IMTS 2026 Highlights the Next Step in Factory Automation
The IMTS 2026 Conference will examine how manufacturers can expand production without adding another shift. One featured session from Formic focuses on automated machine tending and labor constraints. The discussion connects industrial automation with practical throughput improvements on the factory floor.
Formic will present its approach at the IMTS 2026 Conference, which features 69 technical presentations. The conference covers automation, plant operations, quality, inspection, and process innovation. These topics reflect the industry's growing focus on productivity and workforce stability.
Manual Machine Tending Creates Hidden Production Limits
Manual machine tending can restrict production even when machines have available capacity. Operators must load parts, unload finished components, and manage repetitive machine cycles. Therefore, labor availability can directly influence machine utilization and overall production output.
Manufacturers also face turnover, absenteeism, training requirements, and changing labor costs. Moreover, manual operations can introduce differences in cycle times between shifts and operators. These factors can reduce production consistency and complicate capacity planning.
From an automation engineering perspective, machine tending deserves attention before manufacturers invest in additional equipment. A factory may already have unused spindle or machine capacity. Automation can help convert that unused capacity into measurable production hours.
Automated Machine Tending Improves Machine Utilization
Machine tending automation uses robots and control systems to handle repetitive loading and unloading tasks. A typical cell combines a robot, CNC machine, tooling, sensors, safety devices, and industrial control equipment.
The control architecture can also integrate PLC-based sequencing with CNC controls and plant-level monitoring. In larger facilities, DCS or supervisory systems may collect production data from multiple areas. However, the automation strategy should match the process rather than simply add technology.
When properly engineered, automated tending can maintain more consistent cycle execution. As a result, manufacturers can improve machine utilization and reduce production interruptions caused by labor shortages.
PLC and Control Systems Support Automated Production Cells
A PLC commonly manages machine-tending sequences, interlocks, sensors, and peripheral equipment. The controller coordinates signals between the robot, CNC machine, safety system, and material-handling devices.
Industrial Ethernet networks can connect PLCs, robots, drives, HMIs, and production monitoring systems. Depending on the installation, manufacturers may use technologies such as EtherNet/IP, PROFINET, or other industrial communication protocols.
DCS platforms generally serve larger process-control environments rather than individual CNC tending cells. Nevertheless, DCS and PLC systems can coexist within the same manufacturing operation. Proper integration allows production data to move between machine-level and plant-level control systems.
OEE Provides a Practical Measure of Automation Results
Overall equipment effectiveness, or OEE, provides a useful framework for evaluating machine-tending automation. OEE combines availability, performance, and quality into a single operational measurement.
Automation can influence all three factors, although results depend on cell design and process conditions. For example, automated loading can reduce labor-related waiting time and stabilize production cycles.
However, manufacturers should establish baseline measurements before installing automation. Engineers can then compare machine availability, cycle time, downtime, and output after deployment.
Zero-Capital Automation Changes the Investment Model
Formic's presentation also introduces a zero-capital automation model with ongoing support. This approach addresses one of the common barriers to industrial automation: the upfront cost of equipment and integration.
Traditional automation projects often require manufacturers to purchase robots, tooling, controls, safety equipment, and integration services. Smaller manufacturers may hesitate when the expected return depends on uncertain production volumes.
A service-based model changes that calculation by reducing the initial capital requirement. Manufacturers can instead evaluate automation through production results and operational economics.
However, contract terms, service coverage, maintenance responsibilities, and performance requirements should receive careful review. A lower initial investment does not automatically guarantee a better long-term business case.
Machine Tending Can Help Manufacturers Address Labor Gaps
Labor shortages remain a practical concern for many manufacturing operations. Machine tending represents a suitable automation target because it often involves repetitive and structured movements.
Manufacturers can automate tasks such as part loading, unloading, pallet handling, and machine-to-machine transfer. In addition, robotic cells can support unattended or extended production periods when process conditions allow.
Automation does not necessarily eliminate the need for skilled employees. Instead, it can shift workers toward programming, maintenance, quality control, troubleshooting, and process optimization.
Practical Application: CNC Machine Tending
Consider a CNC machining area operating across multiple shifts. Operators manually load raw components and remove completed parts from several machines.
A robotic tending cell can load components according to a programmed sequence. Sensors can confirm part presence, while the PLC coordinates machine-ready and cycle-complete signals.
The robot can then remove the finished component and prepare the next workpiece. Meanwhile, production software can record cycle counts, downtime events, and other operating data.
This arrangement can increase productive machine hours without requiring another full manual shift. The actual benefit depends on cycle time, changeover requirements, robot utilization, and material flow.
Automation Should Start With Process Analysis
Manufacturers should not begin with the robot specification alone. Engineers should first examine cycle times, part variation, machine interfaces, operator movements, downtime, and safety requirements.
The next step involves defining the automation sequence and identifying required PLC, robot, safety, and communication interfaces. Engineers should also consider maintenance access and recovery procedures.
From practical automation projects, the recovery strategy often matters as much as normal operation. A cell that runs efficiently but takes excessive time to recover from faults can lose much of its expected productivity.
Safety Remains a Core Design Requirement
Automated machine-tending systems require appropriate safeguarding and risk assessment. Engineers typically evaluate robot motion, machine access, tooling, material handling, and operator interaction.
Safety functions may include guards, interlocked doors, light curtains, emergency stops, and safety-rated control functions. The final design should follow applicable regional regulations and machinery safety requirements.
Therefore, manufacturers should involve qualified automation and safety engineers during system design. Safety should form part of the control architecture rather than become an afterthought.
IMTS 2026 Offers a Broader Automation Perspective
The Formic session fits into a wider industrial automation trend at IMTS 2026. Manufacturers increasingly seek ways to improve output while controlling labor and capital costs.
PLC technology, robotics, machine vision, industrial networking, and production analytics now work together more closely. This convergence allows manufacturers to approach automation as a production system rather than an isolated machine upgrade.
In my view, this shift represents one of the more practical directions in factory automation. Manufacturers do not always need a completely new production line. Sometimes, improving the utilization of existing equipment provides the faster return.