Automation & Robotics Training for Manufacturers
Introductory and applied automation training for manufacturers evaluating or already running robotics on the floor.
What’s included
- Introduction to Cobots
- Introduction to Collaborative Robots
- Robotics for Manufacturing
- What Robot Is Right for Me?
Not sure whether to start with a cobot or a traditional industrial robot? Read the full guide to manufacturing robotics training — cobots vs. industrial robots compared, and which path fits an operator, technician, or engineer role.
Robotics and automation also depend on PLC control logic and fluid power. See our related guides on Siemens PLC ladder logic and pneumatic systems and components.
Choosing between a jig and a fixture — or figuring out how to hold a part in the first place — comes up constantly in automation work. Read our guide to jigs vs. fixtures — the 3-2-1 locating principle and how to choose between fixture types.
Relay logic still shows up everywhere motor control is involved. See our guide to relays and motor control symbols — relay vs. contactor, and NEMA vs. IEC symbol differences.
Weighing an AMR against a traditional AGV for a warehouse or plant floor? Read our AMR vs. AGV comparison — the SLAM technology behind the difference.
Removing a robot’s safety cage doesn’t automatically make it collaborative. Read our guide to cobot safety standards — ISO 10218, ISO/TS 15066, and what power and force limiting actually requires.
A human inspector gets tired across an 8-hour shift; a vision system checks part 10,000 exactly like part one. See our guide to machine vision inspection — rule-based vs. deep-learning systems.
A PLC controls one machine; SCADA lets someone see and coordinate all of them at once. Read our guide to SCADA systems — how it relates to PLC programming and why ICS security is its own discipline.
Pascal’s Law is the entire reason a hydraulic press can generate tons of force from a hand pump. See our guide to industrial hydraulic systems — hydraulic vs. pneumatic compared.
A control-room screen crammed with blinking colors doesn’t help an operator catch a problem faster. Read our guide to HMI design best practices — what the ISA-101 style guide standardizes.
A robot arm without end-of-arm tooling is just a very precise pointer. Read our guide to end-of-arm tooling — common gripper types and tool changers.
Starting a large motor at full voltage draws a current spike six to eight times its running current. Read our guide to Variable Frequency Drives — how VFDs control motor speed and cut energy use.
Ladder logic is only one of five programming languages a modern PLC actually supports. See our guide to the five IEC 61131-3 PLC languages — and why Structured Text handles math ladder logic struggles with.
A proximity sensor and a photoelectric sensor solve different problems, and mixing them up wastes a maintenance call. Read our guide to sensors and encoders — the basics of industrial automation sensing.
A stepper motor is simpler and cheaper — right up until the application needs the feedback a servo motor provides. See our guide to servo motors vs. stepper motors — which one fits your application.
Cobot safety standards answer how close a robot can work to a person — functional safety and ISO 13849 answer how reliably a safety function works at all. Read our guide to functional safety and safety PLCs — ISO 13849 explained.
Batch processes like mixing and blending think in recipes and phases, not parts and cycles — ISA-88 gives them a standard vocabulary. See our guide to ISA-88 batch control fundamentals.
Why this matters
Start before you buy
What Robot Is Right for Me? is built to help a plant evaluate options before committing capital, not after.
Collaborative robots, specifically
Cobots have different safety, programming, and integration considerations than traditional industrial robots — training treats them as their own category.
Applied, not academic
Robotics for Manufacturing is grounded in real production use cases, not general robotics theory.
Frequently asked questions
What is a cobot, and how is it different from an industrial robot?
A collaborative robot (cobot) is designed to work safely alongside people without the guarding a traditional industrial robot typically needs — Introduction to Cobots covers the distinction in detail.
We haven’t decided if automation is right for our line — can training help with that?
Yes — What Robot Is Right for Me? is built for exactly that evaluation stage.
Is this training hands-on?
Delivery varies by course — ask the training team about current hands-on availability for your session.
Related training
Explore related areas: Industry 4.0 & Digital, Maintenance & Reliability, or see the full learning paths and complete training catalog.
How to enrol
Most SCMEP courses can be delivered virtually, at an SCMEP location, or on-site at your facility. Availability and scheduling change through the year, so the training team is the fastest route to current dates.
- Tell us what you need — the area, roughly how many people, and whether you’d prefer on-site or virtual.
- We confirm what’s scheduled — or what it takes to run it for your team.
- Your team trains — with follow-up through the OpExChange peer network where it helps.
SCMEP offices
Greenville
250 Executive Center Drive, Suite 200Greenville, SC 29615
Columbia
250 Berryhill Road, Suite 115Columbia, SC 29210
A NIST Manufacturing Extension Partnership affiliate serving South Carolina manufacturers since 1989.