Flegg Projects will be attending the Interplas plastics exhibition on September 26-28, 2023. Their Managing Director Jayson Flegg and Sales Director Mark Marshall invite attendees to visit Hall 4, Stand A90 to discuss your machinery transportation and installation needs.
With nearly 50 years of experience, Flegg Projects has the expertise to safely and efficiently move plastic moulding machines, extruders, and heavy equipment anywhere in the world. Whether you’re relocating across your facility or importing new machinery, they can handle your machinery move smoothly from start to finish.
Stop by and let them show you how their specialised equipment and skilled team can save you time and money on your next machinery move see how we do it
A group of seven young people aged between 14 and 16 have spent a week with leading automation experts FANUC UK, gaining valuable hands-on robotics experience as they learnt what it takes to become an automation engineer. As part of FANUC’s campaign to break down barriers to careers in engineering and build a future manufacturing talent pipeline, the company invited a select group of teenagers into its UK headquarters at Ansty Park, Coventry for five days in August for its first ever Work Experience Week.
Hailing from a variety of nearby schools and colleges, the seven teenagers enjoyed a practical insight into the world of automation at the renowned FANUC Academy. Combining hands-on robot programming training with an introduction to project management, the group was also given access to FANUC’s portfolio of industrial robotic and automation solutions, as well as learning about the varied sectors and applications in which they are used – from aerospace and automotive to food & beverage and plastics.
In a bid to understand just what it takes to forge a successful career in robotics, the students also took part in a Q&A session with FANUC staff including Hara Konstantelia, a 23-year-old Technical Sales Support Engineer who herself joined the industry through an apprenticeship programme and helped to run the week-long course.
“I’ve enjoyed seeing the level of passion these young people have shown towards automation, and their excitement to learn new things,” Hara comments. “Having been down this route myself, supporting our work experience students on their own journey and expanding their perception of engineering has been a great experience.”
Attracting Gen Z into a career in engineering is a key aim for FANUC UK. Its Training Academy has recently achieved independent validation, allowing the company to offer accredited courses that can feed into mainstream education. FANUC’s Work Experience programme is showcasing the opportunities available within automation and manufacturing to a cohort that may never have experienced robotics first-hand before.
“We understand the importance of giving young people the opportunity to have real-world, hands-on experience with industrial robots,” says Tony Bentham, Head of Customer Service at FANUC UK “FANUC’s Work Experience Week aims to ignite a spark in young people by showing just what it takes to forge a career in robotics, as well as giving them access to people who are successfully doing their dream job.”
For the majority of the participants, this was the first time they had used a robot and the experience was not one to be forgotten. “It’s been a really exciting experience and I’ve enjoyed it so much,” says Nathaniel Sharpe, 16. “I learnt a lot about the different types of robots produced by FANUC – from collaborative ones that you can work alongside, to some that can pick up items with a vacuum or grippers, to ones that can carry huge loads up to 2-3 tonnes. This was my first time using a robot and I thought it would be a lot harder than it actually was – programming it was surprisingly straightforward! The week I spent at FANUC really opened my eyes to the world of robotics and engineering – I’d recommend the work experience programme to anyone.”
The success of its first ever Work Experience Week and the positive feedback from the participants has prompted FANUC to consider running similar events in the future, as Hara concludes: “Activities like this are so important as the skills required for engineering today are not always accurately represented in the media, especially on platforms aimed at younger people. I hope the students left the week inspired and with a clearer idea of what opportunities are available to them.”
Education is a key theme at the 2023 FANUC UK Open House event, taking place 14-16 November at FANUC UK’s Coventry HQ. To reserve your free place, go to https://ukopenhouse.fanuc.eu/
FANUC invited a select group of teenagers into its UK headquarters at Ansty Park, Coventry for five days in August for its first ever Work Experience Week.
Combining hands-on robot programming training with an introduction to project management, the group was given access to FANUC’s portfolio of industrial robotic and automation solutions.
Hara Konstantelia, a 23-year-old Technical Sales Support Engineer at FANUC was quizzed by the students and helped run the week-long course.
First time robot user 16-year-old Nathaniel Sharpe programmed a robot which he found to be surprisingly straightforward.
About FANUC
The FANUC Corporation is one of the worldwide leaders in factory automation for CNC control systems, robots and production machinery (ROBODRILL, ROBOCUT and ROBOSHOT). Since 1956, FANUC is the pioneer in the development of numerically controlled machines in the automation industry. With 271 FANUC locations worldwide and more than 8,000 employees, FANUC offers a dense network in sales, technical support, research & development, logistics and customer service.
For more information, please contact:
FANUC UK Ltd Sapphire Way, Ansty Park, COVENTRY, CV7 9DR
MOULDFLO the Danish based Flow Monitoring and Mould Validation experts appoint FERROMATIK UK as the official Sales and Service partner for the UK and Ireland.
Danish based flow monitoring and mould validation specialists ‘MOULDFLO’ have today officially announced Chesterfield based plastic processing equipment and ancillary supplier
FERROMATIK UK as its official Sales and Service partner for the UK and Ireland. This comes into effect immediately.
Following a lengthy search and evaluation process supported by the Danish Trade Council in the UK, Ferromatik UK was shortlisted and then finally selected as MOULDFLO’s
preferred partner of choice. MOULDFLO’s Head of Sales Anjum Parwaiz said, “Building on strong sales growth and the up and coming launch of complementing products for the
monitoring, testing, validation, and maintenance of injection moulds, we recognised the need to strengthen our worldwide reseller network. We were looking for a reseller in the UK who
had the capability to install, integrate solutions and handle service and support of hardware and software. Ferromatik UK fitted the bill perfectly. In the past our resellers were suppliers
of tool and maintenance components, retailers of DIY products and mould consumables, but our customers also need our knowledge of cooling and polymer processing. This is a
prerequisite when asked to design a flow monitoring solution or mould validation system. Ferromatik have the capability and capacity to do training on top of installation, service, and
support”.
For more than 50 years Ferromatik UK have been partnered with some leading brands including Milacron and BMB, WEMO Automation and SELLA Thermodynamics. Anjum
continues, “Our market research study showed that customers speak highly and value the service provided by the team of sales and service engineers at Ferromatik UK. This was
clearly significant when selecting and finally appointing our new reseller for UK and Ireland”.
MOULDFLO customers in the UK and Ireland should now contact Ferromatik UK for
technical support, spare parts, training and servicing and to discuss new enquires.
Technical Sales Contacts/New Projects
Dave Smith
Sales Director Tel. 07918 054455 Email. dave_smith@ferromatik.co.uk
Ian Jobling
Business Development Manager Tel. 07918 742924 Email. ian_jobling@ferromatik
Support from automation specialist FANUC UK has helped a growing recycling tech company revolutionise the waste management sector with its AI-powered approach to sorting recyclable materials. London-based Recycleye uses proprietary AI vision technology in conjunction with FANUC 6-axis LR Mate robots to automate the detection and sorting of dry mixed recyclables, traditionally a largely manual process. This ground-breaking system, called Recycleye Robotics, is producing impressive results including an increase in sorting accuracy of up to 12% and improved line output of up to 10%, helping waste operators to boost their bottom line and providing a solution to ongoing labour shortages in the waste management industry.
Founded in 2020 with just four members of staff, Recycleye now employs over 45 people and has an install base that reaches across the UK and Europe. According to CEO Victor Dewulf, having FANUC by its side from day one as a strategic partner has been instrumental to the company’s rapid growth trajectory: “FANUC has been a key enabler in the success we’ve achieved so far, and they’re central to our future ambitions. They really put their faith in us and the product we set out to deliver.” Recycleye’s rapid journey took another step forward recently when it announced a $17m Series A financing round, led by deep-tech venture capital firm DCVC.
Transforming traditional sorting methods
Recycleye Robotics uses AI-powered computer vision to identify every single item in complex waste streams. The FANUC LR Mate robot which sits at the heart of the system then automatically separates those recyclables into different material classes such as plastics, aluminum, paper and cardboard. The most accurate and efficient AI robotic picking solution globally available today, it can operate 24/7, picking up to 33,000 items per robot over a 10-hour shift.
For Recycleye, choosing the right automation supplier and the right robotic solution was critical to their technology’s success. “In the early days of our journey, we worked with the MTC. They recommended that we speak to FANUC when we were looking for our robot partner and from day one, we knew we’d made the right choice,” says Chief Technical Officer Peter Hedley. “The FANUC LR Mate 200 iD/4SC is the perfect accompaniment to our vision system. We were looking to bring new technology into a very established, traditional industry. Although mostly reliant on manual pickers, any robots already being used to sort dry, mixed recyclables tended to be large, heavy Delta robots. The ability to retrofit our lightweight system into customers’ existing lines at a reasonable price point was therefore crucial.”
Compact and ultra-efficient
This ‘retrofitability’ was a main draw of the LR Mate – as a compact, short arm, mini robot it is easy to integrate into confined spaces, making it the perfect choice for Recycleye Robotics. As a result, the Recycleye team can install a system over a weekend, with no need for the facility to shut down or operations to be suspended.
Peter continues: “In addition, the FANUC LR-Mate is ultra-efficient, using five times less energy than a Delta robot. And thanks to its sophisticated sensors, there’s no wasted travel – if it’s not gripping anything, it won’t move to the bin. Reliability was another a key factor for us. It can operate 24/7 for eight years and still come back to the same millimetre point it has been told to move to.”
Mitigating labour shortages
For materials recycling facilities (MRFs), the benefits of Recycleye’s technology are myriad; not least that it offers a solution to the industry-wide labour crisis. A recent report by the CIWM[1] revealed that 60% of survey respondents had struggled to recruit staff in the past year, forecasting 89,000 vacancies across the waste and recycling sector by 2028.
“The LR Mate robot can pick as accurately as a human worker, and the vision system is as accurate as a human eye,” explains Peter. “Robots don’t need to take a break, don’t slow down or get tired, and don’t leave the job or need replacing. This is crucial as it can be very hard to find manual workers for waste picking. Recycleye Robotics is more consistently accurate than a human worker and can work safely alongside human employees, thanks to its safety guarding. It can also easily handle the hazardous materials that are routinely found in sorting facilities, which can injure human pickers. It’s therefore an ideal complement to the existing workforce.”
Purity equals premium
Another benefit for MRFs is that materials that are sorted to the highest purity will command a higher price. Recycleye Robotics is usually used at the quality assurance stage of the recycling process, comprising both positive picking (e.g. any recyclables that have been missed) and negative picking (removing any contaminants such plastics in an aluminum line). This boosts sorting accuracy, increasing purity. And thanks to the system’s transparent traceability function – every item is scanned and the resulting data is visualised on a dashboard – demonstrating pick levels and proving the purity of the batch are made simple.
“Quite simply, for our customers in the MRF sector, investing in a Recycleye Robotics system ensures the future of their business by giving them a competitive edge,” adds Peter.
A perfect partnership
FANUC UK has been part of the Recycleye journey from the start. With an install base of 14 systems across Europe in just three years and 25 FANUC LR Mates already purchased, FANUC UK’s Head of Sales, Oliver Selby, is confident that this is just the beginning for Recycleye:
“We wanted to be at Recycleye’s side from day one. We had very early engagement with them and put in place a plan that allowed them to de-risk their offering to the market. We conducted simulations and physical trials to make sure that when the product was finally released, it was going to work exactly as planned. The result is a solution that allows a higher throughput than anything else on the market today and offers a superb, automated alternative to traditional sorting methods using a compact robot, which is easy to deploy, easy to install and with low lifetime costs.”
London-based Recycleye uses proprietary AI vision technology in conjunction with FANUC 6-axis LR Mate robots to automate the detection and sorting of dry mixed recyclables, traditionally a largely manual process.Founded in 2020 with just four members of staff, Recycleye now employs over 45 people, some of the team are pictured here.
This ground-breaking system, called Recycleye Robotics, is producing impressive results including an increase in sorting accuracy of up to 12% and improved line output of up to 10%.
About FANUC
The FANUC Corporation is one of the worldwide leaders in factory automation for CNC control systems, robots and production machinery (ROBODRILL, ROBOCUT and ROBOSHOT). Since 1956, FANUC is the pioneer in the development of numerically controlled machines in the automation industry. With 271 FANUC locations worldwide and more than 8,000 employees, FANUC offers a dense network in sales, technical support, research & development, logistics and customer service.
For more information, please contact:
FANUC UK Ltd
Sapphire Way, Ansty Park, COVENTRY, CV7 9DR
Jupiter 2 Platen 550t machine with a Hilectro V1300 longitudinal robot cell
At Haitian’s NEW showroom you’ll find the latest models from Haitian injection moulding machinery. They have created a space that’s both informative and engaging, so you can get the information you need to make the best decision for your business.
The showroom features state-of-the-art machines with advanced technology, all of which are designed to help you increase your production capacity and efficiency. Whether you’re looking for a machine with a larger capacity or one that’s more energy efficient they have options that will meet your needs.
The knowledgeable staff are there to help you navigate the showroom, answer your questions and provide you with all the information you require to make an educated decision. Haitian understand that purchasing a new injection moulding machine is a big decision and want to make sure that you feel confident in your choice.
Overall, the new showroom is the perfect place to discover the latest technology and innovations in injection moulding, robotics and automation. Haitian invite you to visit them and explore the possibilities!
Zeres 190t with Hilectro V800 cell – Mars 2 200t with Hilectro V800 cell
