Sepro and Milacron extend robot supplier partnership to European moulders

Following on from their successful US partnership, Sepro Group and Milacron have signed a new agreement for the sale of robots with injection moulding machines in Europe.

The arrangement will see Sepro manufacture 3- and 5-axis robots to be sold with all Milacron injection moulding machines throughout the region, in a move that the companies say will offer the industry increased choice and buying options.

“This agreement creates new options for moulders who may prefer to deal with a single supplier for their injection moulding machine and automation requirements,” explained Jean-Michel Renaudeau, CEO of Sepro Group. “It opens new market opportunities for both Milacron and Sepro.”

The robots, which are marketed under the Milacron brand name, are immediately available and over fifteen robots have already been sold under the agreement to customers in Germany, Portugal and elsewhere.

Milacron is handling aftermarket service with support from Sepro, particularly during the early stages of the relationship.

Renaudeau added that he sees the alliance with Milacron, as well as other industry partners, as critical to the implementation of Industry 4.0, also known as the factory of the future. “Integration and collaboration are essential in making the industry more efficient and productive,” he explained, “and our partnership with Milacron in Europe is key and another step into that direction.

“Of course, several moulding-machine manufacturers have sold IMM/robot packages for years and they are quite popular, especially in countries like Germany and for global companies buying equipment for plants in other parts of the world. Others prefer to buy their injection moulding machine from one company and their robot from another and we offer them our support too. So, today, we offer moulders new choices.”

For moulders, the control for the robot will be fully integrated into the Milacron machine controls. Sepro’s visual control platform is the standard control for the Milacron robots; a platform that was developed by Sepro specifically for the injection moulding industry. With a common control for all robots – including 3- and 5-axis – the Cartesian beam robot’s operation is simplified and Sepro says even inexperienced users can learn to create a pick-and-place program in matter of minutes.

The new European agreement is similar to the one reached in 2010 with Milacron in North America, which has seen Sepro robots successfully sold under the Milacron brand in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.