacturer and part of Teradyne Robotics, introduced Gen 7, its seventh-generation robotics platform anchored by the PolyScope X robot operating system. Built for the next generation of automation, Gen 7 expands connectivity between robots, software, sensors, vision systems and end effectors, helping manufacturers deploy more capable applications with less integration effort.
Redesigned from tool flange to controller, the new Gen 7 robot platform is AI-ready by design, giving manufacturers unrivaled compute, connectivity and open architecture to deploy AI models directly on production robots without a performance trade-off.
Key innovations in Gen 7
- New g-Series robot arms: UR10g-1750, UR17g-1300, and UR18g-950, joining the e-Series and UR Series lineup.
- AI-ready tool flange: Delivers data, high-power and safety directly to the tool flange, making it easier to connect cameras, sensors, grippers and other peripherals while reducing cabling complexity.
- New SP7 Smart Panel, for teaching and programming directly at the tool flange.
- CB7 Core controller: 40% more compute in a 30% smaller footprint, enabling multi-network communication with PLCs, HMIs, MES platforms, IPCs, and vision systems while reducing the need for external switches.
- PolyScope X software platform: Brings modern programming tools with open APIs for building and deploying edge-AI applications using IPCs and external AI processing, along with ISO 10218-1:2025 safety functionality and cybersecurity compliance.
- Redesigned TP7 Core teach pendant for improved ergonomics and faster programming.
- Built-in safety and cybersecurity: All g-Series robots are TÜV certified to ISO 10218-1 and UL1740, while Teradyne Robotics is certified to IEC 62443-4-1 ML3 for secure software development practices
Ecosystem
Gen 7 is backed by the UR+ ecosystem, a curated, rigorously tested portfolio of automation products, each validated by UR before reaching market.
“What our partners are doing is exactly the kind of proof point that demonstrates the formative power of UR´s open platform and quality ecosystem. They are taking advantage of the advanced connectivity features on our Gen 7’s platform and build on it to provide easy-to-integrate products that run on the floor today.”
– Susanne Nördinger, Head of Ecosystem Success EMEA
Less Setup, More Welding
For shops evaluating a move to Gen 7, SmoothTool for PolyScope X means the weld control they already trust comes with them, running on hardware built to support it rather than constrain it. Less integration overhead translates directly into faster commissioning and less downtime spent troubleshooting connections instead of welding.
See SmoothTool for PolyScope X in person at IMTS 2026 in Chicago, September 14-19 or Contact Us to Learn More about SmoothTool X capabilities.
ABOUT SMOOTH ROBOTICS
Smooth Robotics ApS is a Denmark-based automation software company building weld and cut control solutions for Universal Robots cobots. Its flagship products, SmoothTool and SmoothCut, bring seam tracking, arc control, and process intelligence to collaborative welding and plasma cutting applications, helping manufacturers get more capable automation onto the floor with less integration effort. Smooth Robotics is a member of the UR+ ecosystem. For more information, please visit smooth-robotics.com.
ABOUT UNIVERSAL ROBOTS
Universal Robots is a global leader in collaborative industrial robots (cobots). With over 100,000 cobots sold worldwide, the company’s user-friendly platform is supported by intuitive PolyScope software, award-winning training, comprehensive services, and the world’s best cobot ecosystem, delivering innovation and choice to customers across a wide range of industries. With the most advanced robots in their class and a growing catalogue of ready-to-deploy AI applications, UR’s latest technology is built for the physical AI revolution.
Universal Robots is part of Teradyne Robotics, a division of Teradyne (NASDAQ:TER), a leading supplier of automated test equipment and advanced robotics systems. For more information, please visit www.universal-robots.com. For media enquiries, contact PR@universal-robots.com.