Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1467744
38 PCB007 MAGAZINE I MAY 2022 Feature Interview by the I-Connect007 Editorial Team e I-Connect007 Editorial Staff spoke with Chemcut's Chris Bonsell and Jerry Reitz, and Atlantic Microtool's Bruce Siemering and Neil Robinson a b o u t r e c e n t r o b o t i c a u to m a t i o n advances, a specific robotic solution from Automata, and the changing fac- tors tipping toward robotic automa- tion in the current market. Nolan Johnson: While robotics in the PCB fab area have been on the cusp for quite some time, it seems they haven't taken off. Chem- cut has been working with Atlantic Microtool and Automata on a possible solution. What motivated you to partner on robotic handlers now? Jerry Reitz: By no means is this a large, industri- alized robot. We believe that it is a fit for most of our customer's applications, from small shops with smaller budgets and limited space to large facilities looking for a plug and play solution for large volume production. Andy Shaughnessy: Who's the manufacturer? Bruce Siemering: e robot arm is manufactured for Chemcut by a robotics company out of the United Kingdom. Atlantic Microtool, which is owned by me and Neil Robinson, made the initial contact and introduction to Chemcut. We wanted to solve this problem where somebody is running a conveyorized line, and they're loading a metal panel or a circuit board every 30 seconds, and they're just standing there, or they're running around to the other side to unload. It's a mundane job that would be a perfect fit for this robot. As we were looking for a robot, we noticed the ones we found were a little more difficult to program because the soware was intim- idating. One of the attractive features of this Chemcut's Robotic Solution