The 2025 Fabtech Expo in Chicago featured roughly 1,500 exhibitors, offering unique insights applicable to packaging and processing OEMs.
First up, Universal Robots unveiled its UR 8 Long robotic arm, a part of the company’s UR Series applications requiring high reach, dexterity, and low payload, as explained by Michael Degrace, Solutions Sales & Ecosystem Success Manager:
Next, SMC’s Electronic National Sales Product Manager Pawel Opalinski walked through the Wireless AutoSwitch, a charging device that uses a wireless power transmission unit to provide a power supply and a communication means between the charging device and dynamic machine applications. SMC told OEM Magazine the device charges applications with radio waves:
Other highlights:
Beckhoff USA's Matt Prellwitz and Stäubli's Abraham Cisneros García explained how Beckhoff's software and Stäubli's robots combine to support six-axis robotics for CNC applications:
Path Robotics’ Ethan Rejto gave a walkthrough of the company’s autonomous AI welding system. Autonomous welding is one way Path is trying to address the workforce shortage in manufacturing:
Shifting towards productivity and efficiency, Kuka Robotics’ Matthew Bolger presented a welding cell, its features, and discussed its potential integration with an automated loading robot:
Lastly, Kaeser Compressors' Michael Gamber walked through compressor setups that apply to a diverse array of applications in machine-building operations:
