Blogs for 04/2019

Learning the future at Automate 2019

Electric grippers are replacing pneumatic ones even though electric ones cost more because they can be controlled by software to generate needed data. Photo credit: OnRobot

Based on the high level of traffic and activity that I saw at Automate 2019 combined with a U.S. unemployment rate of just under 4%, my hunch is that robot manufacturers will report impressive sales figures this year. This guestimate is a result of a conversation I had with Joseph Gemma, CEO of division industries – Americas for KUKA Robotics Corp., Shelby Township, Michigan. According to Gemma, as the unemployment rate decreases, robot sales increase. He emphasized that automation is changing jobs—not taking them away.

In with the old

A vintage LeBlond lathe at Lincoln Park Boring Co., Romulus, Michigan.

In response to my Lead Angle column in the April 2019 issue about machining large parts and my attraction to vintage machine tools, I received the following email from Chuck Oloffson, a CAD detailer and former CNC and manual machinist.