After making its debut at IMTS 2012, the

IMTS Pavilion: Industrial Automation North America (IANA) New automation innovations at the Industrial Automation North America (IANA) pavilion will include a demonstration of Forcam USA Inc. s Factory Framework shop-floor manufacturing software. Photo courtesy Forcam USA Inc. Moving toward Smarter Factories Latest innovations in industrial automation controls, motors and drives are helping manufacturers improve factory operations After making its debut at IMTS 2012, the Industrial Automation North America (IANA) pavilion is back for this year s show, and it promises to showcase the best available choices in new factory automation controls, drives, motors and software that help manufacturers define state-of-the-art manufacturing processes. At the IANA pavilion, you ll see a lot of European companies that have a strong US presence along with a smattering of automation builders from all over the world. The IANA pavilion is also aligned with two one-day conferences that are co-located with IMTS the Sept. 9 Motion, Drives and Automation (MDA) Conference and the Sept. 10 Global Automation & Manufacturing Summit (GAMS). 228 ManufacturingEngineeringMedia.com August 2014

Many of the exhibitors at IANA will showcase new automation solutions focusing on the continuing emphasis on energy savings and the Industry 4.0 movement in Europe. In 2012, IANA exhibitors were roughly 85% international, with most having a strong US subsidiary presence, noted Larry Turner, CEO of Hannover Fairs Inc. (Chicago), which sponsors the IANA pavilion at IMTS. It s a really interesting mix, and there s some good US companies in there, he said. Energy savings is kind of a continuing trend that we ve been seeing with all of our shows. At the MDA conference, many new introductions will focus on control developments. It s really all about the motion controls, said Turner. The Global Automation conference takes an in-depth look at end-user best practices and benchmarking. Last time we had really good sessions, but they were more high level, more targeted toward senior level management, and now we are focusing on the plant manager, the manufacturing engineer, and design engineers. Industry 4.0 originated in Germany a few years ago and it s starting to permeate Europe, Turner added. In the US, we refer to it as smart manufacturing or advanced manufacturing, and it s really based around the self-diagnostics, and taking advantage of Big Data and analytics, which from an automation standpoint requires sensors, controls. Many of the new solutions at IANA will showcase motion controls and the drive side of automation, Turner said, with demonstrations showing the manipulation of parts, products, and work tools. Cannon Automata is a German company that has a new controller out, and what you re probably going to see is that especially the German companies are working towards the Industry 4.0. A new Digital Factory demonstration using a predictive manufacturing system will be shown at the Forcam booth at the IANA pavilion. 5. At IMTS, Forcam plans to showcase automation elements required for the new Digital Factory, with a new predictive Photo courtesy Forcam USA Inc. A Glimpse of the Future Factory A good example of Industry 4.0 will be shown at the booth of Forcam USA Inc. (Cincinnati), a factory automation and manufacturing execution system (MES) software developer that recently released its Factory Framework Release August 2014 ManufacturingEngineeringMedia.com 229

IMTS Pavilion: Industrial Automation North America (IANA) Photo courtesy Force Robots LLC manufacturing system, noted Mohamed Abuali, Forcam USA chief operating officer. Manufacturers are looking for ways to use the right automation technology to drive and increase productivity on the shop floor, Abuali said. They are looking to implement lean manufacturing and modeling their production virtually, thus enabling the transformation of their traditional factories to digital factories, by creating process transparency, developing real-time dashboards, and visualizing bottlenecks. More and more manufacturers are adopting digital shopfloor management technologies that can crunch Big Data in real-time, Abuali added, and offer 100% Web-based and mobile capability, leverage the cloud, connect to any asset on the shop floor, and provide global performance data for any manufacturing plant [anywhere] in any time zone [anytime], displaying that data in the proper language. Visitors to the Forcam booth will get a look at the requirements of the Digital Factory that will be driven by a predictive manufacturing system, Abuali said. We will demonstrate realtime shop-floor data collection from advanced CNC controllers and PLCs, Big Data visualization and reporting, integration with top-floor business systems [ERP and PLM], and methods for predictive maintenance and health management of equipment, to ensure near-zero downtime and worry-free asset productivity, he said. The Touch Robot from Force Robots LLC performs delicate airfoil machining. Live technology demonstrations will be held at Forcam s booth using real CNC controllers via MTConnect, Abuali said, and the company will also demonstrate integration with legacy machines. Forcam has teamed up with Professor Jay Lee at the Center for Intelligent Maintenance Systems [IMS] at the University of Cincinnati to give a co-demonstration of Digital Factory meets Predictive Manufacturing. IMTS gives visitors a look into the future of manufacturing, and Abuali said he s expecting to see a continuation of the innovative trends in additive manufacturing and 3D printing, as well as virtual-reality-augmented productivity solutions. We also expect to see a widening base of adopters of MTConnect, including new OEMs on board with MTConnect compliance, even for additive manufacturing and virtual reality solutions, Abuali said. Forcam is constantly looking for ways to engage with innovators and to adopt new complementary technologies, including the upcoming integrations of our shop-floor management technology with new asset types such as 3D printers and CMMs, as well as enhanced mobile and cloud capabilities, and integrations with virtual reality devices for enhanced visualization and factory transparency. Robotic Automation Innovations Robotic automation with newer collaborative robots will also be well-represented at the IANA pavilion, with new or updated robots from companies including Universal Robots USA Inc. (East Setauket, New York, and Odense, Denmark), Rethink Robotics (Boston), and Force Robots LLC (Cleveland). Universal Robots will showcase its UR 5 and UR 10 robots, which are lightweight 5- and 10-kg payload collaborative robots that now sport absolute encoders and adjustable safety features. The six-jointed robotic arms remain unchanged in outward appearance, but have now added true absolute encoders and eight new adjustable safety-rated functions. The UR 5 and UR 10 robots achieve faster startups with the new encoders, with the ability to recognize absolute position right after switching on, which eliminates the need for jogging during initialization of the arm. The integration of the True Absolute Encoder into the Universal Robot arms enables more easy integration with other machines, said Esben H. Østergaard, Universal Robots CTO, while speeding up startup times. The Baxter robot line from Rethink Robotics also has undergone an upgrade with a new software platform, called Intera 3, that is said to double its speed and double its precision. We ve told our customers that our robots will get better and better through software, said Scott Eckert, Rethink Robotics CEO. If you haven t seen Baxter lately, you need to take another look, thanks to the innovation delivered by our software platform, Intera. The software upgrade immediately expands Baxter s 230 ManufacturingEngineeringMedia.com August 2014

skillset to a broader range of applications, which now include machine tending for CNC lathes, ultrasonic welders and press brakes; packing and unpacking of parts and components; line loading and unloading; and kitting. At Force Robots LLC s IMTS booth, the company will showcase its new robotic system, called the Touch Robot, that can perform precision grinding and machining to polish, deburr, and deflash cast and forged parts. Metal finishing with hand tools is a dirty and difficult job that carries known repetitivestress injury risk, and it s a process that has proven extremely difficult to automate. Force Robots Touch Robot is said to combine the precision of a machine with the finesse of the human hand. The robot, with six-degrees-of-freedom movement, can feel existing part contours, match it to a CAD reference, and autonomously work to remove material to specification. The Touch Robot is a compact, four-axis material removal arm and a two-axis part positioner mounted to a 1.2 0.8-m portable worktable. Consolidated Precision Products Cleveland foundry is first to use it to remove excess material on difficult-to-reach areas of tough, precisioncast turbine engine components. ME Patrick Waurzyniak supports the direct connection of new Beckhoff servomotors: AM8121 (0.5 Nm), AM8122 (0.8 Nm) and AM8131 (1.13 Nm). In these motors, the power and feedback signals are combined in one standard motor cable according to OCT. Beckhoff Automation LLC Ph: 877-894-6228 or 952-890-0000 E-mail: beckhoff.usa@beckhoff.com Web site: www.beckhoffautomation.com Intelligent Robots Company will demonstrate a wide range of new intelligent robotic solutions designed to maximize manufacturing efficiency Servo Terminals The new EL7201-0010 servo terminal supports One Cable Technology (OCT), combining power and feedback signals into one streamlined cable. The EL7201 series servo terminals from the Beckhoff EtherCAT I/O system integrate a complete servo amplifier for motors up to 200 W in a compact high-density terminal housing measuring just 12- mm wide. In addition to the complete integration of the EL7201-0010 into a standard control system, motors equipped with One Cable Technology (OCT) reduce wiring costs and keep commissioning costs to a minimum. OCT is also available as an option on the Beckhoff AM8000 servomotor series instead of the traditional resolver interface. The EL7201-0010 servo terminal August 2014 ManufacturingEngineeringMedia.com 231

IMTS Pavilion: Industrial Automation North America (IANA) for assembly, bin picking, machine tending, and material handling applications. Demonstrations will include the latest member of its family of six-axis LR Mate 200iD mini-robots, designed for high-speed and precise material handling. The intelligent robot features a 4 7-kg payload, a slim arm with integrated power, signal and air, as well as flexible mounting (upright, invert and angle) for easy integration. In addition, company will feature its series of parallel-link robots which provide high speed and accuracy for assembly, pick and place, packing and kitting. The M-1iA, M-2iA and M-3iA robots are easy to integrate into production lines, and can handle products that weigh from 0.5 to 12 kg. Robots for arc and spot welding, bin picking with integrated irvision, and handling extremely heavy parts will also be displayed. FANUC America Corp. Ph: 888-FANUC-US (888-326-8287) Web site: www.fanucamerica.com Robotic Machining The Touch Robot is a new robotic system capable of performing precision grinding and machining to polish, deburr, and deflash cast and forged parts. The Touch Robot is said to combine the precision of a machine with the finesse of the human hand. The robot is a compact, self-contained system requiring only 120V AC and shop air to operate. It consists of a four-axis material removal arm and a two-axis part positioner mounted to a portable worktable. Dividing the system s six degrees of freedom between the two coordinated mechanisms preserves the deft touch of the tool arm while permitting manipulation of heavy castings up to 0.4-m long. It has a simple and rugged construction suitable for a finishing department environment. No fragile force or optical sensing is required to perform its work: all needed feedback is derived from the motor encoders. Its inherent safety features allow it to be deployed alongside manual metal finishing cells. Joint limits restrict its 0.5-m reach largely to the work table on which it is mounted. Low motor-supply voltage (24V DC) keeps joint speeds (max 300 deg/sec) below where the arm would develop dangerous levels of energy. Force Robots LLC Ph: 216-881-8360 Web site: www.forcerobots.com Shop-Floor Software The Factory Framework Release 5 shop-floor productivity software embraces big data using complex event processing (CEP), in-memory technology and the cloud to gather and process information in real-time to accelerate shop-floor performance. Company will showcase its workshop-level software to meet all the technical requirements for Industry 4.0 with connectivity and standardized protocols. The Factory Framework is a tool that employs the technological advancements of Industry 4.0, with data collection using sensors, digital connections and communication between machines using device connection engines. In addition, the ERP adapter assists the successful integration of production floor and production planning (ERP system/sap). The software was recently recognized with the Frost & Sullivan 2014 Global New Product Innovation Leadership Award for plant production software solutions for the discrete industry. Forcam USA Inc. Ph: 513-878-2780 Web site: www.forcam.com Lightweight Collaborative Robots Universal Robots will showcase the recently introduced third generation of its lightweight UR5 and UR10 robots. Updated robot arms feature true absolute encoders, eight new adjustable safety-rated functions, twice the number of built-in I/O connections, and improved methods for connecting equipment to the control boxes. Universal Robots continues to allow a safe human-robot collaboration in the new generation 232 ManufacturingEngineeringMedia.com August 2014

robots. Additionally, the safety system of the robots is now certified by TUV. The UR5 and UR10 robotic arms are equipped with numerous new features, although the visual appearance of the six-jointed arms, with a payload of either 5 or 10 kg, remains unchanged. The safety settings of the latest generation of Universal Robots lightweight robots can be adjusted for each specific solution. The robot arm can run in two operating modes of the safety functions; a normal and a reduced one. A switch between safety settings during the robot s operation is also possible. To achieve this, eight safety functions are monitored by the new patented safety system regulating joint positions and speeds, TCP positions, orientation, speed and force, as well as the momentum and power of the robot. Universal Robots Ph: 631-610-9664 Web site: www.universal-robots.com Stepper Motor Controllers The SMC3 stepper motors are suitable for cost-effective implementation of positioning axes and allow manufacturers to quickly and easily integrate them with Sercos or EtherCAT real-time Ethernet networks. The SMC3 positioning mode enables easy programming, supporting different operating modes; in positioning mode, the controller (PLC/CNC) just has to set a target position. The user can choose between different configurable autonomous homing modes. All operation modes can be used both with a connected incremental encoder (closed loop) and without (open loop). System includes onboard I/Os (four digital outputs, four digital inputs and an incremental encoder interface) that allow use of a complete positioning axis with enable and status signals as well as inputs for limit and homing switches. Alternatively, the digital I/Os can be used as position switches, cam switches or as touch-probe inputs. The I/O function required by the application can be freely assigned and configured by the user. The stepper motor interface is designed for two-phase motors with up to 256 microsteps at maximum 6-A current per phase and 48-V DC motor supply. CANNON-Automata Ph: +49 (0)8233 7916 0 Web site: www.cannon-automata.com Robotic Software The Baxter collaborative robot from Rethink Robotics will be showcased at the show, with a new software upgrade that makes the robot faster and more precise than earlier models. The Intera 3 software upgrade doubles the speed and precision of the Baxter robot and expands on its capabilities for new applications. Intera 3 demonstrates the power of software to deliver continuous innovation more quickly and frequently, adding ever-increasing value to the inexpensive robot line. The software expands the robot s skills to include machine tending for lathes, ultrasonic welders and press brakes; component packaging applications; line loading and unloading; and kitting. The software will be available for all existing Baxter models directly from Rethink Robotics and its nationwide partner network. Rethink Robotics Inc. Ph: 617-500-2487 Web site: www.rethinkrobotics.com High-Speed Robots The MZ07 robot arm features ultra-highspeed motion capability with advanced through-arm dress capabilities to simplify routing of hoses and cables for material handling, assembly, vision and many other applications. The IP67-rated MZ07 robot is also the fastest in its class, with unmatched 0.31-sec cycle time in standardized speed testing. Flexible mounting solutions allow the MZ07 to be a floor, wall or inverted mount to suit customer needs for any application. Nachi Robotic Systems Inc. Ph: 248-305-6545 Web site: www.nachirobotics.com August 2014 ManufacturingEngineeringMedia.com 233