Machine Tool & Material Removal

CHICAGO — At Automate 2019 here this week, Epson Robots announced three different products designed to make industrial automation easier to use. The company said that its VT6L six-axis robot, IntelliFlex parts-feeding system, and four new models in the LS SCARA series are intended to bring precision and affordability to robotics users of all sizes.…

Ready Robotics has announced the first robots-as-a-service solution tough enough to handle real industrial tasks and flexible enough to be deployed in mere hours. Ready Robotics’ unique combination of plug-and-play tooling and easy programming interface makes the formerly expensive and complicated task of automation achievable for all manufacturers. Ready is also proud to announce its […]

iRobot (IRBT on the NASDAQ stock exchange) jumped from $70 to $80 per share on news that iRobot's quarterly earnings were so good that the company raised their forecast for 2017 to new highs. KUKA also had good Q1/17 earnings as did Intuitive Surgical. iRobot (IRBT:NASDAQ) iRobot's stock jumped 15.75% on news that it's Q1/17 earnings exceeded…

Today TM Robotics, in partnership with Toshiba Machine, announced the launch of Toshiba Machine’s newest TVM 6-axis line from the biggest robotics show in the world, Automate. The new 6-axis robots are compatible with other Toshiba Machine products, including injection molding machines and machine tools, and are a great fit for companies that have significant material handling and […]

FANUC America has developed a new machining simulator that encompasses the complete manufacturing process from part design and engineering to CNC programming to virtual production simulation. The FANUC Machining Simulator features Autodesk Fusion 360 CAD/CAM/CAE software and a custom machining simulation program designed by ModuleWorks. The FANUC Machining Simulator comes with Fusion 360, a cloud-based […]

February fundings for 16 robotics-related startups totaled over $313 million – another solid month for the new year. Acquisitions also continued to be substantial with Ford's acquisition of Argo and Midea Group's purchase of Servotronix. Plus there were two IPOs. Fundings CloudMinds, a Chinese startup developing cloud-intelligence-based services for robotics and other application areas, raised $100…

Today, Siemens announced the launch of a new workforce development program for secondary and technical schools across America called L.E.A.P. — the Lifelong Educational Advantage Program.  Made available through Siemens Cooperates with Education, the effort is designed to give high school and technical school graduates a basic-to-advanced machine tool knowledge that will benefit them in […]

The SCHUNK KONTEC KSC centric clamping multifaceted vise has optimal jaw support for I.D. and O.D. clamping with long base jaw guidance. It can be easily adapted for conventional clamping, short clamping depths for 5-sided machining, mould parts, plates or saw cuts. This innovative vice has already set itself apart on the market because of […]

The Department of Defense has awarded the 14th Manufacturing USA institute—the Advanced Robotics Manufacturing (ARM) Innovation Hub—to American Robotics Inc. The eighth DoD-led institute, the ARM Institute joins the Manufacturing USA network in its collective effort to help revitalize American manufacturing and incentivize companies to invest in new technology development in the United States. Headquartered […]

Due demand for the SCHUNK KONTEC KSC 80, SCHUNK has expanded the product line to include KSC 125 and KSC 160 in a variety of lengths and jaw configurations. More after the jump. This centric clamping vise is a multifaceted component that has optimal jaw support for I.D. and O.D. clamping. It can be easily adapted […]

For decades we have had the Machine Tool Show in Chicago every two years.  Currently the show, formerly know as the International Machine Tool Show is now being re-branded as the International Manufacturing Technology Show.  And that’s a good thing.  They get to keep the same IMTS letters. While the show has a long tradition […]

by Steve Meyer, Contributing Editor One company is leveraging CAD, vision systems and robotics to make dramatic improvements in grinding large castings. The next generation of grinding will not look anything like the past. Traditional machining and grinding processes have been around for a long time. Historians record that one of the earliest known lathes […]

The number of research reports studying the robotics industry is growing exponentially. To date in 2016 there have been 109 on subjects ranging from overly broad to very drilled-down views of the industry. Prices range from $800 to $6,500. Below are short profiles of 62 of those reports; the other 47 can be seen here. Many of the…

by Steve Meyer, Contributing Editor Decades of exposure to the realities of keeping farm equipment running have provided FireFly Equipment with insight to the problems, and the solutions, needed to making highly automated agricultural machinery a reality. Forest for the trees? Sometimes we get too close to a problem and the big insights escape us. […]

Festo introduced today the Handling Guide Online configurator for Cartesian robots. This new productivity tool significantly reduces engineering overhead for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and speeds delivery to laboratory equipment, electronic light assembly, end of line packaging, food and beverage, automotive, and machine tool manufacturers. More after the jump. Equipped with basic application information such […]

Kitagawa North-Tech — maker of workholding products, standard and custom engineered solutions and services — now sells a new Automated Jaw Pallet System (AJPS) for Robot tended CNC Mill and Turning cells used in flexible automated production environments. The Kitagawa Automated Jaw Pallet System in conjunction with Kitagawa Promano Grippers provide seamless flexibility in a Robot tended machining environment by […]

In the last post there was some discussion of how positioning is accomplished from a general perspective.  As with all things in the world of mechatronics there are at least three perspective on the subject; mechanical, electrical and control.  In order to understand the performance requirement, the underlying variable that ties everything together is the […]

The Kurt SideWinder vise provides vertical workholding without interfering with an existing host vise or the spindle. SideWinder vise expands the capabilities of 6 or 8 inch vises by adding vertical clamping above and behind the host vise and provides easy spindle access for secondary or final machining operations. SideWinder mounts to any vise with […]

Like the Tower of Babel, control system programming in the past was the domain of  many disparate languages that did not interact across disciplines.  Programming has been a crucial element of control systems since the inception of automation itself.  The early days of the PLC were built on the language of electrical wiring diagrams used to […]

The next generation of design is going to be something remarkable.  Consider the impact of part fabrication in which complexity has no impact on cost.  In fact, the more complex part the part construction the less it will cost. Why? Because the cost of a 3D printed part is almost exclusively based on the weight […]

The United State automotive industry has recovered its production capacity to 16,000,000 vehicles a year for domestic consumption.  That’s a lot of cars.  It’s important because car making is one of the 4 or 5 largest segments of economic activity and because of the industry’s size, it impacts the entire economy. That means on average […]

Because of the many options in the field of robotics, end users sometimes face a dilemma in choosing between entry-level and high-performance features. People have different perceptions of how to define performance, speed, power or expensive controls. The best approach is to use a defined set of sizing and selection criteria to determine the required […]