FANUC India recently hosted a two-day Open House at its Chakan, Pune Tech Centre on June 10th and 11th, drawing a strong response from industry professionals, partners, and technology enthusiasts across the country.
By- Neha Basudkar Ghate
The event featured:
– Live demonstrations of FANUC’s latest automation solutions
– Engaging discussions on industry trends and challenges
– Meaningful networking that sparked new ideas and future collaborations
The event highlighted FANUC’s commitment to driving smart manufacturing across industries. Visitors got a close look at cutting-edge technologies spanning CNC systems, industrial robots, and advanced robo-machines.
A Tour through Fanuc’s product lines
Explained by, Vinay Kumar MK, General Manager, Business Development, FANUC India Academy Industry Institute Relations (IIR).
Mr Kumar began by introducing FANUC’s Factory Automation solutions, “We have three product lines. The first product line what we have on display is the Factory Automation. In Factory Automation we have the Computerized Numeric Controllers.
And FANUC is very popular in the field of the CNC market. And today we roughly have a fairly decent market share of about 72% as far as India is concerned. And most of the OEMs do prefer to use FANUC on their machines.
We have controllers for various operations like turning, milling, hobbing, punching. So we have a specific controller for each of these requisite machine operations. So which makes us a little different from others.
In terms of the hardware, we come with hardware which is very compatible for all these controllers. Also it is very easy to maintain a FANUC controller on a shop floor. And moreover we make products which are highly reliable and easy to repair which makes life very easy for people on the shop floor.”
Speaking about the CNC controllers showing different applications, he said, “These applications are, some of these are specific features what we want to show customers. By which they can consider these options and try to build their machines in a better way. Or try to get better and better product finish.”
He also mentioned that FANUC keeps visiting its customers and OEMs and get feedback and requirements from them. “The customer voice is very important to us”.
Upon this he further added, “Our team from FANUC headquarters do continuously visit customers. And an example of this is a controller what we launched during IMTEX 25 which is called as Zero IMF Advance Mill.
So there was a lot of requirement for the same, similarly we got feedback from customers. Who wanted a controller which is ideal for a die mould as well as a machining production requirement. So very rarely you get a mix of both because what customers were telling us is that the jobs what they get is not very specific. Sometimes they get a job which needs die mould features. FANUC Japan developed a controller specifically based on the feedback called Advance Mill to cater to this kind of an application. And the developments in FANUC happen very fast.
Further explaining about a controller displyed in the open house which is primarily used for non-metal cutting, Mr Kumar, said, “The Power Motion used primarily for non-metal cutting is a very powerful controller which is about 8×32 axis. So it’s like if you want to build a SPM line, you can do with it. Or you want to build packaging machineries or textile. So this kind of a controller is very common and it is getting very popular in that kind of an area.”
FANUC’s digital twin software suite also drew significant interest. Mr Kumar emphasized that, “Digital twin primarily is a software which helps you build a design. And try to get every kind of basic detailing such that you will not be wasting much of your time on the machine. The four software’s including Toolpath Optimizer, Servo Modeling, Surface Estimation and CNC Reflection Studio is a full package which and this solution allows customers to build and simulate designs offline, predicting outcomes like surface finish even before touching the machine.”
In addition, the MT-LINK i software which is an IoT software, demonstrated FANUC’s approach to sensor-less data collection using built-in servo systems. Mr Kumar explained that, “Usually whenever you need to collect data, you need to have a lot of sensors on your machines. But FANUC with its digital super machine which is basically an AI machine, the digital technology and digital server drives, use this data from the servo to give you the results.”
The next section was of robots-
He said, “We have different robotic applications on display here. So one of it is the collaborative experience sensor. We want visitors to try programming a cobot themselves and feel how easy it is,” he said.
FANUC’s innovations include the ATX Cobot, the first explosion-proof cobot certified for use in paint environments. The company also showcased diverse robotic applications like deburring, spot welding, arc welding, and material handling.
“Our goal is to present at least 10–12 real-world applications that industries are actively using today,” he added.
The robo-machine segment featured FANUC’s Wire-Cut EDM, known for its high precision, especially in tool room applications. He said, “Wire-cut EDMs are primarily used for making moulds. And this is one such machine which is very high accuracy and it comes with a guarantee of FANUC.”
“Then we have the Vertical Machining Centers which are highly precise and this is our second line of product in our robo-machines. We have different models here. And showcasing different types of components which has been done. Starting from a very high precise component to a heavy steel cut. So all this is possible with this machine.” he further added.
One of the most striking innovations was FANUC’s is an all-electric injection molding machine. “FANUC was the first to develop an all-electric injection moulding globally. The whole control is done by electric motors which has zero hydraulics and a fully servo-driven architecture. This machine is ideal for cleanroom applications with hardly any noise and offers energy savings of up to 30% compared to hydraulic systems. These are mainly used in making plastic components, within the industries like medical, automotive, FMCG industries along with others.”
Mr Kumar also emphasized that all FANUC products come with lifetime support, backed by a 100% in-house service team. “Lifetime support what we mean is the product can be used to the day you want to use the product. We don’t give you a deadline that this product will become obsolete after 10 years. We don’t say that. We still support products launched in the 1980s. Also FANUC’s entire manufacturing and R&D is based in Japan, where a highly automated facility which to rolls out roughly about 70,000 CNC’s a month, about 15,000 robots. to roll out roughly about 70,000 CNC’s a month, about 15,000 robots.
Driving India’s Smart Manufacturing Future
The Open House successfully demonstrated FANUC’s focus on precision, productivity, and partnership. As India’s manufacturing sector embraces digital transformation, events like this play a crucial role in spreading awareness and building confidence in automation as a driver of industrial excellence.
COMMENTS