Eastman Machine, SAM|XL to advance pick-and-place integration with automated cutting

Eastman Machine Co. (Buffalo, N.Y., U.S.), cutting machines manufacturer reports that it is the newest technology partner to European research center Smart Advanced Manufacturing XL (SAM|XL, Delft, Netherlands). Eastman will work alongside SAM|XL to develop and test advanced communication protocol for integrating pick-and-place robots with its automated cutting machinery for composite materials.

SAM|XL is a collaborative research center at the TU Delft campus set up as a non-profit foundation with an innovation community. Its mission is to develop, demonstrate and de-risk smart manufacturing solutions for and with the low-volume, high-variation manufacturing sector.

The first project, set to take place with Eastman’s S125 Static Table, — which has proven itself with a range of difficult-to-cut materials such as polystrand, p-tex and fiberglass-polyester blends — will be an automated layup project with aerospace company GKN Aerospace (Redditch, U.K.).

“We are proud to be one of the latest technology partners to SAM|XL,” says Elizabeth McGruder, Eastman VP of european sales and marketing. “Being able to share resources and collaborate with the innovators at SAM|XL is an exciting advancement for Eastman in the composites industry.”