Automation & Controls

Offering an all-round package for modern production in the Industry 4.0 era, GROB provides 12 modules ranging from planning to engineering to maintenance. Each GROB-NET4Industry module is designed to increase productivity. Users can select from among these modules and combine the most relevant for the best system to ensure transparency and connectivity.

Linamar Powertrain GmbH produces connecting rods with extreme efficiency, and consistently fulfills the OEM's quality requirements. With its quick retooling feature, the Saturn double-surface grinding machine from Junker is not only flexible but also an economical and reliable solution for the precision production of diverse connecting rods.

In 2018, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) predicted that manufacturers would turn increasingly to eCommerce to improve their processes — following examples set by Amazon, Tesla and Uber. This may seem outlandish, but a leading hydraulics manufacturer designed and acquired a tool in just ten days, with Sandvik Coromant's eCommerce platform.

Through collaborative partnerships with customers and their partners, Seco Tools monitors trends and identifies challenges, developing the knowledge required to overcome the industry's most demanding issues. Putting customers at the heart of research and development (R&D) has paid rich dividends for Seco Tools in terms of identifying and developing new products and solutions that can help change the face of manufacturing around the world.

The Robotics Results column in the February 2022 issue of Cutting Tool Engineering magazine demonstrates how ROI is guaranteed with robotic automation, and enables industry professionals to visualize their ROI through off-the-clock operations.

Now is the time for machine shops to embrace a new generation of tooling solutions to tackle steel ISO P turning challenges and make their production more efficient and productive.

The leadership team of Okuma America Corp., a Charlotte-based builder of CNC machine tools, controls and automation systems, nameD Gosiger as its 2020 Okuma Distributor of the Year.

In an extremely compact form factor, the 24-mm-wide EL7062 EtherCAT Terminal contains two stepper motor output stages, two digital inputs for limit switches and one encoder interface per channel for a wide range of 5 V encoders. Via parameterization, the EL7062 flexibly adapts to the connected stepper motor and its corresponding application requirements. With regard to the input encoder signal, the module supports the entire spectrum of TTL encoders (5 V differential, single-ended/open collector). Very high-resolution microstepping ensures extremely smooth and precise motor operation.

Automation boosts productivity. Watch Cutting Tool Engineering's video coverage, featuring original footage and context from the related product, process, event, or shop-floor demonstration.

As an external loader, STUDER roboLoad measures only 59.06" (1.50 m) wide: half the width of the machine itself. This saves valuable shop floor space, and yet the system offers plenty of room for workpieces manually loaded on six trays – each measuring 42.52" x 12.6" (1080 mm x 320 mm) – within a comparatively small work area.

The MMS Insights module provides CNC companies with numerous highlights and suggestions on how to improve their production processes based on data gathered from the automation system, including all the integrated machinery and data systems. MMS overviews the whole production and comes up with suggestions such as adding or removing certain tools or fixtures based on usage rates or updating NC-program runtimes for more precise order scheduling.

Custom grippers can solve unique challenges when handling parts.