CNC machines represent a significant capital investment. In most facilities, they operate at only 60% to 70% of their potential capacity. The remainder is lost due to wait times during loading, shift boundaries, and personnel shortages. Every hour of machine downtime caused by manual machine tending is an hour of paid machine capacity that produces nothing.

Machine tending is simultaneously the easiest process to automate in machining and one of the most economically impactful. The task is clearly defined, interfaces are known, and repetition rates are high. This makes machine tending the ideal entry into robotics, even for companies without prior automation experience.

This white paper demonstrates why machine tending is this entry point, the concrete benefits it provides, how to select suitable machines, and the steps leading from a pilot plant to a multi-site rollout.