Cycle Efficiency
Automated machining processes enable this maker of high-performance mountain bike parts to manufacture efficiently with minimal staff.

A Look Inside Fanuc Robotics
A video clip produced after a ceremony celebrating the sale of Fanuc Robotics 100,000th robot in the Americas provides brief overview of the company, its technology and its facility.

Fanuc Sells 100,000th Robot in Americas
Fanuc Robotics America (Rochester Hills, Michigan) has sold its 100,000th robot in North and South America to Schneider Packaging, a manufacturer of packaging equipment in Brewerton, New York. “This accomplishment underscores the fact that more companies are using robotic technology to expand their overall operations versus transferring manufacturing overseas,” says Rick Schneider, president of Fanuc Robotics America.   The robot, an M3iA, is suitable for assembly, dispensing, material handling and palletizing, picking and packing applications.

Robot Designed to Increase Production Speed
The M-3iA robot is designed to maximize speed and flexibility for assembly, small part handling and picking applications.

A Significant Cell
Manual loading of heavy housings was this manufacturer’s prime bottleneck. It had limited experience with automated cells, but decided to install a big one. A look at the manufacturer’s $13 million cell reveals an intriguing layout and blend of technologies.

The Responsiveness Robot
For this lean shop dedicated to low-inventory kanban relationships with customers, the most critical measure of efficiency revealed the value of robotic loading.

Six-Axis Robot Moves Large, Heavy Parts With Stability
Fanuc Robotics’ M-2000iA offers a 900-kg payload and allows users to move large, heavy parts such as truck, tractor and automotive frames with maximum stability. The rigid arm design of the robot has a vertical lifting stroke of 6. 2 m for transferring heavy items such as a car body.

Robot Designed For Harsh Environments
Fanuc Robotics America Inc.’s M-710iC/50 SE FoundryPRO robot is designed to operate in harsh manufacturing environments. The entire robot is coated with a special epoxy, and its wrist has protective covers to withstand high-pressure washing. In addition, the base of the robot purges air to avoid vapor entrance. Coa

Intelligent Welding Robots

Automated Production Of Oil-Drill Couplings
A machining cell combines lathes, a robot and a conveyor system to enable automated production of precision oil-drill couplings.

Flexible Automation Process Helps Shop Reduce Costs
Despite hitting production goals, this shop had trouble meeting customer cost targets. It needed further automation. After purchasing Fanuc robots to service its flexible manufacturing system (FMS), the company has reduced costs enough to pay back its investment.

Robots Make A Clean Sweep
A plant already effective at using robots for work handling applies robots to the end of the process as well, using them to clean and deburr intricate parts.

Lightweight, Compact Robot For Small Lot Sizes

Robot Vision Option Designed For Ease Of Use

Simulate Robot Applications Without Prototype Work Cell

Making Strides To Maximize Worker Efficiency
This 40-year-old shop combines original best practices with new technologies and manufacturing approaches to make the most of its home-grown skilled labor.

Upgraded Robot With Intelligent Function Enhancements

High Speed Arm For Pick-And-Place Operations

Re-envisioning Automation
The Future of Machining - 2005 Add vision systems to robots, and fundamental aspects of the process deserve a second look.

Is Robotic Automation Becoming Practical For Low-Volume Production?
High-volume manufacturing and robotic automation go hand in hand. Machine-tending robots used in these production schemes need not be very flexible, as they may just load and unload one type of part hundreds of thousands of times.

Sourcing Automation
A new kind of 'automation project manager' helped this company install a roboticized machining cell, the first of several now operating in its plant.

Reinventing The Robot For The Job Shop
A compact robot that rolls out of the way when not needed/wanted provides the perfect solution to this shop's automation needs.

• 3D Vision System Enables Robotic Bin-Picking Automation

  Position and orientation data gathered by a 3D vision system enables this robot to remove parts randomly located in a bin.

• The New Automation Calculation

  This Sponsored Online Presentation features a collection of articles and links to other online resources aims to empower the modern machining professional with what is needed to compete more effectively through automation, process technologies, and lean manufacturing principles. (Sponsored Content)

• Automation For Information

  There is a wealth of information already in the shop. Here is how to profit from it. (Sponsored Content)

• Move Parts - Don't Move Production

  Robotic automation can make manufacturing in North America the most profitable choice. (Sponsored Content)

• Overall Equipment Effectiveness: The Formula For Finding Your Plant’s Hidden Potential

  A metric that captures availability, performance and quality highlights the many places where today's automation makes sense. (Sponsored Content) 

• Release The Potential Of Your Machine Tool

  Probing can improve OEE in many different ways throughout the machining cycle. (Sponsored Content)

• A Manager's Guide to Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE)

  Under current economic conditions, severe global competition and postponement of new equipment purchases are causing business executives to be sensitive about all aspects of manufacturing operational costs. In this environment, it pays to consider both creative and proven methods that manufacturers can use to bring their product to market at minimum cost. 'Overall Equipment Effectiveness' (OEE) is a method that meets this objective. (Sponsored Content)