Press and forming loading
Present blanks, load tooling, confirm position, coordinate the press cycle and remove formed parts or scrap.
Beyond CNC machine tending
Robot tending for presses, forming and injection moulding machines.
Automate blank or insert loading, part removal, orientation, inspection and transfer with the machine interface, tooling, controls and safety engineered as one production cell.
Load
Blanks, inserts and components
Unload
Formed or moulded parts
Verify
Presence, orientation and quality
Transfer
Trim, inspect, mark or pack
Application families
Automate the complete part movement around the process.
Each process creates a different combination of heat, sharp edges, deformation, access, tooling and cycle constraints.
Press brake tending
Handle sheet or fabricated components through planned bends with reorientation and controlled support where suitable.
Injection moulding support
Place inserts, unload moulded parts, separate rejects, trim runners and transfer good components downstream.
Die-casting handling
Remove hot castings, manage cooling or quench stages and route parts to trimming or inspection.
Test and inspection stations
Load cyclic test equipment, vision stations, gauges and marking machines with controlled result routing.
Linked secondary operations
Connect forming or moulding with trimming, deburring, marking, washing, inspection and packing.
Process handshake
The robot and machine must share clear, safe states.
The cell controller coordinates when the robot may enter, when workholding or tooling can move, when the cycle can start and what happens after a fault or interrupted cycle.
- Machine ready, access open and process-safe permissions
- Part or insert present and correctly located
- Robot clear before process motion begins
- Cycle complete, reject and fault states
- Safe reset positions and guided recovery
Engineering inputs
Define the part before selecting the robot.
| Input | Why it matters | What to provide |
|---|---|---|
| Raw and finished condition | Shape, temperature, sharp edges and deformation affect gripping and sensing. | Drawings, weights, samples and process photos. |
| Machine access | Opening, tooling and moving machine elements determine reach and safe approach. | Machine model, layout, manuals and video. |
| Cycle and sequence | Robot movement, dwell, process time and downstream steps set the cell balance. | Timed operator steps and target output. |
| Variants and changeover | Part range affects gripper fingers, recipes, presentation and validation. | Full part matrix and changeover frequency. |
| Quality checks | Defects, orientation and process results determine inspection and reject routing. | Acceptance criteria and existing checks. |
Application-specific guidance
Separate the engineering sequence for pressing and moulding.
The parent system principles are shared, but part condition, access, tooling and downstream flow differ materially.
01
Press tending robots
Blank support, forming sequences, reorientation, press control handshakes and safeguarded access.
Open the press tending guide 02Injection moulding machine tending
Insert placement, hot-part take-out, runner separation, inspection, rejects and downstream packing.
Open the moulding guideComplete cell scope
From infeed to good-part output.
Presentation
Feeders, trays, conveyors or vision deliver raw parts and inserts in a controllable way.
Tooling
Mechanical, vacuum or magnetic gripping selected around surfaces, heat and process risk.
Control
PLC and HMI coordinate machine signals, recipes, faults, quality and recovery.
Safety
Guarding, interlocks, scanners and safe modes protect every operator task.
Frequently asked questions
Press and moulding tending questions.
What can a robot do around a press or moulding machine?
It can load blanks or inserts, unload formed or moulded parts, separate rejects, trim or mark components, perform inspection and transfer good parts to packing or the next process.
Can a robot place inserts into an injection moulding tool?
Yes where inserts can be presented, gripped, oriented and verified repeatably, and where the moulding machine provides suitable access and control handshakes.
How is press tending safety handled?
The press, robot, tooling, material and operator tasks are assessed as one integrated machine. Guarding, interlocks, safe modes and reset logic are selected around the real hazards and required access.
Can existing presses or moulding machines be automated?
Often yes when access, control signals, safe stopping and process repeatability are suitable. See the existing-machine retrofit checklist.