Product News

What if collaborative robots didn’t just stop at collision but avoided collisions altogether? And while doing that kept performing the task they set out to do? That’s the premise for Universal Robots’ new trade show demo where a UR5 robot arm will pick "widgets" out of a feeder that moves around and is dynamically tracked by the vision-guided cobot. Using a wand, attendees interact with the collaborative robot prompting it to avoid the wand while attempting to reach the widget.

Aerotech’s HEX RC is a 6-axis motion controller ideal for controlling robotic systems like hexapods. The HEX RC is 4U rack-mountable and compatible with the Automation 3200 (A3200) motion platform.

Kitagawa NorthTech Inc. introduces its new AS series of grinding steady rests. The AS series expands and completes the company's portfolio of steady rests specifically designed and engineered for grinding applications. The new AS steady rests feature narrow retractable arms for easy automated part loading, as well as many other capabilities for grinding applications.

Absolute Machine Tools Inc., now the exclusive U.S. importer and distributor of EDMs and supplies from Yougar M&T Inc., has introduced the Yougar YGS CNC Moving Head series and YGS ZNC Manual series of EDM drilling machines.

No. 865 is a 750° F (399° C), three-zone conveyor oven from Grieve, currently used for curing coatings at the customer’s test facility. Work space dimensions of this oven measure 30” W x 18’ D x 15” H. 90KW (30KW per zone) are installed in Incoloy sheathed tubular heating elements, while three 1,500-cfm, 1.5-hp recirculating blowers provide vertical downward airflow to the workload.

The technology educators at CamInstructor Inc. announce new, online CNC programming training courses of interest to manufacturers. The course offerings are designed for people brand new to CNC machine tool programming, as well as for more experienced programmers who may need a refresher or get up to speed on the latest software release.

Small job shops struggling with the budget, programming and space requirements of traditional welding robots now have an alternative solution: The new SnapWeld Collaborative Robot Welding package developed by ARC Specialties Inc. and Universal Robots is a cobot-assisted, interactive welding system that can be deployed easily and flexibly in existing, manual welding booths, eliminating the need for costly new robotic cells.

JM Performance Products Inc. has engineered its patented hydraulic Clamp Force Gage to provide a quick and inexpensive method to regularly check and measure the clamping/pulling force of the spindle drawbar. The hydraulic gage instantly reads in ft/lbs the amount of pull force being applied to the toolholder.

The new GT 112-E automatic magazine bar feeder from LNS is suitable for sliding headstock machines running unattended or lights-out production using small bar stock with diameters from 0.8 mm to 11 mm (12.7 mm with bar preparation). A dual U-shaped guiding channel with a patented sectional guiding channel cover, combined with a self-centering bar clamping system matches the entire diameter range of the lathe.

Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence announced the launch of the Leica Absolute Tracker AT960-SR, a lower-budget addition to the popular AT960 range of laser trackers. Only available as part of a bundle offer with one of Hexagon’s leading laser scanner products, the AT960-SR is designed for applications with smaller measurement volume requirements that still demand the unbeatable speed and accuracy performance of Hexagon’s flagship laser tracker line.

Mencom announces new low-profile enclosures for Panel Interface Connectors (PIC). The PIC, also known as programming ports or programming interfaces, provides the ability to communicate with a device inside a cabinet without opening the cabinet door. This helps prevent potential safety hazards (such as arc flash) associated with opening an electrical panel.

Walter has unveiled the Walter Cut G1221-P, an innovative grooving boring bar with precision cooling, for recessing and internal grooving. This monoblock boring bar has two coolant holes.

The new NUMgrind package is specifically designed to simplify the creation of G code programs for CNC machine tools through the use of a highly intuitive graphical human machine interface (HMI), conversational-style ‘fill in the blanks’ type dialogs or a combination of the two. NUMgrind simplifies machine tool programming for an extensive range of tasks, including external and internal cylindrical grinding, surface grinding, wheel shaping and dressing.

With the new Seco Feedmax –P drill, manufacturers gain the potential to significantly boost holemaking performance for ISO P (steel), as well as cast iron, workpiece materials. The solid-carbide Feedmax –P drills can increase drilling productivity by up to 35 percent while also providing longer tool life due to the combination of the drill’s new geometry and advanced coating.

Thanks to their outstanding tool lives, fine surface finish and maximum concentricity, hydraulic chucks found their place in milling. And there is good reason since these chucks offer both continuous action of the cutting edge and excellent vibration-damping properties. Fitted with such a lot of positive features, hydraulic arbors and adapters are suitable for the range of products of POKOLM Frästechnik GmbH & Co. KG.

Jenoptik offers JENOPTIK-VOTAN BIM, a laser robot system for 3D metalcutting of chassis components for the automotive industry. Compared to conventional machining methods, the noncontact laser process minimizes machining times by eliminating the setup time and also reduces the costs associated with tool wear.

New software from NUM enables CNC machine tool builders and retrofitters to provide their customers with easy-to-use workpiece programming and machine control facilities for precision grinding applications. Forming the latest application-specific addition to NUM’s Flexium CAM suite of CNC software, the new NUMgrind package simplifies machine tool programming for an extensive range of tasks, including external and internal cylindrical grinding, surface grinding, wheel shaping and dressing.

Kyocera announced that it has developed a new line of indexable modular drills, Magic Drill DRV, to be used mainly for hole drilling in the machine tool business. Ideally suited for the automobile, aviation and medical device industries, the new indexable drills combine a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) coated insert on the outer edge and a physical vapor deposition (PVD) coated insert on the inner edge for the first time, enabling high-speed and high-efficiency processing.

Marposs Corp. has introduced an updated version of its Merlin Plus embedded gauge computer, now with six USB and two ethernet ports enabling connectivity to multiple data collection devices and the ability to measure up to 250 characteristics. Additionally, the new version features a wider (12”) true flat LCD screen capable of customized page display, a more robust design and multiple capability enhancements.

TigerStop has announced the addition of AutoLoader automatic infeed station, an integration for the TigerSaw 2000 saw system. With the AutoLoader, an operator can load five pieces of material at a time, reducing material handling and increasing operator capacity for performing value-added tasks, such as sorting finished parts.