California Robotics and Automation

Case Erectors are not cheap. If you use a Case Erector, you are limited by the case erector to the product you are producing. What if that product is 8 feet long? What would that case erector look like? How about if the product was 10 feet or more? How would you handle it? How would you pay for it and more importantly, how hard would it be to keep running. Here at BTS we shift the paradigm of case erector technology, combining the power of a robot with the utility of a case erector. But that is not all! Our Kawasaki robot can do double duty as a case erector AND a Pick 'n Place Robot for these 10 foot downspouts. our LP-120 Packaging Machine does all that and more. Enjoy the video!!

We have been deploying these safety scanners for years on our robots. We had to write software in the Autostart.PC file to make them work right but now Kawasaki has created a small safety controller that simplifies all the work we formerly had to do. The controller attaches to the robot directly and the software adds menus in the teach pendant that are more powerful than our old method of setting up listening posts in the software for safety devices. If you are an automation guy, you probably know what I am talking about. It is ..complicated to describe. This video is pretty much all there is for the consumer to understand when purchasing this device for a robot. If used correctly, you do not have to install fencing and workflow is not interrupted by procedural "button pushes" and the time-consuming "lockout/tagout". The devices are approved as you can see in this video and others I have posted on my website.

There is a lot of chatter about collaborative robots in my industry. But here at BTS, we have been doing "safe to work with" automation for many years. The problem with robotics is the space required to deploy them. How do you put a robot in a space that is already surrounded by people and equipment? Many machines have a need for specialized automation for performing ancillary functions such as placing sheets for pallets, stacking bags and boxes or assisting someone by flipping parts and placing them into position. Imagine if you had to place electronics on a board. Years ago the parts were huge and a human could do it. Today they are so small, you would have to work with tweezers and a microscope to build a cell phone.

We manufacture and build a variety of machines here at BTS. One of our machines is the AFCW. This machine can be integrated into an existing production line to perform automated, direct to package processing. In this case we are filling boxes and drums of powder coat paint. The system can control a variety of valve-types but here we open and close a butterfly valve, cover the container and fill with product.

This is a video in our History Series. Our company began in 1972 and there have been a lot of projects completed in that time. We did not always have a camera and so I have been looking back through the thousands of photos I have on my computer to see if I can find some of the old history of the company.

This video shows the installation and final production of a machine tending robot installed on an Okuma CNC lathe. The customer wanted the machine to make cylinders without the employee having to load and unload the cylinders. Each part weighs roughly 15kg. No jobs were lost, no people were hurt in the installation and operation of this robot.

In this video we are packaging plastic tubes into a container. In the past, the customer dropped these tubes into a bag and later sorted them on a table by hand. This machine places a chute under the machine to re-direct the tubes to an infeed conveyor. Once there are enough tubes in place, the robot picks them out of the conveyor and places them in a container. Once the container is full, the machine presents the package to a second robot arm for final processing. We are using a Kawasaki duAro robot integrated into one of our RBC Machines and controlling it all with our C700 Controller.

We install these devices in manufacturing plants for a variety of reasons. In this video we show you how it can be used to operate lights and operate a bin dumper for almonds, walnuts and other nuts. In the bin dumper scenario, the forklift loads a tote of almonds into a device called a bin dumber. In the past, the forklift operator had to get off the forklift and operate the bin dumper. We simplify this by giving the forklift operators a remote control that when within 50 feet of the bin dumper, will operate the machine so the driver can move on to other jobs rather than taking time to stop and operate the dumper. Big time saver, reduces safety hazards.

For 48 years we have been helping manufacturers automate their factory and improve production and maintenance. This video is just a small slice of the projects we have done over the years.