We are delighted to bring you the latest instalment in our monthly series of exclusive CEO interviews! This time, TM Robotics‘ Nigel Smith joins us to share his expert thoughts and experiences of machine vision.
Nigel discusses his near-40-year journey in the industry, explains which of TM Robotics’ solutions have been the biggest hits, and predicts further growth in AI-usage.
1.) What is your background in the industry?
Since 1986, I worked at Toshiba International, a leading global manufacturer of industrial automation equipment. I was responsible for the sales, marketing and support of the company’s Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC) and industrial robot product range throughout all of Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA).
My close relationship with Toshiba Machine, now under the name of Shibaura Machine, allowed me to participate suggesting new designs and product updates throughout the years. This included everything, from end-of-arm tooling and robot mechanical structures to new controllers for the European market. Based on this experience, I founded TM Robotics in April 2000. Since then, I have been supervising the distribution of Shibaura Machine industrial robots throughout EMEA and North and South America, working out of the company’s UK headquarters.
2.) How would you describe your company to someone who may be unfamiliar with it?
TM Robotics supplies industrial robots and software. As the premier partner of Shibaura Machine, TM Robotics has been providing 6-axis, SCARA and Cartesian robots for over 20 years, as well as integrated robot packages. TM Robotics is also an official distributor of Shibaura Machine in the UK and Irish markets for injection moulding machines. Our focus to supply Shibaura Machine’s technically advanced all-electric injection moulding machines which achieve enhanced energy saving. Through our worldwide distribution network, TM Robotics’ specialists are dedicated to removing the complexity of robot investments for customers.
3.) What sets your company apart from others in the sector?
Every robot we supply has been expertly designed and engineered by Shibaura Machine in Japan. This allows us to deliver the highest quality machinery to customers around the world. Drawing upon decades of invaluable experience, we can offer tailored advice to help our customers optimise the efficiency and speed of industrial processes across diverse sectors like plastic, food and beverage, rubber, packaging or electronics assembly.
We pride ourselves on being very personal and hands-on with customer support, so they benefit from our decades of experience in robotic applications. In every purchase, we include two days of free in-person training with the customers’ robot in their facility. We also do remote log-in sessions, as TM Robotics has invested in a dedicated web broadcasting rig with special cameras for training.
4.) What are your most successful products?
The most in-demand Shibaura Machine robot at the moment is our THE range of SCARA robots, designed for assembly and inspection applications. This cost-effective series offers high-speed operation and high payload capacity, enabling fast-cycle automation in electronics and automotive manufacturing for parts assembly, testing and transfer processes.
The THE400, the smallest of Shibaura Machine’s THE SCARA series, is joined by its larger counterparts: the THE600, THE800 and THE1000. With a 600 mm arm length, the THE600 maintains its rapid speed capabilities while refining synchronised control and tracking precision.
Stepping up in size, the THE800 stands as the second largest robot in the series, while the THE1000 is the largest model. The THE1000’s robust design makes it well-suited for electric vehicle battery assembly and a wide array of other applications. Both the THE800 and THE1000 models boast versatility, accommodating payloads of up to 20 kg and allowing an inertia of 0.6 kg per square metre, ensuring adaptability across various industrial needs.
Our vision system, TSVision3D automates bulk picking with two high-speed stereo cameras capturing 30 frames per second for real-time 3D images. It handles image capture, processing, and parallax operations, enabling easy model registration without complex CAD data. This software easily integrates with a 6-axis robot arm for automated quality control and inspection.
5.) In which countries/regions are your products most distributed?
With headquarters in the UK and the US, TM Robotics distributes its products throughout Europe, the Middle East, Africa, India and North and South America. We serve the food processing, pharmaceutical, electronics and automotive manufacturing industries. Industrial robots that support effective pick and place, inspection, assembly and packaging are needed in each of these sectors.
6.) How do your products improve efficiency in manufacturing and within your sector?
All Shibaura Machine robots — be they Cartesian, SCARA and 6-axis — offer an innovative design that features speed, accuracy and energy efficiency.
One example of how our products helped improve efficiency was for Elliptical Design, a food machinery manufacturer, designed an ultrasonic cutting system for cheese and included our robots for three of its applications. The first two are pick and place applications with vision and conveyor tracking capabilities. One application involves the robot picking up a large, half moon piece of cheese and putting it into a plastic packaging, while in the other, the robot picks up three small pieces of cheese at once and putting them into packets.
For these applications, we supplied the THP700 SCARA robot — the strongest and fastest option in Shibaura Machine’s SCARA range that can work at full speed without thermal overload. It has an arm length of 700mm and a maximum payload of 10kg. It is also IP65 rated, making it perfect for food production.
The third application uses the TV1000H 6-axis industrial robot for ultrasonic cutting. This robot moves a 10kg cheese piece to a weigh station and then to a cutting station. The TV1000H has a cycle time of up to 0.9 seconds, repeatability of ±0.03mm, and an IP65 rating (or IP67 in some models).
Elliptical Design emphasised the importance of food-grade equipment with high functionality, speed, and precision. In this case – the main challenge for us was fine-tuning the robot’s vision system to accurately pick up and place cheese with non-uniform shapes. With Elliptical Design’s ultrasonic cutting system and Shibaura Machine robots in place the plant achieved greater efficiency, as the quotas that previously took four to five days, are now achieved in just two days.
7.) Could you please tell us what trend you predict in the machine vision space for the rest of 2024?
I believe we will see more companies jumping on the artificial intelligence (AI) trend, particularly in the area of machine vision. Our robot image recognition software, TSVision3D, incorporates two integrated, high-speed stereo cameras that are capable of 30 frames per second for continuous, real-time 3D images to identify items’ positions.
There’s a lot of potential for use of smart software for visual inspection applications, which learns from its mistakes. For example, machine vision cameras are able to detect faults in real time, often more quickly and accurately than the human eye. An integrated AI system can alert operators of the flaw before the item completes production, which enables swift intervention to rectify issues and minimise costly downtime.
This proactive approach not only enhances product quality and consistency but also streamlines manufacturing processes, boosting efficiency and reducing operational costs. These AI systems don’t just rely on their initial programming. With machine learning capabilities, it keeps on improving over time. As a result, quality control operators can perform their jobs with greater ease and efficiency.
Nigel Smith is the managing director of TM Robotics, the premier distributor of Shibaura Machine industrial robots. TM Robotics has supplied SCARA, six-axis and Cartesian robots from Shibaura Machine — formerly known as Toshiba Machine — for over two decades from bases in the UK and the US. TM Robotics also handles servicing and supply of Shibaura Machine injection moulding machines in the UK and Ireland.
