Robots at NPE 2006, the Plastics Show

Purpose – This paper aims to present a review of the NPE 2006, Plastics Show held in Chicago, IL with emphasis on robots, their application in the plastics industry and end‐of‐arm‐tooling. Design/methodology/approach – In‐depth interviews with suppliers of robots, injection molding machines, system integration of robots into plastic processing applications, control suppliers and end‐of‐arm‐tooling. Findings – The plastic injection molding industry is moving to production cells with heavy usage of robot machine tending. The need for very short cycle times drives the interest in very fast agile robots with the ability to integrate easily into the production cell approach. New technologies such as in mold labeling also drive the need for suitable robots and competent system integrators to supply successful systems. Practical implications – Robot builders need to continue to develop specialized robots and tooling to match with advancements in applications in the plastic industry. Users will need to think of robots as a necessary adjunct to any injection molding application. Originality/value – Presents a review of the NPE 2006, Plastics Show, Chicago, IL, with emphasis on robots, their application in the plastics industry and end‐of‐arm‐tooling.