FEATURE ON ROBOTS AND AUTOMATION

Helping aero plants automate high-mix, large-scale inspection

Hexagon has unveiled new laser-guided solutions that make it possible, in some cases for the first time, to automate inaccessible and large-scale quality inspections in labour-intensive operations such as aircraft assembly, shipbuilding and wind turbine manufacturing.

Large-scale manufacturers are under growing pressure to increase output, but the inspection of safety-critical components often requires workers to check features manually from cherry pickers over multiple shifts, creating delays and interrupting production. Building on its laser tracker technology, Hexagon’s Leica Absolute Tracker ATS800, launched in 2025, introduced high-resolution direct scanning from distances of up to 40 m. The latest development expands its capabilities with a new AI-based computer vision feature called FeatureDetect.

FeatureDetect automatically identifies circular features such as bolt holes and mating points using the tracker’s onboard camera, reducing set-up time before laser scanning begins. This capability is particularly valuable for manufacturers working from CAD files, as well as for contract inspection, MRO and large raw casting measurement.

The ATS800 is a lightweight, battery-powered portable device that can be mounted by one person and used across multiple locations on site. From a single position, it can assess features and surfaces within large structures at high resolution.

Measurement specialist ARGON has also developed semi-automated inspection solutions using the ATS800, integrating it into a forklift-based measurement station for large components, while Geert Creemers, founder and managing partner at ARGON, says: “We call it automation without robots. In most cases, we achieve efficiency gains of 5-10 times.”

Hexagon reports the system can reduce inspection times from multiple days to just hours, while enabling safer, more reliable and even overnight automated inspection processes.

More information www.bit.ly/41Y0rjP 

Iconsys launches dedicated industrial cyber security solution

Iconsys has reinforced its commitment to becoming a full industrial lifecycle partner by launching a dedicated cybersecurity offer designed to protect manufacturers’ operational technology (OT) environments and production facilities from growing cyber threats. The Telford-based company – which has delivered more than 5000 automation projects across heavy industry, marine, offshore and advanced manufacturing – has introduced its new ‘GUARD’ solution, a five-stage approach to improving industrial cyber resilience.

Developed specifically for industrial environments where uptime, safety and legacy system integration create unique challenges, GUARD takes manufacturers from initial consultation and assessment through to protection, training and ongoing resilience support.

To deliver a complete single-source service, Iconsys has signed agreements with cybersecurity specialists OPSWAT and Rhelative, providing advanced cyber software support and risk assessment services.

Leandro Gasparini (pictured), director of services at Iconsys, says: “We regularly see the devastating financial impact and economic shock that cybersecurity attacks can have on business. Worryingly, threat actors are getting braver and widening their net to focus on businesses of all sizes. That’s where we come in. We’ve listened and responded by launching a solution that covers all industrial systems, automation and operational technology.”

The GUARD framework begins with audits, vulnerability analysis and network assessments, followed by tailored security roadmaps aligned with IEC 62443, ISO 27001 and emerging UK and EU regulatory requirements. Iconsys then delivers secure architecture design, threat detection, access control implementation and incident response training. The final stage focuses on long-term resilience through recovery support, managed cyber services and continual best-practice deployment.

Nick Darrall, managing director of Iconsys, adds: “By combining deep industrial expertise with proven OT cyber capability, we are removing complexity from what is often a fragmented and high-risk process.”

More information www.iconsys.co.uk

Flexxbotics updates FANUC industrial robot connector driver

Flexxbotics has updated the FANUC industrial robot connector driver within its ‘Transformers’ open-source project on GitHub, expanding robot-to-machine interoperability, real-time robot awareness and secure bi-directional control across automated production environments.

The enhanced FANUC connector driver is designed to simplify one of manufacturing’s long-standing challenges: enabling industrial robots to communicate effectively with the wide range of machines, safety systems, inspection equipment and plant assets used across modern factories.

Available now under the permissive Apache 2.0 licence, the updated connector allows FANUC robots and cobots to communicate in a standardised way with more than 1000 makes and models of factory equipment through Flexxbotics’ software-defined automation runtime.

The updated driver delivers standardised interoperability across both open industrial protocols and proprietary vendor interfaces, secure read/write execution for closed-loop robotic cell automation, and improved real-time visibility of machine states and process variables. It also supports high-frequency, parallelised data pipelines, capturing more operational data including robot speed, force, torque, cycle performance and other telemetry to support advanced orchestration, granular data collection and physical AI training.

“Robotic automation has historically required custom point-to-point integration in every workcell and process,” says Tyler Modelski, CTO and co-founder of Flexxbotics. “By further extending our FANUC industrial robot transformer, we’re making connectivity with plant machines and equipment standardised and many-to-many, which enables robotics to scale securely across factories.”

The updated transformer also supports applications that include robotic machine tending, automated job changeovers, cluster orchestration, closed-loop autonomous process control and digital thread traceability for regulatory compliance.

Tyler Bouchard, CEO and co-founder of Flexxbotics, adds: “Open interoperability is essential for scaling robotics beyond isolated work cells. By providing our FANUC connector driver as open source, we’re giving manufacturers a production-ready foundation for building truly autonomous robotic factories.”

More information www.flexxbotics.com

Smart FMS from SW combines trio of core technologies

Machine tool manufacturer Schwäbische Werkzeugmaschinen (SW) has opened a new chapter in automation systems with the launch of its Smart FMS (flexible manufacturing system), designed to enable flexible, resource-saving and sustainable workpiece processing regardless of batch size.

Presented for the first time at the Automatica and EMO exhibitions last year, the Smart FMS concept combines three core technologies: the Sfix automated clamping system, the S-cell mobile robot cell, and a pallet-changing system.

Unlike traditional production lines built around fixed processes, Smart FMS enables the flexible machining of different workpiece types and batch sizes without lengthy changeovers. This capability helps manufacturers improve machine utilisation, reduce set-up times and lower material and energy consumption.

The Sfix system simplifies workpiece clamping by replacing individual fixtures with a modular set up built from standardised components. In the Sfix-cell, a robot automatically assembles the required clamping device in just a few minutes using CAD data and SW’s patented Sfix plate.

Michael Kreuzberger, product manager at SW, says: “Sfix makes the clamping process plannable and reproducible. This significantly reduces set up and storage costs and increases process reliability, especially with frequently changing components.”

The S-cell system adds mobile automation to the process. A mobile platform carrying an industrial robot moves autonomously around the production facility, loading and unloading workpieces between machining, cleaning and assembly stations without rigid interlinking.

Combined with SW’s SmartFlow orchestration software, the system uses AI-supported planning to adapt dynamically to changing production requirements without manual intervention.

Kreuzberger adds: “Companies are looking for solutions that are flexibly scalable and do not require long changeover times. The Smart FMS provides exactly this foundation, regardless of industry, batch size or workpiece variant.”

More information www.sw-machines.com

Subcontractor automates high-accuracy prismatic machining

A bespoke robotic handling cell has been retrofitted to a DMG Mori five-axis vertical machining centre at the Redditch factory of Optimal Manufacturing, helping the subcontract specialist automate the production of high-precision prismatic components and achieve reliable 24/7 unattended machining. Supplied by Whitehouse Machine Tools, the Tezmaksan CubeBOX robotic handling cell is unusual in that it exchanges components mounted in vices on pallets, rather than handling billets, castings or forgings directly.

Joint owners and directors Will Cooper and Tom Slimm selected this approach because many parts require tolerances of less than 10 microns. They believed handling individual components would not provide the repeatability needed, particularly where second operations were involved. Instead, workpieces are fixtured in vices mounted on zero-point pallets and loaded into a DMG Mori CMX 70 U five-axis machining centre.

Tezmaksan modified its CubeBOX Blues DR MAX system so that the three storage shelves, each holding four vice-mounted parts, could slide horizontally towards the robot and back again. This capability allows the 70 kg payload robot to safely access the lower shelves and handle the fixtured workpieces efficiently.

Commissioned in August 2025, the cell quickly proved its value when Optimal secured a large stainless-steel valve manifold order for an oil and gas customer. The company ran the system continuously for three months.

“It was ideal for automation,” states Cooper. “We ran the cell 24/7 for three months, unattended every night, allowing us to produce the parts economically while enhancing our reputation for short lead-time deliveries.”

Slimm adds: “With some machining cycles lasting well in excess of two hours, and our ability to gain 14 hours’ production overnight virtually for free, this type of easy-to-use automation is a big asset for any manufacturing organisation.”

More information www.wmtcnc.com