Automation

A direct-drive, servomotor robotic finger.

Modular automation increases productivity and flexibility at a lower price point than custom solutions.

Joe's struggling to package a truckload of parts before noon. Mary can't keep up on the painting line. Jimmy's in trouble with the boss because he can't make quota. These are just a few of the challenges faced by workers on the manufacturing floor, problems that, in many cases, can be solved with collaborative robots.

Teach your vertical machining center to "dance without a partner."

Cutting Tool Engineering Senior Editor Evan Jones Thorne interviews Len Graham of Rexam Mold Manufacturing.

Mobile robots for massive-part manufacturers.

Implementing automated pallet systems in small and medium-size shops can reduce labor costs and increase profitability.

One fond memory from my long-ago youth was playing Rock'Em, Sock'Em Robots with my next-door neighbor. My parents wouldn't get me the game, for reasons I forget, but my friend Ronnie, who always got the latest, greatest games and toys, had a brand-new version. The objective was to manipulate your plastic robot to knock out the other robot by hitting his spring-loaded head, making it pop up.\r\nIn January, the robotics industry was playing Rock'Em, Sock'Em Robots with CBS's “60 Minutes.” The news program broadcast a segment called “Are robots hurting job growth?” based in large part on an interview with Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and co-authors of the 2011 book, “Race Against the Machine.”