Discover how collaborative palletizing can improve production.
Palletizing is labor intensive, repetitive, and unergonomic work which makes it suited to automation. With global manufacturing in the midst of a labor crisis, companies are keenly exploring automated solutions to their palletizing problems. The benefits of palletizing automation include increased productivity and throughput, higher quality, and improved ergonomics. However, the cost and complexity of traditional palletizing robotic systems has prevented small- to medium-sized (SME) businesses from introducing automation to their facilities. The latest collaborative palletizing hardware and software solutions change all that by breaking down barriers separating small manufacturers from their larger competitors. How? By providing SMEs with industry grade palletizing automation that is easy to use, flexible, and most importantly affordable. The key components of these productivity-boosting systems are collaborative grippers, actuators to provide that all-important 7th axis, and user-friendly software that provides fast deployment and features such as automatic gripper detection, path optimization, and pre-loaded stacking patterns. In this session, OnRobot’s Kristian Hulgard will explain how these systems work, show why they are a good fit for SMEs, and answer all your palletizing automation questions.
Meet your presenter Kristian Hulgard is the general manager of the Americas division at OnRobot – the one stop shop for collaborative and light industrial robot applications. He’s been part of the collaborative robot market since its emergence. Hulgard is a thought leader in robot applications and activation of robots in the collaborative space.
About the company OnRobot is a global company headquartered in the robotics cluster of Odense, Denmark. We provide small and mid-sized manufacturers with a full line of innovative plug and produce solutions for collaborative robot applications. Our electric grippers, force/torque sensors, tool changers, vacuum grippers, and award-winning gecko technology help manufacturers gain the full advantages of automation, including ease of use, cost-effectiveness, and safety alongside human workers.
Register today for the July Manufacturing Lunch + Learn webinar. Taking place Thursday, July 28, 2022, from 12PM -1PM ET.
Featuring presentations led by HEIDENHAIN and ISCAR USA, this month’s sessions will provide an in-depth look into implementing new CNCs manufactured in the US and Advancements in Modular Cutting Tools for Milling Applications.
SESSION HIGHLIGHTS New CNCs Manufactured in the U.S. John Parker, MT Business Development and Product Manager, HEIDENHAIN Corp. 12PM – 12:30PM ET MILLPWR a powerful yet easy to operate CNC retrofit systems for knee mills and bed mills. Faster set-ups, shorter run times and a major boost in productivity are just one "powerful easy" retrofit away. Our new MILLPWRG2 control and retrofit kits can turn just about any knee mill into a powerhouse money-maker.
TURNPWR is a workshop-oriented turning control enabling the user to program conventional machining operations right at the machine. It’s designed for turning machine tools with up to two axes. TURNPWR was developed to satisfy the wants and needs of lathe machinists where manual and automated operation are both useful and needed. TURNPWR promises to enable the user to maximize throughput by significantly reducing setup time, scrap, and other non-productive operations.
Advancements in Modular Cutting Tools for Milling Applications Bryan Stusak, National Product Manager – Milling, ISCAR 12:30PM – 1PM ET Advancements in Modular Cutting Tools for Milling Applications – Rigidity is one of the main variables of machining that effects machining productivity and is something that must be accounted for on a consistent basis when making cutting tool decisions. It would be nice and easy if every cutting tool assembly was 1 piece, nice and short (i.e., less bending) with huge tolerance bands in terms of stable machining zones (i.e., no chatter).
However, those of you still reading realize this is not our world and understand the many variables to consider when it comes to creating cutting tool assemblies that will be productive for a given application. Robust, modular, tooling systems can make dealing with variables much easier. This lunch and learn will highlight recent cutting tool innovations related to modular tooling from ISCAR and how these tooling systems can help companies keep spindles rotating while driving down overall costs.
Registration is free and if you can't attend the day of, you'll receive a link after the event to watch on demand.
Use Okuma’s ROI calculator to estimate cost.
Purchasing a machine tool is no small decision – it’s one that requires an evaluation beyond the initial machine tool purchase price. On the surface, this evaluation can seem like a daunting task, but Wade Anderson and the Okuma team have taken the guesswork out of this process by developing a return on investment (ROI) calculator, which includes key criteria to be considered by shops of all sizes. Using the calculation method, shop owners and operators can calculate metrics such as total profit per job, part cycle time, cost per part, margin levels, and more. As a bonus, session attendees receive access to a free ROI calculator, making it easy to choose the right investment for your shop.
Meet your presenter Wade Anderson is a machinist who started programming machine tools in 1992. His early years were spent machining large, heavy equipment components. He became an applications engineer for a machine tool builder, where he spent eleven years developing super abrasive aerospace and medical processes with an emphasis on 5-axis grinding. Anderson did 5-axis programming and machine tool troubleshooting – even building machine tools from the ground up. He joined Okuma America Corp. in 2005 as an applications engineer and moved from there to inside sales, sales engineer, and regional manager. He currently serves as product specialist manager and tech centers manager, where his diverse background enables him to help Okuma’s distributors and end users.
About the company Okuma America Corp. is the U.S.-based affiliate of Okuma Corp. founded in 1898 in Nagoya, Japan. Okuma is known for its technology leadership, manufacturing, product quality, and dedication to customer service. Okuma products are used in the automotive, aerospace and defense, construction and farming equipment, oil and energy, medical, mold and die, and fluid power industries. Machines include vertical and horizontal machining centers, lathes, double column machining centers, grinders, and wheel machines that offer users high throughput, high accuracy, and reliable solutions to production machining operations.
The program focuses on students from underrepresented groups in the STEM fields.
Solar Atmospheres hosted more than 40 high school students enrolled in the Summer Engineering Institute (SEI) at Lehigh University on July 6. The SEI program, under the guidance of Director Dr. Laura Moyer, is a two-week residential program, running two sessions back-to-back. Students are nominated by faculty of local high schools, and the program specifically targets under-represented groups including girls, first-generation students, and students who might otherwise have limited opportunities to study in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).
Solar Atmospheres provided a tour of the campus, exhibiting materials and processes for intriguing applications in a variety of markets. The students experienced a manufacturing setting encompassing related topics from their curriculum, gaining a better understanding of heat treating and manufacturing, and how cutting-edge technology reshapes centuries-old processes.
Q1 2022 US, Canada, and Mexico robot sales revenue rose by 43%; Non-automotive sectors surpassed automotive.
The North American robotics market experienced its best quarter ever to begin the year – companies from the U.S., Canada, and Mexico ordered 11,595 industrial robots – up 28% compared to the first quarter of 2021. Revenue rose by 43% and reached a value of $664 million. These results are in line with a positive trend worldwide: Preliminary data for 2021 show, that 486,700 industrial robots have been installed globally (+27% year-on-year).
“A strong recovery of the international robotics markets is currently in progress: Worldwide installations of industrial robots in 2021 even exceed the record year 2018,” says Milton Guerry, president of the International Federation of Robotics (IFR). “In North America, first quarter order volumes for both units and revenue were at all-time highs. Across industries, the post-COVID crisis boom creates double-digit growth over the same quarter of last year.”
Automotive orders up In North America, car makers and manufacturers of components accounted for 47% of robot orders in Q1 2022, their orders grew by 15% year-on-year. Several car manufacturers have announced investments to further equip their factories for new electric drive car models or to increase capacity for battery production. These major projects will continue to create demand for industrial robots in the next few years. The United States has the second largest production volume of cars and light vehicles in the world, following China. Worldwide installations of industrial robots in the automotive sector reached 109,400 units in 2021 (+37% year-on-year).
Non-automotive sectors surpassed automotive Continuing a trend, non-automotive customers have ordered more robots than automotive customers. Worldwide, the electrical & electronics industry is the strongest adopter with a record of 132,200 units installed in 2021. In North America, automotive customers orders in Q1 2022 were 5,476 units, while non-automotive customers ordered 6,122 units the same period. In seven out of the last nine quarters, orders from non-automotive customers surpassed orders from automotive customers.