BIEMH invites Mexico

Mexico will be the ‘Invited Country’ at the 32nd edition of the BIEMH international machine
tool exhibition in Bilbao on 3-7 June. Typically, Mexico has a very significant presence at the
event and represents a strategic market for the industry. This position has now been enhanced following the signing of the T-MEC and the near-shoring policy it is implementing, with about 50 Mexican purchasing companies already confirming their participation. Most of them represent the automotive sector, but professionals from the aerospace, appliance, moulding and distribution sectors have also confirmed. For further information www.bit.ly/3TJIj90

Enabling robot compatibility with Foba

Flexxbotics, which delivers work-cell digitalisation for robot-driven manufacturing, can now
offer robot connectivity compatibility for machine tending with all of the Foba laser marking
and engraving products. Flexxbotics includes communication with Foba’s integrated camera
system for vision-based inspection, providing closed-loop feedback to the robot for
autonomous process control. With Flexxbotics robot-driven operation of Foba equipment
customers achieve greater throughput and higher yields.
 
Foba provides precision laser marking systems and laser engraving machines that include
fibre laser markers and UV laser markers, as well as ultra-short pulse laser markers, CO2
laser markers and green laser markers for a diverse range of applications and industries. The
patent-pending FlexxCORE technology in the Flexxbotics solution enables robots to connect
and communicate with the Foba laser marking and engraving equipment including the
integrated camera systems for robotic orchestration of part processing with in-line
inspection. Flexxbotics compatibility includes the Foba MarkUS control, as well as Foba’s
digital I/Os, PROFINET, Profibus/TCP/IP and EtherCAT.

 
The solution co-ordinates robot actions with Foba’s three-stage marking process, which
includes part inspection prior to marking, automatic mark alignment and subsequent
validation of the marking. Flexxbotics utilises either the intelligent mark positioning (IMP) or
point and shoot (P&S) capabilities in the Foba equipment for precise alignment of the laser
marker on the customer’s product, along with vision-assisted workflows for accuracy if
touch-up is needed.
 
Combining Foba with Flexxbotics is particularly valuable in industries with strict regulatory
compliance requirements that dictate the highest levels of repeatable precision, such as
medical devices and surgical products along with aerospace, defence and space,” explains
Tyler Bouchard, co-founder and CEO of Flexxbotics. “With Flexxbotics and Foba together,
customers can optimise cycle time, expand capacity and increase profit per part.”
For further information www.flexxbotics.com

Get inspired at MACH 2024

MACH 2024 (NEC, Birmingham, 15-19 April) is the perfect platform to discover cutting-edge
manufacturing technologies and solutions, providing visitors with an opportunity to
experience the latest industry advancements. This five-day event features the largest
display of working machinery in a single venue, allowing visitors to make informed
investment decisions by seeing before they buy.

Alongside a comprehensive display of live working machines and innovative manufacturing
solutions, visitors to the exhibition can discover how their businesses can sustainably adopt
new technology and techniques to improve productivity, efficiency and reduce waste. They
will also learn how to adopt new processes and techniques at MACH Knowledge Hubs –
from automation to additive, through AI and data, to sustainable manufacturing. Readers
will find a round-up of some key exhibitors further on in this issue.
For further information www.machexhibition.com