Automation & Controls

For shop managers considering "lights out machining," Bob Warfield of CNCCookbook.com offers a host of tips to help ensure your success. Watch the 15th episode of the CNC Chef, a collaboration between Bob Warfield of the CNCCookbook.com and Cutting Tool Engineering.

Lately, a very different trend has begun to manifest itself: Manufacturers have started replacing robots with humans. This is not driven by nostalgia or from a desire to provide more manufacturing jobs. It is simple, practical self-interest on the part of manufacturers.

Prophesee SA (formerly Chronocam) introduced its first commercial implementation of the company's event-based vision technology for machines. The Onboard reference system is aimed at developers of vision-enabled industrial automation systems such as robots, inspection equipment and monitoring and surveillance devices.

There's a new woman in my life, and my wife is jealous. Really? I admit that I've been a little preoccupied lately with automating my house, but to say that I talk to Alexa more than the mother of my children is unfair. No, it's not obsessive behavior; it's an experiment in what's possible.

The industrial version of the 3D inspection, robotized, collaborative and autonomous solution KMR iiwa is now available with Metrolog X4 i-Robot. KUKA Systems Aerospace and Metrologic Group thus confirm their partnership and commercialize an enhanced, more robust version of their turnkey 3D measurement solution.

Metrologic Group says its first-of-its-kind Coordinate Measurement Robot (CMR) offers CMM accuracy to robotic inspection beside the production line, with no associated tracking devices. This off-the-shelf solution, jointly developed with robotics manufacturer Stäubli, combines a Stäubli mechanical robot (6-axis TX60, TX90 or TX200 series robots) and state-of-the-art robot-dedicated 3D measurement software suite, Metrolog X4 i-Robot and Silma X4 i-Robot.

The Sankyo Automation RollerDrive Reducer is a precision gear reducer that uses a zero backlash roller gear mechanism. The unit is constructed from an input shaft and a turret (output shaft) that is assembled with roller followers. The roller followers are preloaded against a screw-like input shaft to eliminate backlash.

EMAG LLC announces its plans to hold its annual Technology Days at the North American headquarters in Farmington Hills, Mich., June 6-7. On June 6, the event will run from noon til 9 p.m. On June 7, from 8 a.m. til 2:30 p.m. The event will include a variety of machine tools under power for live demonstrations, plus a series of technical and market presentations by industry experts from the company.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of Haas Automation Inc.'s first vertical machining center, the VF-1.

Röhm Products of America, Suwanee, Ga., a provider of clamping and gripping technology for the metalworking industry, expanded its sales team with the addition of Steven Onik as national sales manager and Yusuf Ali as regional sales manager for Canada.

OptoForce announced that it has completely rewritten its core software, resulting in new capabilities and automation tasks not previously available for Universal Robots industrial robots. The new developments also feature much greater speed for integration on many industrial robotic functions.

Scott Volk was appointed territory sales manager covering Indiana for Dorner Manufacturing Corp., Hartland, Wis.