Machine-brand automation pages: loading and unloading fit
Fifty brand pages grouped by machine family: the machine data the fit check is made against, the configurations the machine can take, the part families it suits and what to prepare before asking for a proposal.
CNC lathes (8 brands)
Around chuck clamping, the turret / tailstock travel zone and the door structure, the cell links blank feeding, robot pick and place, machine clamping, machining, unloading and finished-part collection into one continuous cycle.
The shared configuration for this machine family is on the CNC Lathe Loading & Unloading.
Machine-by-machine detail for the same family is on CNC lathe solutions by machine brand.
Vertical machining centers (11 brands)
Starting from the table size, the guard door and top opening and the fixture type, the cell links blank feeding, loading, clamping, milling, flipping, second clamping, unloading and inspection.
The shared configuration for this machine family is on the CNC Machining Center Automation.
Machine-by-machine detail for the same family is on Machining center solutions by machine brand.
Horizontal machining centers (9 brands)
Around the pallet and the pallet changer, multi-face clamping of housing parts and the chip evacuation space, the cell links feeding, pick and place, face turning, operation transfer and inspection into an unattended cycle.
The shared configuration for this machine family is on the CNC Machining Center Automation.
Machine-by-machine detail for the same family is on Machining center solutions by machine brand.
Gantry machining centers (5 brands)
For large parts and heavy-load gripping, the cell works through the floor loading table, the storage buffer, the gantry travel and the clamping on the machine table item by item, checking load and path.
The shared configuration for this machine family is on the CNC Machining Center Automation.
Machine-by-machine detail for the same family is on Machining center solutions by machine brand.
Drill & tap centers (4 brands)
A drill & tap center has a short cycle and a high pick-and-place frequency, so the gripper weight, the handling path and the task scheduling across machines are calculated before the number of linked machines is discussed.
The shared configuration for this machine family is on the Drill & Tap Center Automation.
Machine-by-machine detail for the same family is on Machining center solutions by machine brand.
Five-axis machining centers (6 brands)
The swivel table and the spindle motion envelope of a five-axis machine take up space, so loading has to avoid the motion zone, the tool magazine and the chip area at the same time; gripper and pose design are the critical part.
The shared configuration for this machine family is on the CNC Machining Center Automation.
Machine-by-machine detail for the same family is on Machining center solutions by machine brand.
High-speed machining centers (3 brands)
High-speed machining has short cycles and many part changes, so the gripper has to be light and the handling sequence has to fit inside the machining cycle; otherwise the loading mechanism becomes the new bottleneck.
The shared configuration for this machine family is on the CNC Machining Center Automation.
Machine-by-machine detail for the same family is on Machining center solutions by machine brand.
Heavy machine tools (4 brands)
Loading a heavy part is a load problem first: the gripper weight, the part weight, the gantry span and the floor load capacity are calculated together before cycle time and machine linking are discussed.
The shared configuration for this machine family is on the CNC Machining Center Automation.
Machine-by-machine detail for the same family is on Machining center solutions by machine brand.
What these brand pages say, and what they do not
Two rules are carried on every page in this section, because a compatibility page is not a reference list.
Scope: Fifty brand pages grouped by machine family. Each one sets out the machine data the fit check is made against, the configurations the machine can take, the part families it suits, what has to be measured or photographed before selection, and the questions that come up in a first review. No page carries a customer name, a project count, a cycle time or a result figure unless a closed project and the customer's disclosure authorization exist.
Note: The brand and model information on this page comes from the company's own material and is used to explain the differences in automation fit between machine families, series and models. A brand name does not mean agency, authorization, certification or partnership, and does not mean that a project has been completed on a machine of that brand. Whether a specific model can be loaded and unloaded automatically has to be confirmed on site against the table or chuck, the guard structure, the fixture type and the layout.
The eight dimensions a fit check measures — machine structure, door type, chuck structure, turret position, loading window, part size, machine spacing and production cycle — are set out on Machine Compatibility.
What a case has to record
Admission rules
Only documented projects
Customer names, project numbers and machine models follow the closing documents; where there are none, they are not written.
No unmeasured numbers
Cycle time, capacity, accuracy, labor saved and return on investment are not written without measured data.
Customer information needs permission
Cases that show a customer name or site photos go live only after the customer has authorized disclosure.
Parameters belong to the conditions
Change the part on the same line and the conclusion can change, so a case always carries its part and its conditions.