We offer Automated box opening solutions, Automated box packing robots and Palletising robots.

Saving space, saving costs

Fold it, seal it, tape it, box it, pick it, place it — automate it. No, these aren’t Daft Punk lyrics, but the separate processes that Finland-based Orfer Oy needed to automate to speed up its packaging operations. However, automating these processes without expanding on factory floor space was no easy feat. For a new design of a fully automated packing machine targeted to the food and packaging industries, Orfer needed a robot that offered fast and accurate handling and that could easily integrate with a vision system to track and pick parts from a moving conveyor.

Finland-based Orfer Oy innovates, engineers, and manufacture robotic material-handling systems for a range of industries. The company’s existing BoxCell system uses a Toshiba Machine TH650A SCARA robot from TM Robotics to quickly pack products into plastic or cardboard boxes. Orfer Oy has worked with TM Robotics since 2004 and depends on the fast, accurate, reliable, and cost-effective Toshiba Machine robots from TM Robotics.

Under the laws of cricket, it is illegal for players to rub any substance other than saliva and sweat onto the ball, let alone scuffing it with their fingernails. Similarly, strict rules apply to the manufacturing of cricket balls. Here’s how cricket ball manufacturer, Kookaburra designed its first ever machine tending robotic system to produce the perfect ball, with the help of industrial robot supplier, TM Robotics and M.A.P Services, Australian partner for TM Robotics and Shibaura Machine.

Machine tending is repetitive work. The job of loading and unloading machines with parts or materials are usually done by humans. In the production of cricket balls, workers would place covers ― the outside leather of cricket balls ― onto trays after being pressed into shape to form half of a cricket ball. These trays are then placed into a rack and moved to the next process ― trimming excess leather from the pressed cover.

Choosing a robot

TM Robotics suggested the TVL 700 robot for this application due to its high speed and 6-axis articulated movement. These features ensure an easy change of direction, without limiting the range of motion.

“This application is about automating processes, speeding up production and getting more consistent results,” said Shane Gallagher, director at M.A.P Services. “The cricket balls made by Kookaburra are used in all international one-day and T20 cricket matches. The manufacturing process needs to be fast but safe, as it includes a pressing machine that has a hydraulic plunger and a blade. Ensuring operators are away from the blade immediately removes risk of serious injury or harm.”

Automation for electric vehicle battery assembly

Production of electric vehicles (EVs) doubled to a record 6.6 million vehicles in 2021 — a stark contrast to the otherwise depressed automotive market, which declined to just under 70 million units in 2021, from a peak of 80 million in 2017. Here, we examine the role of robotics in the rapidly changing automotive production market.

Vehicle manufacturers must prepare mass manufacture of EVs, and this includes changes to hardware and robotics. As early as the 1960s, the automotive industry has used robotics in assembly, welding and parts handling processes. In fact, General Motors was the first ever company to use industrial robots with the deployment of Unimate, a six-axis robot used to automate diecasting in 1962.

Today, almost every aspect of vehicle production uses some kind of automation. But, how does this change with EV manufacturing?  

Battery assembly is a core application for robotics in EV production. The heavy-lifting required for assembling batteries simply cannot be done without machine-power. What’s more, since EV battery size reflects the range in which the vehicle can travel, consumers are increasingly demanding higher ranges — and thus larger batteries and battery parts — requiring robots with increasingly heavy payloads.

Shibaura Machine has developed an evolution of its THE SCARA robot range for this specific application. The THE800 and THE1000 models are an ideal choice for tasks involving heavier components of up to 20kg that still require a high level of precision. The robots boast a cycle time of just 0.4 seconds with a 2kg load, with an impressive 8,400mm per second and 9,500 mm per second joint speed respectively. To maintain accuracy during the precise process of EV battery assembly, a robot of this quality is key. 

Robots can support the future of bioplastics

The bioplastics market is tipped to reach $215 billion by the end of 2027, growing in sectors including consumer electronics, medical applications, agricultural machinery and more. Advanced automation will be essential to ensure products are of the highest quality and accurately cut, formed and measured. Here, Nigel Smith, CEO at TM Robotics, explains how the use of robots in injection moulding processes, including its recently-expanded 6-axis robot range, can help manufacturers embrace a bioplastic future.

Bioplastics are made from sugar that comes from corn, sugar cane or sugar beets. They are more environmentally friendly than traditional plastics manufacturing since they can be made from renewable resources. This type of plastic is rising in popularity as an alternative to petroleum-based plastics, as manufacturers become increasingly conscious of plastic waste littering our oceans

But, of the growing options available, how can manufacturers be sure to choose the right robots for them? This is where a trusted partner like TM Robotics comes into play. Its team has a cumulative 75 years of experience working with Shibaura Machine equipment, and has long supplied robots for loading and unloading of injection moulding applications. Through its expertise, manufacturers can find their ideal automated injection moulding set up.

As bioplastics grow in popularity over the coming decade, expanded automation will be crucial for ensuring injection moulding is as economically viable as the bioplastics themselves. To this end,6-axis robots can play a vital behind-the-scene role in helping to reduce the levels of plastic waste littering Earth’s oceans and environment.