Machine Tending Robots

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Robots for Loading and Unloading CNC Machines

The machining industry – including capital equipment like lathes, mills, machining centers, forges, presses, and injection molding machines – has been the backbone of manufacturing. It is unlikely that any job shops or manufacturing plants have not invested in this technology.

Automating these machines gives manufacturers clear advantages in terms of utilization, secondary processes, labor resources, and productivity. Anytime a machine sits idle or an operator isn’t available to support it, that equates to lost productivity and profits.

FANUC's robotic machine tending solutions and software make it easy to connect your equipment and improve throughput and overall equipment effectiveness for most machine tending applications.

Machine Tending Cobots

FANUC collaborative robots are revolutionizing machine tending by offering a flexible, safe, and efficient solution for automating repetitive tasks like loading and unloading CNC machines and injection molding equipment. Designed to work collaboratively with human operators, these robots enhance productivity and consistency, freeing up human workers for higher-value activities. The following FANUC CRX cobots are ideal for machine tending applications:

CRX-5iA

Axes: 6

Payload 5 kg

Reach 994 mm

fanuc-crx-10ia — CRX-10iA

Axes: 6

Payload 10 kg

Reach 1249 mm

CRX-10iA/L Cobot — CRX-10iA/L

Axes: 6

Payload 10 kg

Reach 1418 mm

CRX-20iA-L — CRX-20iA/L

Axes: 6

Payload 20 kg

Reach 1418 mm

CRX-25iA

Axes: 6

Payload 25-30 kg

Reach 1756-1889 mm

FANUC CRX-30iA — CRX-30iA

Axes: 6

Payload 30 kg

Reach 1756 mm

Related Case Studies

Automated Precision Transfer Machines take Titanium Part Production to Next Level

Mitotec Precision produces high-quality, complex components for a wide range of OEMs across various industries. Faced with rising demand for a titanium part, the company turned to Hydromat for a solution---two FORCE Hybrid 32/45-16 CNC rotary transfer machines.

Vickers Engineering Thrives: FANUC Automation Fuels Competitive Edge

Vickers Engineering, based in New Troy, Michigan, is a leader in precision machining and assembly, committed to using technology to push the boundaries of manufacturing. Vickers first implemented FANUC robots in 2006 to relieve operators from doing a physically demanding operation. From that point, Vickers and its team fully engaged in automation to take on high-speed and repetitive tasks that has helped them achieve production goals and grow the business. Vickers recently entered a new chapter in their automation journey by integrating a FANUC CRX with a ROBODRILL machining center. This new technology has quickly helped Vickers improve efficiency and reliability in their machine tending area.

High-Mix, Low Volume Prototype Shop Achieves Lights-Out Manufacturing with Robotic Automation

KAD Models acquired two automated CNC machine tending systems using the FANUC M-710i/50 and R-1000/100F robots to ensure fast turnaround times for prototype manufacturing.

Solutions for Robotic Machining and Machine Tending Robots

FANUC has a wide range of robots for manufacturing CNC machines to automate a variety of processes, including:

Loading and unloading raw materials
Transferring finished parts to post-processing
Upstream and downstream assembly tasks
Material handling

From collaborative robots to robotic arms, our solutions are designed to help you get the most out of your machines by automating them with little to no downtime.

Faster Tool Changes

With a wide range of tool changing station mounting options, including top mounting, some industrial robot types serve as highly efficient tool changers. Capable of working with a huge range of tools, these models can handle any number of tools regardless of their weight.

Robotic Machining System With Automated Changeover for Workholding & Parts

Courtesy of Gosiger

ACE MT Series Machine Tender

Courtesy of Adaptec Solutions

Unmanned Machining

Dramatically Boost Your Uptime

When labor is difficult to obtain, train, and retain, unmanned machine tending solutions are an ideal option. With industrial robots, these systems can operate around the clock, providing you with the productivity you need to stay competitive.

Advantages of Robotic Machine Loaders and Unloaders

By automating the process of loading and unloading machines, manufacturers can improve throughput and overall equipment effectiveness. FANUC’s line of machining robots provides many advantages for users to enhance their operations, improve efficiency, and promote increased performance.

System Performance

Machine tending robots are able to take on many of the tasks that would normally require operator intervention, such as loading and unloading parts, transferring finished parts to post-processing, and material handling. Robots for machine tending can service different machines and perform secondary operations which helps to increase system uptime and overall productivity.

By automating these processes, machines can run for longer periods of time without needing to stop in order to allow an operator to intervene.

Employee Safety and Satisfaction

By automating the strenuous and repetitive tasks of loading and unloading with CNC machining automation operations, you can reduce the risk of employee injury, making their jobs much safer. When your employees don't have to manually handle these arduous duties and can instead focus on higher value tasks, they will be more satisfied with their workplace, thereby decreasing turnover and limiting your need to specifically hire manual laborers in those positions.

Increase OEE with Automated Loading and Unloading Equipment

Increase OEE by putting your industrial robots to work on secondary tasks while the machine is in service! Robotically tending a machine tool allows you to increase your overall equipment effectiveness. Robots can quickly change grippers to maximize production time and accommodate jobs involving more than one process.

While the machine is in service, you can utilize your robot for a range of additional cell-related tasks such as:

Deburring
Cleaning
Quality Control
Specification Checks
Gauging
Surface vision inspections

Automotive Machine Tending System

Courtesy of Meredith Machinery

Robotic Loading of Gear Grinding Machine

Courtesy of Matrix Design

For efficient loading, unloading, and precise part placement, a machine tending robot like an industrial robot arm can provide a simple, effective solution.

FANUC Machine Tending Robots: Easy to Implement, Ready to Go

Flexible standalone solutions make automating machine operations a very viable choice for small to medium sized businesses. These cost-effective options are easy to operate and offer considerable benefits even on small production runs.

These robotic machine tending solutions greatly simplify robot deployment, offering a quicker delivery and installation than custom automation solutions might, making them perfect for smaller scale operations.

"The Lean Machine Generation 2" Robotic Machine Tending System

Courtesy of Acieta & Wagner Machine Company

Get maximum flexibility with multiple part machining automation that is easy to implement and use.

Machine Tending Cobot Load & Go Drawer Cell

Courtesy of Automation Within Reach

Meet changing market and consumer demands with ease by integrating a machine tending robotic system from FANUC, featuring an intuitive HMI without the need for complicated programming.

SNAPMate: Simplifying Machine Tending Cobot Automation

Courtesy of Motion Controls Robotics

Collaborative robots are the perfect partners for automating CNC machine tending operations, making your processes more efficient and accurate.

Two for One or More: Load Multiple Machines with Automatic Loading Robots

With a range of rail, floor, wall, and ceiling mounting options to save space and expand your robot's work envelope, our robots are ideally suited to tending multiple machine tools – increasing your throughput and maximizing production time.

FANUC "Flying Robots" in Camshaft Machining Center

Courtesy of TranTek Automation

Save floor space and enhance the efficiency of multiple tasks with flexible mounting options for your machine tending robot.

Automated System Uses Overhead Gantry Robot & Deburring Robot To Machine Parts

Courtesy of Matrix Design

Rail- or ceiling-mounted CNC machine robots improve throughput of tasks like loading, unloading, deburring, and cleaning without taking up valuable floor space.

1:33

Two Overhead Machine Tending Robots Load/Unload Four FANUC ROBODRILL Machine Tools

Overhead loading and unloading of more than one machine saves space while increasing performance capabilities.

How Automated CNC Machining Tools for Unloading and Loading Can Facilitate an Agile Manufacturing Approach

The implementation of automated machine tending tools can help create an agile manufacturing environment because the machines can be quickly reprogrammed to handle different parts, and they do not require skilled labor to operate. As a result, machine tending industrial robots can help manufacturing facilities rapidly respond to changes in customer demand.

In order to fully reap the benefits of an agile manufacturing approach, it is important to implement other supporting technologies and processes. An agile manufacturing approach will often make use of lean principles, just-in-time production, and flexible manufacturing systems. When these technologies and processes are combined with CNC machining, they can help create a truly agile manufacturing environment.

What is Agile Manufacturing?

An agile manufacturing environment is one that is able to rapidly respond to changes in customer demand. In order to be truly agile, a manufacturing facility must have the ability to quickly adapt its production process to meet changing customer needs. This might mean rapidly designing and prototyping new products, or rapidly reconfiguring existing production lines to produce different types of parts.

Intelligent Functions for Automated Loading and Unloading Solutions

Robots equipped with intelligent functions can further improve the efficiency of your machine tending applications and streamline your production process. These functions might include the ability to automatically:

Recognize and pick up different types of parts
Load and unload parts from different machines
Connect and disconnect hoses, cables, and other peripherals
Clean and lubricate machines
Provide real-time status updates to operators

Innovative Boring Mill System Uses FANUC Robot to Load Heavy Parts

Courtesy of Weldon Solutions

Manufacturers with proven expertise in vision systems can equip robots with intelligent vision options that make a vast array of machine tending operations possible. Options often include 2D vision for part location, 3D vision for part detection, positioning and orientation, visual line tracking for conveyors and area sensors for bin picking. Vision can also be incorporated for error proofing and visual inspection.

Machine Tool Loading with FANUC M-10iA Robot

Courtesy of Gosiger Automation

On robots equipped with safety area sensing devices, Dual Check Safety Speed and Position Check enables you to dispense with traditional space-taking constraints such as fences and safety hardware. This functionality restricts the robot to specific zones, and by slowing it down, the operator can enter the work envelope without shutting down production.

Integrated Manufacturing Solutions

FANUC’s CNC machines are reliable and precise; when paired with our robotic solutions, they become even more powerful. Automating your machines with FANUC’s machine tending robots will help improve your throughput and decrease your downtime.

For a truly integrated machining solution, partner your FANUC robot with FANUC CNCs or General Motion Controls. With streamlined communications and the industry's best reliability, nothing beats a truly automated machining system from FANUC.

August 08, 2025

Tools to Simplify Robotic CNC Machine Tending Integration: Part 1

February 16, 2023

Expert Advice

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November 17, 2022

Customer Insights
Expert Advice

Applications

Robots for Loading and Unloading CNC Machines

Machine Tending Cobots

CRX-5iA

CRX-10iA

CRX-10iA/L

CRX-20iA/L

CRX-25iA

CRX-30iA