April 7, 2009

Welcome to the April 2009 issue of Motoman Direct, containing news, product information and updates from Motoman Inc.

Featured Products

SDA10 Robot – Application possibilities for our dual-arm SDA10 robot are limited only by your imagination. See how Motoman can help you kick-start your company’s economic recovery.

<< NEW! RobotPro® – Web Edition - Web-based version of expert system software helps Motoman robot users perform preventive maintenance, alarm code troubleshooting and repair procedures.

NEW! Quick-Ship Instant Welder – Does your company need inexpensive, high-quality welding help fast? A reliable, high-productivity robotic solution could be up and running production in your plant two weeks from NOW! Check out Motoman’s instant welder.

Corporate News

Meet Motoman’s revolutionary SDA10 Robot>> –
aka “Dexter Bot” on Facebook and Linked-In. One of our dual-arm, 15-axis SDA10 robots now has his own Facebook page. To find him in Facebook, search for SDA10 robot and become a fan to get latest updates.

On www.LinkedIn.com, search people for “Dexter Bot” (the SDA10 robot’s alter ego) and then ask Erik Nieves, Motoman’s Technology Director, for an introduction. Once you are confirmed as a friend, you can chat with “Dexter,” ask questions and check out his wall for news, photos and videos.

IMTS Podcast interview now available - Erik Nieves talks about Motoman’s innovations in robotic machining and meeting Six Sigma quality challenges.

Motoman’s Annual Customer Satisfaction Survey - Results for 2008 will be released soon. Watch for updates on our web site.

Click on the links below to access information relating to key focus areas for Motoman’s Advanced Systems Group (ASG):

Editorials, Case Studies & Articles

Have a Success Story to Share? If your company has a Motoman robot application success story that you’d like to see featured in an article for publication, please contact Motoman’s Staff Writer/Editor at marykay.morel@motoman.com or call 937.847.3242.

"Fabricator Meets Competition Challenge with Robot Welding Cells" - The Fabricator - January 2009 issue - Robotic welding is helping LB Steel/Coburn Steel beat foreign competition. Three Motoman robot cells weld very large, heavy components for the construction, railroad and mining industries.

"Arctic Snow & Ice Control Plows Up Productivity with New Robotic Welding Cells" – Robotics Online - posted 2/18/09. Company uses two Motoman robot cells to weld their unique, patented sectional snow plow moldboards and frames.

"Three-Robot Cell Welds Crane Outriggers" – Assembly - March 2009 (and online edition 2/20/09) – Manitowoc Cranes in Shady Grove, PA, is achieving stellar results using three Motoman HP20 robots equipped with Fronius tandem-arc packages to weld large construction crane outrigger beams. They’ve been able to improve productivity and bring out-sourced production back in-house.

Case Studies - New Motoman application case study summaries are posted to our web site regularly. Recent additions include:

ACS#119 -- GMAW, Plasma Cutting, Material Handling Irrigation Pipe
ACS#120 -- GMAW, Material Handling Grain Bin Dryer Fan Wheels
ACS#121 – Material Handling/Palletizing Cases/Trays of Consumer Product

Customer Satisfaction & Training

Motoman’s Customer Satisfaction Group is now including grease analysis with our Audit, Preventive Maintenance (PM), and Extended PM services - Provided at no additional charge, this value-added grease analysis feature helps customers better plan for and schedule the frequency of preventive maintenance for their robots. It also aids in the early detection of potential drive and bearing failures.

Torque Monitoring Offered - Based on the results of the grease analysis, Motoman also offers Torque Monitoring as an optional service. This additional predictive tool can be used to verify possible drive and bearing failures. Reports will be generated after each service is complete and sent to the customer. History of each service will be compiled and submitted to the customer to provide a complete tracking of each robot’s preventive maintenance history.

Spring Training Special – Motoman is offering a special 15% discount off of the list price of any standard Motoman training classes held at West Carrollton that is booked by 6/30/09. For more information, click here.

Motoman’s Technical Education Center (MTEC) adds five new classes for the NX100 controller:
NX100 Basic Programming for the SDA10 Robot
NX100 Basic Programming with Paint
NX100 File Management System Training
NX100 Paint Maintenance with or without Programming Overview
NX100 Servo Motor Spot Gun

Motoman’s Customer Care Center is a web-based information and service center providing customers useful information, chat room functionality with technical support and web-based tutorials that provide step-by-step instructions. Need a tour? Call Dave Titcombe at 937.847.3361 or follow the link below to complete your registration and begin using the site!

Register Online for Motoman Training Classes
You can register for all Motoman training classes in the U.S. and Canada on-line through Motoman's web site.

Helpful Hints

System Jobs for the NX100 Controller

Problem:
I have jobs that I’d like to have run in the background as soon as I start up my robot system. Is that possible?

Solution:
Yes. Much like with our Concurrent I/O, the NX100 controller can also run up to three “System Jobs” in the background. These system jobs are written in the INFORM language and launch immediately upon startup of the controller without the “Play” button needing to be pressed. System Jobs launch regardless of which mode the controller is in (teach, play, remote). System Jobs can be used when the programmer wants to control cell-level I/O functions without having to write a custom C I/O (ladder) program.

If you are interested in this System Jobs feature, please contact Motoman Customer Service at 937-847-3200 for details. The NX100 controller must be configured by Motoman to enable this feature.

Trade Shows

Motoman products and services will be exhibited at the following trade shows and expositions in 2009. If you plan to attend these shows, please visit our booth:

PackEx - May 5-7 - Toronoto, Ontario
WeldMex – June 2-4 – Monterrey, Mexico - Booth# 611
Robot & Vision – June 9-11 – Rosemont, IL – Booth# 1423
NPE – June 22-26 – Chicago, IL - Booth# 18093
AACC – July 21-23 – Chicago, IL – Booth# TBA
ATE – Sept. 22-24 – Rosemont, IL – Booth# 644
PackExpo – October 5-7 – Las Vegas, NV – Booth# 3643
FabTech – November 15-18 – Chicago, IL – Booth# 35065

If you’d like to see Motoman exhibit highlights for trade shows you might have missed this year, click here.

MOTOQUOTE PUZZLE

Decipher the following encrypted "MotoQuote" phrase (a puzzle in which one letter has been substituted for another) and e-mail the answer, along with your name, title, company name, company address, and work phone number to marykay.morel@motoman.com. On April 14, we will draw a winner from eligible respondents who correctly solve the MotoQuote puzzle. The lucky winner will be sent his or her choice of a scale model of an EA1400N “Expert Arc” welding robot or ES165N “Expert Spot” welding robot OR an embroidered Motoman baseball cap.

The winner of the February 2008 MotoQuote drawing was Jeff Reid, Programmer/Operator at Best Way Partners (d.b.a. Better Way Products) in New Paris, IN. He chose to receive the scale-model of the ES165 robot.

Clues: Our company’s name and some form of the word for our primary product appear somewhere in the encrypted puzzle phrase. If you need more help, S=Y.

Encrypted MotoQuote Phrase:

KHHCIGRKCH KF RXA TAS RC YMCUKRGEKJKRS GHQ LMCPRX.

GYYJS KHHCIGRKIA, KHQDFRMS-JAGQKHL VCRCVGH MCECRF

KH HAP PGSF RC NMAGRA SCDM CPH ANCHCVKN MANCIAMS.