Milacron Holdings Corp. (NYSE: MCRN) and Sepro Group (La Roche-sur-Yon, France) have reached an agreement that calls for Sepro to manufacture 3 and 5-axis robots to be sold with Milacron injection molding machines throughout Europe.
The robots are immediately available and, in fact, more than fifteen robots have already been sold under the agreement to customers in Germany, Portugal and elsewhere. All robots are marketed under the Milacron brand name to equip its full range of injection molding machines. Milacron is handling aftermarket service with support from Sepro, particularly during the early stages to the relationship.
The robot control will be fully integrated into the Milacron machine controls. The Sepro Visual control platform is the standard control for the Milacron robots. It was developed by Sepro specifically for the injection molding industry. With a common control for all robots – including 3- and 5-axis – Cartesian beam robots operation is simplified and even inexperienced users can learn to create a pick-and-place program in matter of minutes.
The agreement is similar to the one reached in 2010 with Milacron in North America, which has seen Sepro robots successfully sold under the Milacron brand in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
“This agreement creates new options for molders who may prefer to deal with a single supplier for their injection molding machine and automation requirements,” notes Jean-Michel Renaudeau, CEO of Sepro Group. “It opens new market opportunities for both, Milacron and Sepro.”
Renaudeau sees these alliances as critical to the implementation of Industry 4.0, also known as the factory of the future. “Integration and collaboration are essential in making the industry more efficient and productive,” he suggests, “and our partnership with Milacron in Europe is key and another step into that direction. Of course, several molding-machine manufacturers have sold IMM/robot packages for years and they are quite popular, especially in countries like Germany and for global companies buying equipment for plants in other parts of the world. Others prefer to buy their injection molding machine from one company and their robot from another and we offer them our support too. So, today, we offer molders new choices.”
