Since AUTOMATICA began in 2004, TM Robotics has participated in every show. This year, the company enjoyed its most successful AUTOMATICA appearance ever. The event took place in Munich from June 21 to 24 and exceeded all expectations for TM Robotics and Toshiba Machine, as well as the show’s management. With approximately 45,000 visitors, attendance was up 30 per cent, while the number of foreign attendees increased more than 50%. We certainly felt the growth on our stand, with more visitors than ever and inquiries from 34 countries.

From Toshiba Machine in Japan: Taichi Okubo (far left) and Teiichiro Saito (far right). TM Robotics representatives from Europe and the Americas, from the left: Ryan Guthrie, Admed Abdeldayem, representing Caionix in Egypt, the latest addition to the TM Robotics worldwide distribution network, Nigel Smith, and Dervish Ibrahim.

We also helped fuel the buzz at the show with plenty of demos in action. The THL300 SCARA and TVL500 6-axis robots worked together to set up and putt golf balls, while the TV800 6-axis robot served a lovely picnic, and both demos showcased a range of actuators and grippers. Another demo showcased the high-speed, high-accuracy THP550 SCARA robot, which had no problem keeping up with a Toshiba Machine cartesian robot.

Our newest launch – the TSVision3D bin-picking system – received a lot of attention at our booth as well. The Toshiba Machine-developed software allows the robot to pick up to ten different items from a bin, as small as 10 mm in diameter, without the need for inputting CAD files. It’s ideal for bin picking applications such as pharmaceuticals and food, for which CAD files often aren’t available. And, it’s so easy that even non-technical users can “teach” the model within seconds.

Downtime at the show

While it was a busy show, we got to have some fun too, and enjoyed an evening out with our key EMEA distribution partners at the Spatenhaus, with beautiful views of the Munich Opera House.

And, as luck would have it, the European Football Championships were taking place in France, which provided a great excuse for our European partners to find a German beer garden to watch their national team while partaking in fine Bavarian beer and food.

With another successful AUTOMATICA now under our belt, we’re looking forward to working with our distributors to get the new orders in and increase our already strong foothold in Europe.