Automating job shops is accelerating, driven by the combined influence of Industry 4.0, the continued shortage of skilled manufacturing labor and the COVID pandemic.
FANUC America and Plus One Robotics said they have paired their technologies to meet the needs of their mutual customers in e-commerce.
Manufacturers need to create more production setups as batch sizes get smaller. Skilled labor continues to be hard to hire and keep. Higher levels of automation are needed, not just in material handling but also in fabricating, machining, assembly, and inspection.
The Oregon Manufacturing Innovation Center Research and Development (OMIC R&D), a manufacturing research campus hosted by Oregon Tech, has received a $154,000 sponsored project from SMW-AUTOBLOK Corp.