There were many great advances to the programming and interface systems for robotics. Each advancement in simplifying the programming of robotics will improve the learning curve for a setup technician. One manufacturer even demonstrated the ability to have the robot mimic manual physical movements of the operator in real time.

With the extensive advances in the speed of robotics, there is a large amount of time that exists between the moment the robot removes the part from the mold and when it is needed again. At this NPE, there was a strong emphasis on multi-function robots which take advantage of their speed by performing multiple trimming, inspecting, and assembly tasks in between cycles. Molders who can take advantage of their robots capabilities between cycles will save time and money over the log time.

-Andy