Yaskawa Motoman Announces License Agreement with NSK
July 1, 2015
The Motoman Robotics Division of Yaskawa America, Inc. (Yaskawa Motoman) has entered into a License Agreement with Nihon Shoryoku Kikai Co., Ltd (NSK). Under the terms of this agreement, Yaskawa Motoman will have exclusive rights in the Americas for the technology, manufacturing and sales of NSK's ultrasonic cutting and deburring machines with 3-D profiling.
"This patented cutting technology replaces conventional trimming methods such as waterjet cutting and laser cutting for non-metallic materials including plastics, fiberglass and non-woven fabrics," said a company spokesperson. The technology is suitable for automotive and recreational vehicle part manufacturing such as:
- Automotive interior trim including headliners, carpet, instrument panels, door panels, rear deck
- Injection molded parts for motorcycles, ATVs, snowmobiles
- Semi-truck fairings, boats and seating.
"We are pleased to announce this multi-year agreement with Yaskawa Motoman for licensing NSK's patented ultrasonic cutting and trimming technology in North and South America," stated Norio Tanaka, President of NSK. "We have been working with Yaskawa Electric Corporation in Asia for many years, and this represents a natural geographic expansion for our product line."
According to the company, ultrasonic cutting offers an environmentally conscious approach with advantages including the following:
- Waterless operation and cleanup
- Quiet operation
- Energy efficiency
- Limited dust
- Lower consumable costs.
Yaskawa Motoman's trimming workcells will feature a high-speed Motoman robot fully integrated with NSK's ultrasonic cutting tool and milling head. The cutting tool features a HSS carbide blade vibrating at 40 kHz. The workcells will be available in a part-to-process or process-to-part configuration.
"Our partnership with NSK will expand our application capabilities in automotive tier and other non-metal manufacturing environments," said Steve Barhorst, President and COO of Yaskawa Motoman. "Our goal is to provide solutions that are environmentally friendly, as well as increase productivity and improve product quality. NSK's ultrasonic cutting technology integrated with a Motoman robot will deliver good ROI to our customers."
For more information contact:
Yaskawa America, Inc.
Motoman Robotics Division
100 Automation Way
Miamisburg, OH 45342
937-847-6200
www.motoman.com
www.n-s-k.co.jp/en/
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