NPE 2018: Robotics & Automation Innovations Drive Complexity Management

Our April preview, May Show Dailies, and July highlights from NPE showcased groundbreaking robotics and automation solutions from industry leaders such as Absolute Robot, Arburg, Boy Machines, Beck Automation, Campetella, CBW Automation, Engel, Fanuc America, KraussMaffei, Rethink Robotics, Sepro America, Staubli, Universal Robots, Wittmann Battenfeld, Yushin, and many more. The event also unveiled a wealth of new product launches and system integrations that underscore the growing complexity of modern manufacturing.

NEW AUTOMATION GROUP ASSEMBLED

Hahn Group, a German automation holding company, has established Hahn Plastics Automation to strengthen its U.S. presence. The new portfolio features Waldorf Technik, a specialist in side‑entry robots for high‑speed medical and packaging; Wemo, a Swedish manufacturer of servo pickers and linear robots; and GeKu, a German firm renowned for custom top‑entry automation used by major automotive tier suppliers. Waldorf already serves about 20% of its business in the United States, while Wemo and GeKu are entering the market for the first time.

Markus Klaus, former General Manager at Wittmann Battenfeld, will lead the U.S. operation and is scouting a New England site to house a manufacturing facility for Waldorf and GeKu products. The group plans to hire 10 additional staff over the next 18 months, supplementing the two engineers relocating from Germany.

LARGEST ROBOT IN NORTH AMERICA

Ranger Automation Systems announced the development of North America’s largest industrial robot, the RT‑6000‑S10, designed for a 6,750‑ton injection press by Milacron for 20/20 Custom Molded Plastics in Holiday City, Ohio. The dual‑arm system offers a 400‑lb payload, 18‑ft vertical travel, and 12‑ft reach per arm, enabling extraction of up to 10‑ft wide or tall parts from either mold half or from stack molds. This robot expands on Ranger’s RT‑3000 line, which powers 20/20’s Uniloy Milacron structural‑foam machines.

Star Automation highlighted several advancements, including a three‑axis servo head with wrist, rotate, and flip axes, and a new 620 controller for its TW‑VII series. The updated hardware enabled a demonstration of robotic Japanese calligraphy painting and introduced a wireless quick‑change system for end‑of‑arm tooling (EOAT). New models feature enhanced vertical speed, increased torque for rapid acceleration, and the high‑speed ZPX series with a carbon‑fiber arm and 520 controller, achieving part extraction in 0.29 seconds and a 1.97‑second cycle time.

Industry 4.0 capabilities were integrated via OPC‑UA communication in the 520 A and 620 A controllers, allowing real‑time production monitoring, web‑based shift summaries, and automated email alerts for downtime. Additional control features include 3‑D animation for program verification, a USB camera interface for image‑based part recognition, and collision‑detection that halts the robot upon resistance.

Sepro America partnered with Absolute Haitian to supply three‑, five‑, and six‑axis robots integrated with Haitian and Zhafir injection presses in North America. The robots feature a unified control interface directly on the machine panel, and Absolute Haitian technicians receive Sepro training for after‑sales support. Sepro also collaborated with Machines Pages of France to enhance IML applications and demonstrated several fully automated cell concepts: high‑speed medical molding with part orientation, dual‑robot overmolding sequences, automatic degating with press‑fit inserts, fabric die cutting with overmolding, and a complex automotive molding cell with 17 inserts.

Yushin America showcased a highly sophisticated cell featuring two injection presses, linear robots, a seven‑axis collaborative robot, IML, pad printing, threaded part assembly, hinged closure, and printed card insertion. Yushin’s FRA servo linear robot line introduced arc‑motion control, reducing cycle times from 16 to 12 seconds, and a slimmer three‑axis servo wrist. All FRA robots include cellular connectivity for cloud‑based production data reporting, demonstrated across multiple booths in the U.S. and Japan.

The OB‑7 collaborative robot, built by Productive Robotics, employs a laser scanner to detect obstructions, allowing safe operation at speeds six to eight times faster than conventional cobots. Yushin’s CT2 Clamp Traverse system aligns robot arms along the machine axis, enhancing integration with downstream operations, while an EOAT Auto Design Tool—currently beta‑tested in Japan—automates gripper design based on CAD models or drawn part outlines.

Yudo of South Korea introduced the Zema 508 ultrahigh‑speed linear robot, featuring active anti‑vibration control, up to 350° rotation, and 5‑kg payload (25 kg on other Zema models), paired with the Yu‑Eye vision system for mold and part inspection. Yudo also unveiled a collaborative robot with six or seven axes, suitable for machine tending and QC checks, now deployed by Samsung in washing‑machine component production.

Staubli demonstrated an automated mold‑change system that completes the entire process in under five minutes, a dramatic improvement over the traditional six‑hour manual cycle. The system uses a preheat station, proximity sensors, magnetic clamping, and RFID‑driven EOAT selection to ensure precise alignment and rapid service connections. Staubli reports four automated QMC systems in Mexico and five in the U.S. for presses ranging from 2,300 to 3,000 tons, offering customers the flexibility to adopt only the components that best meet their high‑cavitation mold requirements.