Universal Robots, the Danish producer of collaborative robots (cobots), is holding a Machine Tending Masterclass event on Tuesday 26 April (09.30-16.30) at the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) in Sheffield. Attendees can access Government funding and the expertise required ‘to automate machine-tending tasks and transform their operations’.

They will be able to meet with Universal Robots, UR+ partners, CNC manufacturers and installers all in one place, and establish an actionable plan for introducing cobots into their existing production environments.

According to the Made Smarter Review, the application of automation and robotics within UK industry “could contribute £183.6 billion by 2027. As businesses turn to cobots to help increase their capacity and fill labour gaps, machine tending is one of the simpler tasks to automate and offers a rapid return on investment. It is therefore the logical next step for most businesses seeking to improve margins and free up staff to focus on higher-value activities.”

The event will also introduce businesses to ‘lights out’ manufacturing, as a means of extracting additional value from existing investments in CNC machines; and show how companies are using cobots ‘out of hours’ to increase capacity and run a night shift that enables them to take on lower-margin jobs on profitable terms.

Experts from Universal Robots and the AMRC will be joined by representatives from the following organisations: SICK (vision systems and safety); OnRobot (grippers and tooling); Schunk (gripping and clamping technology); Robotiq (automation solutions with plug and play elements); EasyRobotics (industrial automation solutions for collaborative robots); Measurement Solutions (tools and software to help create integrated systems); Haas (CNC machine tools); and Mazak (‘CNC insights’).

Mark Gray, Universal Robots’s country manager (UK and Ireland), said: “Our aim is to demonstrate that automation really is for everyone, not just large corporations with expert robotic engineers. Those who attend the event will experience how easily automation can slot into existing operations and empower existing employees, all with minimal training.”

Registration for the event can be made at the website (events.universal-robots.com/semea/live-events/machine-tending-masterclass-at-the-amrc).