Yorkshire-based company Shafton Steel Services has significantly reduced both costs and maintenance time after replacing a traditional conveyor system with a tailored lifting solution. At its facility in South Yorkshire, Shafton Steel Services, part of Billington Holdings’ group of companies, operates a robotic coping and drilling line that generates large quantities of steel scrap, which falls into a pit beneath the machine.

Typically, conveyor systems are used to handle this type of waste. However, due to space constraints at the installation site, the company opted for an alternative solution based on a scissor lift table. A conventional conveyor system would have required too large a footprint to accommodate the machine in its intended location.

Compared to a conveyor system, the footprint is significantly smaller, while maintenance requirements and safety risks are reduced. The lift table allows us to raise the entire unit by crane, ensuring full access to all components and safer cleaning of the pit.

“It’s 20-25% easier to perform maintenance work on the lift compared with a conveyor, which has a clear impact on our bottom line,” says Ryan O’Connor, profile manager at Shafton Steel Services.

The company commissioned the design and implementation of the scissor lift table, which runs on a rail system inside the pit. Steel scrap is collected in a bin placed on the lift platform and transported to one end of the system, where it is raised to floor level and removed. The total investment came to just under £29,000, approximately half the cost of a comparable conveyor system, according to O’Connor.

The lift table was developed and supplied by Sax Lift. The project reflects a broader trend for the company, which is seeing increasing demand for bespoke products in the UK market.

More information www.saxlift.com

Humanoid robots are moving from prototype validation toward early commercial deployment, with automotive manufacturing and logistics expected to form the core demand base over the next decade. According to IDTechEx, the humanoid robot market across sectors like automotive and logistics is forecast to grow rapidly over the coming years, reaching approximately US$25bn by the early 2030s. Annual shipments are projected to approach 1.8 million units by 2036, driven primarily by automotive manufacturing.

Return on investment (ROI) is clearly key, with IDTechEx calculations suggesting that humanoid robots are beginning to show a clear payback pathway under favourable deployment conditions. By 2026, payback periods can be reduced to around 6 months under high-utilisation scenarios, compared with approximately 15 months under medium utilisation.

As hardware prices continue to decline and deployment experience improves, ROI feasibility is expected to strengthen across a broader range of industrial applications. However, a shorter payback period should not be interpreted as guaranteed profitability. The core variable in humanoid robot economics is not only equipment cost, but the effective value of the work delivered by the robot. In practical terms, this means whether the robot can perform economically valuable tasks consistently, reliably and at a sufficient level of productivity across different environments.

This remains the main bottleneck for large-scale adoption. Humanoid robots are becoming increasingly feasible in selected structured industrial environments, but capability limitations remain clear in complex, variable or safety-critical tasks.

Overall, IDTechEx believes that the cost advantage of humanoid robots is becoming increasingly visible, and ROI can already be demonstrated in selected deployment scenarios. However, large-scale commercialisation will depend on continued improvements in software capability, task generalisation, system integration and deployment efficiency, rather than hardware cost decline alone.

More information www.IDTechEx.com/HumanoidRobotics

Sports cars are fun to drive, but that extra performance is probably unnecessary if the main job is the school run. Machine builders face a similar challenge when specifying automation. While some applications demand advanced motion control and high-performance hardware, many do not. Karl Walker, business development manager at Beckhoff Automation UK, explains why right-sizing automation can reduce costs while providing a foundation for future growth.

With nearly half of manufacturers ranking process automation among their top investment priorities over the next two years, according to Deloitte’s 2025 Smart Manufacturing Survey, machine builders must balance performance, flexibility and cost. The challenge is increasingly less about maximising performance and more about choosing automation that keeps machines simple today while remaining adaptable tomorrow.

Over-specifying a machine can increase upfront costs, commissioning times, engineering effort, cabinet space, spare parts inventories and maintenance demands. However, selecting a basic control platform can create problems as requirements evolve, potentially forcing hardware replacement, software migration or control system redesign.

A scalable architecture addresses both challenges. Machine builders can start with a compact controller for straightforward positioning and move to a high-performance industrial PC for advanced motion control without changing the underlying software or communications architecture.

Beckhoff extends this approach to motion hardware with products including the AX1000 economy servo drive, AF1000 variable frequency drive and ASI/AMI integrated stepper and servo drive. These solutions provide optimised performance for applications that do not require the highest levels of precision control, while offering flexible mounting and architecture options. EtherCAT connectivity also helps simplify cabinet design and reduce component count.

By maintaining a consistent engineering environment through TwinCAT, EtherCAT and PC-based control, machine builders can add coordinated motion, enhanced safety or greater data connectivity as requirements develop.

More information

More information www.beckhoff.com/en-gb

Mills CNC has introduced its T Series compact automation systems, providing machine tool customers with flexible, high-productivity solutions for low-volume, high-mix manufacturing and 24/7 unattended production.

Comprising the T5, T10 and T20, the systems can be integrated with one or more machine tools to create automated cells with different capacities to suit individual production requirements. Each features a six-axis industrial robot, with payload and reach capabilities, end-of-arm tooling and pneumatic or electronic grippers configurable to the application.

A servo-driven vertical lift system provides space-efficient storage, with the T5, T10 and T20 accommodating five, 10 or 20 vertically stacked, two-way bi-directional drawers respectively. Individual trays within each drawer feature configurable grid plates or sockets for storing raw billets and finished components.

An ergonomic load/unload station with a waist-height transfer hatch enables operators to load workpieces and remove finished parts quickly and safely, without interrupting automated operations. Guarding and safety systems, including a responsive light curtain, further protect operators.

At the heart of every T Series cell is Mills CNC’s proprietary SYNERGi V6 software, accessed through a 17-inch touchscreen HMI. The intuitive interface allows users to manage automation tasks with minimal training and supports rapid setup, production planning, scheduling and modification.

Multi-touch functionality and 3D visualisation simplify programming, while real-time monitoring provides an overview of cell operations. Remote assistance functionality can also alert operators when a production process is complete or has been interrupted.

Mills CNC’s chief technical officer Heath Redman says: “With up to 20 levels of vertical storage in a small footprint, T Series systems enable customers to replenish workpieces or safely remove finished parts without interrupting robot and machining operations. They can transform machine shop performance through continuous production.”

More information www.millscnc.co.uk