Smart robots featured in NPE educational session
Fanuc America Corp.'s Chris Blanchette will outline how intelligent robotic automation can improve a plastics processor's bottom line during an educational session from 1 p.m. – 2 p.m. May 7 at NPE2018.
"The primary focus for my presentation is going to be on intelligence-based features like vision and force control, precision and accuracy tools, and also safety features that will allow a manufacturer to add more flexibility to their handling and managing of plastic parts right from the mold all the way to an assembly process," said Blanchette, Fanuc's assembly, medical and aerospace business development manager.
The seminar will address how collaborative robotic features — which monitor and control speed, motion and force when a robot is near or in contact with a human — can reduce costs by allowing people to work with robots or in proximity to robots safely and reduce the need for bulky safety guarding. with less need for safety guarding.
Fanuc's iRVision, or integrated robotic vision, is a tool that can be used for inspecting and sorting parts.
"The vision system can locate and identify the part and inspect it at the same time," Blanchette said. "You can select good and bad parts and sort them accordingly using the vision system."
Fanuc Force Sensors, another topic Blanchette plans to address, enable robots to detect force and torque applied to the end effector, providing them with an almost human sense of touch and the ability to perform tasks previously done by skilled workers.
Fanuc offers Intelligent robotic automation on a variety of robots, including SCARA, delta, high-speed and precision robots, Blanchette said.
The intelligent robotic presentation is one of numerous expert Super Sessions announced March 19 by the Plastics Industry Association (PLASTICS). Other presentations include: Trends and Material Solutions for the Building and Construction Market; Gaining the Competitive Advantage with Industrial IoT; Industry 4.0: Implementing a Smart(er) Factory; Trends and Material Solutions for the Packaging Market; and Innovative Approaches to Sustainability — A look at hydraulic fluids. A complete schedule including times and locations for the seminars is available online at the npe.org website.
In addition, the association is adding a new educational event at this year's show, the Plastics Leadership Summit.
The summit takes place from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. during three days of the show, May 8-10. Organizers selected a half-day schedule to encourage attendees to visit the show floor following daily summit activities "where they can marry what they've learned with technologies and innovations being showcased by exhibitors whose products and services relate to the presented themes," PLASTICS President and CEO William R. Carteaux said in a press release.
The Plastics Leadership Summit is designed to help CEOs and senior-level managers improve their understanding of factors that can determine a company's success. The sessions will include networking lunches and programs featuring speakers from well-known financial institutions, consumer brands, plastics manufacturing companies and national associations.
"The addition of this programming is intended to serve a new executive audience of NPE attendees who might not have previously been able to attend the show," said Susan Krys, VP of marketing and trade shows at PLASTICS. "The Plastics Leadership Summit is designed to help them make the decisions they have to make every day in order to succeed, and also to give them the opportunity to see the breadth of NPE and the value it delivers their organizations and to the industry at large."
The programs are tailored to various audiences and tackle different topics on each of the three days.
The May 8 Plastics Leadership Summit track, called "Profit," is targeted at C-level executives and presidents and CFOs of small- and middle-market companies. Topics include capital sourcing for growth and acquisition, company valuation and corporate financial strategies. Speakers include Sharon Miller, managing director, head of small business, Bank of America; Colin Convey, managing director, head of packaging investment banking, Goldman Sachs Group Inc.; Craig P. Staub, managing principal, Odyssey Investment Partners LLC; John Hart, managing director, P&M Corporate Finance; and Samuel H. Smith III, managing director, Customers Commercial Finance LLC.
The May 9 track, called "Product," is designed for senior business development executives, sales and marketing executives and product/divisional managers. The focus will be on projected demand for existing and new ideas in the aerospace, medical, consumer products and proprietary plastics manufacturing sectors. Speakers and panelists include Theresa Hermel-Davidock, senior director, Abbott Laboratories; Stephen Livernois, VP, procurement of direct materials, Becton, Dickinson and Co.; René Lammers, senior VP of global beverages R&D, PepsiCo; Nounsi Carpenter, senior manager, supplier management, Boeing Inc.; Jay Olson, global manager, materials engineering and technology at the John Deere Technology Innovation Center; and Scott Farmer, executive VP and chief procurement officer, Berry Global Inc.
The May 10 track, titled "Production," is geared toward manufacturing executives and GMs of manufacturing plants. Topics range from workforce development to innovations including additive manufacturing and smart manufacturing. Speakers and panelists include Jay Timmons, president and CEO, National Association of Manufacturers; Gregory Haye, GM, materials and process development center of excellence, Local Motors Inc.; Mike Regan, director of 3-D materials, HP Inc.; Peter Stansky, digitalization development manager, Siemens Industry U.S.A .; and Steve Biesczat, CMO, IQMS.
Additional information, including how to register, is available online at http://www.plasticsindustry.org/plastics-leadership-summit.
In addition to the Plastics Leadership Summit, eight other educational programs at NPE2018 will cover everything from the latest in sustainable plastics manufacturing to market insights.
"Each session will equip attendees with the knowledge to more fully understand the technology they'll see in action on the show floor," said Teena Pham, PLASTICS' marketing manager for trade shows.
The summit carries a daily registration fee. Discounted rates are available for PLASTICS members. Registration includes complimentary admission to the exhibit halls and technical zones.
Each educational program carries separate fees. PLASTICS has posted a breakdown of fees for both association members and nonmembers at www.npe.org/registration-fees.
Bruce Geiselman, senior staff reporter
About the Author
Bruce Geiselman
Senior Reporter Bruce Geiselman covers plastics processing technologies and end markets including automotive and packaging. He also writes features, including In Other Words and Problem Solved, for Plastics Machinery & Manufacturing and The Journal of Blow Molding. He has decades of experience in daily and magazine journalism, including eight years at PMM, and is the recipient of a Jesse H. Neal Award, among other recognitions.