Robots that keep your machines cutting, pressing and moulding
Your CNC, press brake or moulding machine only makes money while it's running — and a robot doesn't take breaks, doesn't call in sick, and will happily load parts all night. Mobile Automation delivers robotic machine tending systems that load and unload your existing machines, run unattended shifts, and free skilled operators for setup, programming and quality work.
Machines we tend
- CNC machining centres and lathes — pallet and chuck loading, door automation, air-blast cleaning, part deburring
- Injection moulding machines — part extraction, insert loading, degating and packing
- Press brakes and stamping presses — sheet handling and bend following
- Grinding, washing and inspection stations — chained processes tended by a single robot
Built for high-mix Australian workshops
Most local machine shops don't run one part for a month — they run dozens of jobs a week. Modern tending cells handle that: quick-change grippers, vision-based part location, drawer and grid feed systems, and programs your own team can edit. Cobot-based cells can be wheeled between machines and redeployed as the schedule changes.
Integration is the difference
Machine tending lives or dies on the interface between robot and machine — door signals, chuck and vice control, program handshaking, safety circuits. That's controls engineering, and it's our core trade: we integrate with FANUC, Siemens, Haas and Mazak controllers, program the PLC logic, run the power and validate the safety system to AS/NZS 4024. One team, one scope, one accountable support line — because unattended production only pays when support is guaranteed.
Frequently asked questions
Can a robot tend our existing machines, or do we need new ones?
Almost always your existing machines. We add door automation, interface signals and workholding control to most CNC and moulding machines regardless of age — legacy machine integration is our specialty.
What's 'lights-out' machining actually like?
You load raw material before leaving; the robot runs the night shift. Realistic expectations matter — start with proven parts and build up. Clients typically gain 20–60 unattended hours a week from one cell.
How do we handle lots of different parts?
Quick-change grippers, vision part location and parametric programs. High-mix tending is standard now — we design the cell around your actual job list, not a brochure part.
What does machine tending cost?
Single-machine cobot tending cells typically start around $90k–$160k installed. One cell recovering 40+ unattended hours a week usually pays back well inside 24 months.
Who handles the machine interface wiring?
We do — we're a Registered Electrical Contractor with automation engineers in-house. Robot, machine interface, guarding, PLC and power are one integrated scope.