Every day I hear some new and amazing advance in robotics. One of the most recent was a humanoid robot that ran a half marathon in China. That makes for great clickbait, but what are the real world practical uses of robots in the woodworking industry today?

Storage and retrieval
Robots excel in storage and retrieval systems, storing panels and using robots that automatically locate stacked panels and deliver them to conveyors to load into machining centers. Panels can even be stacked in mixed stacks, and the robots will automatically find the correct pieces in the correct order to put into the production stream.

Once parts are machined, other robots remove the finished parts from the conveyor and stack them for assembly.
IMA Schelling offers the VS storage and retrieval system for areas from 13.1 to 65.6 ft (4 to 20 m) wide and up to 328 ft (100 m) long or more. Learn more at imaschelling.us.

Automated finishing
Robots excel at precise tasks such as finishing. Robotics Solutions’ Touchless Spray System, a fully automated coating solution, integrates the precision of the CMA Robotics Spray Robot & Shuttle System with the efficiency of a custom integrated KUKA Machine Tending Robot. That way, the robots are doing both the spraying and the material handling. Learn more at roboticsolutions.net.

Affordable sanding
The biggest bottleneck in finishing is sanding. Stolbek Machines introduced Cosmo, an affordable robotic sanding system for doors. Designed to be a true single-piece flow lean machine, Cosmo doubles the speed of existing sanding operations, according to the company. The machine is designed to be affordable even for small shops. Learn more at stolbek.ca.

Programming
Many woodworking businesses are put off by programming. Fanuc America has introduced Roboguide V10, a program designed to streamline automation design and implementation. Roboguide V10 creates programs and simulates robotic workcells in 3D – eliminating the need for physical prototypes – while reducing costs, improving accuracy, and optimizing automation layouts, Fanuc states. Learn more at fanucamerica.com. Fanuc also offers online training tutorials. Sign up for Fanuc training online.