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INDUSTRY NEWS
Epson Robots Names Automation Engineering an Authorized Service Center As part of an initiative to increase technical support in the Midwest US, Epson Robots, the #1 SCARA robot manufacturer in the world, today announced it is expanding its relationship with Air Automation Engineering ( AAE), a leading automation solutions provider. The partnership establishes AAE as an official Authorized Epson Service Center and will expand beyond selling Epson Robots, automation products and integrated solutions to include maintenance and repair of the broad installed base of Epson robots, helping to ensure fast repair turnaround times throughout the Upper Midwest. The partnership with Air Automation Engineering involves all Epson Robots automation products, including the large lineup of SCARA and 6-Axis robots and the lineup of integrated solutions. The company has helped Epson Robots introduce award-winning robot-based automation solutions throughout the Upper Midwest, including Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Wisconsin. “We’re pleased to expand our relationship with Epson Robots and help our joint customers in the Upper Midwest,” said Paul Wood, general manager, Air Automation Engineering. “Our team of long-term professionals focus on providing the best repair and support services so our customers benefit from a high return on investment.”
KISSsoft Launches New Website With the launch of its new website, KISSsoft focuses its strategy on digitizing the customer section and presenting a clearly structured and easy-to-use information and download platform. KISSsoft.com offers revised content, additional services and functions, a clear structure as well as a slick new appearance. With eight language versions, KISSsoft strengthens its global presence and makes it easier for customers to communicate in their own language. The “MyKISSsoft” customer portal integrated into the website lays the foundation for sustained use and puts the customer at the center of attention. Customers can now decide for themselves what kind of information they would like to receive and in which particular way. With the user-friendly and intuitive navigation, one can quickly achieve the desired aim in just a few clicks. KISSsoft presents the entire product and service portfolio in a clearly arranged form and reports on current topics such as engineering, software development, technical product descriptions, and much more.
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WD-40 ® Brand Partners with Habitat for Humanity to Give Back to Communities As part of WD-40 Company’s ongoing effort to make things better than they are today, WD-40 ® Brand will donate 50 cents to Habitat for Humanity ® for every 12 oz. can of WD-40 ® Smart Straw ® sold at participating Lowe’s Home Improvement stores between now and
April 30, 2020. WD-40 Brand will donate up to $50,000 to Habitat for Humanity International to assist the organization in its mission to bring people together to build homes, communities and hope.
“Our company values doing the right thing and creating positive lasting memories by developing products that help people get their jobs done right,” said Erin Bala, director of brand management and innovation at WD-40 Company. “Supporting Habitat for Humanity’s vision of ‘a world where everyone has a decent place to live’ allows us to live our values and give back in a meaningful way.”
"We are excited to partner with WD-40 Brand on a national scale. Their support of San Diego Habitat has enabled critical work to address the affordable housing crisis locally, and now with their national partnership, the impact of their support will be even fartherreaching.” said Colleen Finn Ridenhour, chief development officer of Habitat for Humanity International. “We are incredibly grateful for their commitment to Habitat and to the families in need of a decent place to call home.”
In addition to its partnership with Habitat for Humanity International, WD-40 Company has provided local support to San Diego Habitat for Humanity by volunteering for home builds. Last year, WD-40 Company associates laced up their work boots and spent a day in the Logan Heights neighborhood of San Diego, building a Habitat home alongside its future homeowner.
Wildeck Names Dan Lorenz President Dan Lorenz joined Wildeck in August, 2018 as the Vice President of Operations. Prior to joining Wildeck, he held senior leadership positions in Wisconsin manufacturing stalwarts such as Superior Die Set, Fisher Barton and Wacker Neuson.
“After an exhaustive search involving both internal and external candidates, it became apparent that Dan was the leader Wildeck needs to accelerate our growth journey,” commented Keith Pignolet, Executive Chairman of Wildeck, “his commitment to our customers and our mission to make their projects run smoothly is unwavering.”
A search for Lorenz’s successor as Vice President of Operations is underway. In the interim, Dan will continue to oversee all facets of operations.
UNITED GRINDING North America Partners with Dynamic Machine UNITED GRINDING North America Inc. announced it has entered into a partnership with Dynamic Machine of Detroit, a Troy,
Michigan-based CNC equipment dealership. For those UNITED GRINDING North America customers in the Michigan territory, the partnership will further strengthen grinding machine sales, service and application support. With over 200 years of combined machine tool and manufacturing experience, Dynamic Machine will provide Michigan manufacturers with a local advanced technical center for UNITED GRINDING-brand machine demonstrations, test cuts, turnkey projects and training. The dealership also offers machine retrofits and upgrades as well as engineering services. According to Dynamic Machine co-owners Vince Meleto and Greg Sandler, the company’s reputation for excellence is one based on years of close customer relationships and thousands of machine tool installations. As such, they will offer UNITED GRINDING North America’s customers that same level of attention and expertise.
Fives Joins Woman in Manufacturing Association ® (WiM) as a Corporate Member Fives, an industrial engineering group with nearly 8,700 employees across the world, has joined the Women in Manufacturing ®
Association (WiM) as a corporate member, signaling the company’s commitment to the success and growth of women in the manufacturing industry. WiM is the only national trade association dedicated to year-round support for women who have chosen a career in the manufacturing sector. It offers tools, training and thought leadership to help companies identify and advance women leaders in the industry. Fives highlighted its’ membership with WiM during the grand opening ceremony of its North American headquarters for Fives Intralogistics Corporation in Louisville, KY, February 12, 2020, aligning with its new brand signature statement “Industry can do it" and a workforce comprised of ~45 percent female engineers and management roles. Machinery’s long-standing success by expanding our customer base in Northern Ohio,” Barbeck said.
Vecna Robotics Expands Partnership with UniCarriers Americas Vecna Robotics, a leading automation provider in the materials handling space, today announced an expansion
of their partnership with UniCarriers ® Americas, part of the Mitsubishi Logisnext family companies - the third largest forklift
manufacturer in the world. Through this partnership, UniCarriers will manufacture and promote their best-in-class pallet jacks running Vecna Robotics’ Pivotal™ automation software. With UniCarriers’ manufacturing capabilities, this alliance enables Vecna Robotics to satisfy soaring demand for automation solutions amongst their customer base, including the largest retailers, 3PLs and manufacturers in North America. UniCarriers’ Marengo, IL operation employs sophisticated manufacturing equipment, a team of more than 350 highly skilled professionals, and a half a million square foot manufacturing facility. Vecna Robotics is also working with UCA to leverage UniCarriers’ Authorized Dealer network of 125 Dealers throughout the Americas. Through this support network, customers can expect rapid response times in the field, further improving the already best-in-class uptime offered by Vecna Robotics autonomous mobile robots (AMRs).
OVENS & FURNACES OVENS & FURNACES www.grievecorp.com 847-546-8225 Large-Capacity Walk-In Ovens Large-Capacity Walk-In Ovens MC Machinery Announces New Regional Sales Representative MC Machinery Systems is excited to welcome Craig Barbeck to the MC Machinery team as a Regional Sales Representative for the Northern Ohio Territory. Barbeck will support the sales team with a focus on laser and press brake products. Barbeck’s strong technical and engineering background provides him with a unique insight into the needs of MC Machinery customers. With over 15-years of experience in the fabrication industry and machine tool sales, Barbeck will utilize his industry expertise to increase sales support and boost customer satisfaction. Barbeck previously served customers in Eastern Ohio, Pennsylvania, Upstate New York, Maryland, and Texas. He currently resides in the Greater Cleveland Area.
“I’m honored to accept a position alongside the well-respected MC Machinery team,” Barbeck said. “I look forward to upholding MC
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Responding to the Pandemic
The National Association of Manufacturers Provides Policy Actions in Response to COVID-19
By: Nick Boliek
Before I began writing for Industrial Machinery Digest, I worked for a decade in the medical diagnostic industry. It was primarily second or third shift positions, allowing me to pursue aspirations of journalism during normal business hours. I had worked my way up from a simple specimen preparation technician, who processes and handles specimens, to a lab assistant running the tests that impacted patients’ daily lives. During that time, there was never any outbreak as devastating as the novel coronavirus, COVID-19.
At the time of this writing, no guidelines have been officially put in place to assist manufacturing and fabricating businesses. This crisis will be turning to the manufacturing sector for solutions. Automakers are already evaluating efforts to produce ventilators, and other equipment in response to the pandemic. General Motors, for example, announced that it would be working with
IMD APRIL 2020 Seattle’s Ventec Life Systems to support the increased production of respiratory care products.
A recent National Association of Manufacturers survey indicated that 78.3 percent of manufacturers anticipate financial impact. Over half surveyed were anticipating an impact in operations, and more than 35 percent were already facing supply disruptions. NAM has laid out policy actions as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. These guidelines have been presented to Congress and other federal agencies to protect, and further underline the importance manufacturers will be in the days ahead.
“Manufacturers have a greater purpose than profits,” says Mike Lamach, NAM Board Chair and Chairman and CEO of Trane Technologies plc. “We are also about protecting our people, and our communities.”
First and foremost, NAM’s COVID-19 Policy Action Plan Recommendations ask Congress to recognize manufacturers’ critical role in response to the pandemic with, at least, $1.4 trillion in interest-free loans for a federal Manufacturing Resiliency Fund. To ensure the supply of products, manufacturers are to be deemed essential businesses and protected as such. NAM is also trying to protect manufacturing business owners from insolvency with efforts to have the IRS delay all scheduled tax payments for 90 days.
It should be noted that the U.S. Small Business Administration is currently working with state governments to provide low interest loans for businesses suffering from loss of revenue due to COVID-19. The Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program can provide working capital of up to $2 million to help maintain standard operations. The SBA has also provided guidance backed by the CDC on how to avoid stigma and workplace discrimination that may be associated with virus. In terms of providing a safe workplace, NAM guidelines also call for clear CDC guidance for cleaning and disinfecting plant and production facilities. With clear rules in place, manufacturers can make more confident decisions, to ensure the safety of workers, even if that requires full plant shutdowns due to community quarantine.
“Already, manufacturers are grappling with disruptions to their businesses due to the COVID-19 outbreak, with many anticipating financial and operational consequences. The federal government can take steps to further equip manufacturers to deal with COVID-19 by implementing the NAM’s ‘COVID-19 Policy Action Plan Recommendations,’” said NAM President and CEO Jay Timmons. “Across the country, manufacturers are stepping up to keep their employees and their communities safe and healthy, and working closely with elected officials, we can ensure the resilience not only of our companies but also our country.”
These measures and others included in NAM’s Policy Action Plan could even be used to allow for further investment in upgrading and improving our nation’s transportation, water, energy, and digital infrastructure systems by supporting NAM’s “Building to Win” strategy.
The Manufacturing Landscape Going Forward It is far too early to act like we are on the road to recovery. Currently, there more than 33,000 confirmed cases in the United States, with many sources saying the peak for this viral epidemic being
now mid-May. This is the time for businesses to work smarter not harder. The manufacturing sector has been facing a labor shortage and has already made efforts in closing the ever-growing skills gap. Automation solutions, such as collaborative robots, could become even more important to meet production demands. Other technologies including artificial intelligence and remote assistance applications with Artificial Reality (AR) support could allow businesses to connect more easily for training and service of key production machinery.
None of that will matter, however, if we do not all do our part in eliminating the spread of this pandemic. How we respond to this crisis determines how fast we can truly recover. It is imperative that we all take measures to ensure the health and safety of our coworkers, friends, family, and ourselves.
ABOUT NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF MANUFACTURERS
The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) works for the success of the more than 12.8 million men and women who make things in America. Representing 14,000 member companies—from small businesses to global leaders—in every industrial sector, the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) is the nation’s most effective resource and most influential advocate for the values for manufacturers across the country.
For more information and to view the full COVID-19 Policy Action Plan Recommendations, visit www.nam.org
Limit the Spread of Germs and Prevent Infection
» Avoid close contact with people who are sick. » When you are sick, keep your distance from others to protect them from getting sick too. » Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. It may prevent those around you from getting sick. » Washing your hands often will help protect you from germs. » Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. » Practice other good health habits. Get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage your stress, drink plenty of fluids, and eat nutritious food.
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FEATURING:
TALKING SHOP WITH: Lisa Donnelly — Vice President of Marketing, Soft Robotics
So how did this gripping technology come into being? A chemist at Harvard University, Dr. George Whitesides, was intrigued by the skill and agility with which octopi used their tentacles to manipulate a wide variety of objects of different sizes and material consistencies, automatically adjusting its grip pressure and tentacle configuration. He was able to partner with the Department of Defense to develop the technology. Our CEO, Carl Vause, learned of this work and immediately saw how valuable it would be for manufacturing and packaging applications. So it was agreed that Soft Robotics would be formed and stand as the go-tomarket representative for this gripper technology.
What were the first markets to understand this product’s potential? Automotive was the first industry to realize the potential of traditional automation since they have so many consistent processes and products that are readily automated. Traditional gripper design works well with consistent part geometries, but it didn’t translate to industries where there is natural variation in products or a very high mix of low-volume SKUs. Having to change a gripper each time the SKU changes is time-consuming and costly. The Soft Robotics gripper enables the automation of industries that have products with variation, that are delicate in nature, or have stringent surface finish requirements. Developing relationships with companies such as FANUC and ABB, who also became investors, has been valuable, and that list has grown much longer over time. This allowed us access to their global trade channels in a wide variety of markets.
Are your grippers compatible with different types and makes of robots and cobots? We describe ourselves as being “robot agnostic” so that the grippers can be paired with virtually any type or brand of robot. Because of our relationship with companies like FANUC and Universal Robots, we’ve developed specific control systems that integrate with their platforms to allow gripper manipulation directly from the teach pendant. Plus,
our grippers can be configured to match just about any OEM’s robotic arm. Our mGrip adaptable system includes both the gripper and a controller. In fact, our controller system is central to the gripper’s ability to automatically adjust to different types of parts without halting production, and with no additional reprogramming required. This
is also ideal for operations that produce small lots since the gripper automatically adjusts to part changes without the need for sensors or an expensive vision system. This allows our grippers to reconfigure to pick up anything from a loaf of bread to large, heavy parts and materials. We even have a demonstration for our cobot controllers, where someone puts their hand in the gripper and actually feels how it regulates its grip pressure according to what it’s holding, providing a delicate but secure grip.
This technology seems ideal for cobots working in proximity to human operators. Absolutely, which is completely intentional. As cobot technology evolves, our grippers enable adoption throughout any manufacturing or packaging process. There are the ergonomic benefits I’ve mentioned, along with meeting safety concerns involving human/cobot interaction. Our soft fingers eliminate pinch points, providing what we feel is the safest gripper available for collaborative robots, where safety is of paramount importance.
Tell us about the services you offer to your customers. We have a dedicated sales team, knowledgeable application engineers, and every type of engineer you can imagine, We’re prepared for whatever challenge an end-user might encounter. Besides service and maintenance assistance, these professionals also provide consultation to customers as they choose the ideal type of gripper system for their particular application. So our
relationship with our customers is in-depth and ongoing. And we’re really proud of the fact that our technology helps keep the supply chain functioning smoothly, especially during times such as these when we’re dealing with issues like coronavirus exposure in the workplace. We are constantly adapting to the evolving nature of robot/cobot developments.
For more information go to www.softroboticsinc.com.
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Protective Systems for Press Brake Applications
Fiessler AKAS 3-P Safety System from Press Brake Safety Has New Features to Ensure Employee Safety and Maintain Production
Press Brake Safety originally operating under the name of Advanced Manufacturing Solutions, LLC. The company was founded in 2001 by Douglas Boyer, Jr. who had over 25 years of experience working at Hurco Companies, a major US machine tool builder. In the years thereafter, Doug continued to sell industrial metal working equipment while struggling through a nationwide major downturn in manufacturing after the 9-11 attack. During this time, Doug met Gotz Fiessler and started developing contacts and techniques to promote the Fiessler European line of industrial safety devices in North America. Their retrofittable AKAS line of press brake safety lasers became quite popular. Soon customers were ordering the retrofits avoiding OSHA fines without having to replace costly machines to keep operators safe.
This business has continued to grow so much that a service company started in 2014 now provides the customer base with
IMD APRIL 2020 North America repair support, staffed with factory certified technicians. The Service group is headed up by Bruce Meyer, an industry seasoned professional and newcomer Andrew Litton, an excellent technician.
The sales company’s name was changed to Press Brake Safety, more adequately defining their relationship with their major product line of safety equipment for press brakes. Joining the family business in 2013 and taking on the leadership role, Jason Boyer came on board, and as President of the company, now oversees the sales and marketing. Another addition to the team was Kimberly GregonisBoyer who is the Chief Financial Officer of Press Brake Safety. Since day one, their mission was to be a full-service safety product provider, offering solutions to the industrial sector throughout North America.
First Co-Moving Press Brake Safety System Modern press brakes are characterized by high productivity and precision. Due to the higher stroke rate during work speed, considerably more workpieces can be manufactured in the same period. New press brakes have to be equipped by a safety system that provides the operators with a reliable protection from squeezing, crushing or shearing of fingers, hands and arms. Protective systems for the press brakes should be designed in a way that, on the one hand, the operator who is working within the bending area of the press is protected in all situations, and on the other hand, the productivity of the staff and the machine is not restricted. One needs to consider the primary goal is the protection of personal health and life and is a priority over profit.
The Fiessler AKAS 3-P is the first co-moving press brake safety system worldwide that provides high-speed operation up to the clamp point. The new AKAS 3-P, designed for the OEM manufacturers, features top-level productivity while providing
maximum safety at the same time. When using this press brake safety system, there is no loss in productivity. On modern press brakes, the closing movement, which is in high speed until the clamp point during regular bending, is provided by this safety system. During the entire closing movement, the operator’s hand or fingers are protected from being squeezed between two opposed moving machine parts by the presence of the three-dimensional safety laser beam grid that is located beneath the ram. The system provides full safety during regular bending and box-bending modes.
In order to provide the required adjustment after a tool change using upper tools with different tool sizes without any loss of time, the AKAS 3-P transmitters and receivers come with fully-automatically moving supports. The adjusting procedure is done by a simple push of the adjustment start button. The time that is otherwise required to adjust the unit is saved and can be used for other procedures such as material handling or programming the machine parameters. The AKAS 3-P is TUV CE type approved/ cUL listed and complies with the standards of the B11.3, EN12622, Z142 and NR12.
ABOUT PRESS BRAKE SAFETY
Press Brake Safety, headquartered in Zionsville, Indiana has supplied metalworking machinery throughout the U.S. and Canada for 19 years and is a leading industry advocate for press brake operator safety. PBS is the exclusive North American installer of Germany-based Fiessler AKAS® laser safety systems, the most sophisticated press brake safety systems in the world, and provides complete maintenance, service and training to users. As the industry tries to balance profitability, operator safety and regulators’ capabilities to effectively audit operators’ practices, Press Brake Safety can help you protect your workers and your bottom line.
PRESS BRAKE SAFETY
www.pressbrakesafety.com 800-901-1193 Fiessler AKAS-3P video
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