This Automation Is a Gateway to Lights-out Manufacturing

“Automation is what we do. It’s in our blood,” says Jeff Holtzapple, the North American sales manager for Murata Machinery USA, Inc. | Muratec USA. The automated machine tools manufacturer recently launched a new bin-picking automation solution in partnership with Universal Robots (UR) that is being heralded the “next level in automation for turning machines.” The Muratec infeed device features ActiNav™ flexible machine loading with real-time autonomous motion control software, intelligent 3D Vision, and UR’s world-leading cobots. Doug Schrotenboer, a senior mechanical design engineer for Murata Machinery, explains the multi-faceted advantages: “Cobots have the ability to reliably pick random, intermixed parts from the bin, load them in a machine in a set position at a set time to make finished parts, and then put them into inventory — without ever being touched by an operator. This enhances speed, reduces processing mistakes, and fills skills gaps because now employers can train their employees for higher, more advanced positions.”