Custom Robot Systems & Mechanical Solutions
Pushing the boundaries of robotic integration and advanced automation.
About Our Work
We specialize in both custom mechanical automation and robotic integration, providing turnkey solutions for a wide range of automation challenges. As an authorized FANUC robot installer, we design and build complete robotic cells while also engineering mechanical systems for tasks unsuited to standard robots. What sets us apart is our in-house manufacturing, eliminating the need for outsourcing. If a change is needed—like modifying an end-of-arm tool—we can machine it immediately on our 5-axis, ensuring rapid adjustments. Our laser-cut cells deliver a clean, OEM-style finish, and every project is first developed in SolidWorks to create precise virtual working cells before production.
Featured Projects
Automated Tapping Machine
This advanced mechanical automation system features a custom-designed feeder and tapping mechanism, developed specifically for high-volume production of a custom aircraft part. The system leverages an advanced PLC for precise control of all mechanical functions, ensuring reliable and repeatable performance. An intuitive HMI provides real-time monitoring and easy operation, reducing the need for extensive training and minimizing downtime. Overall, this solution is a robust integration of engineering and process control, tailored to meet the demanding standards of aerospace manufacturing.
Glass Handling Robot
This advanced glass robot handling cell is engineered for the safe and efficient automation of large glass panels. The system transfers glass from an inbound conveyor to a processing machine, and then a second robot removes the glass and places it on an outbound conveyor. A custom-designed end-of-arm tool, engineered and fabricated in-house, precisely meets the specifications of the machines it services. This automation solution not only enhances productivity but also mitigates the risks associated with manual handling of fragile glass, ensuring a safer and more reliable operation..
Hole and Milling Robot for 3D Shapes
This advanced robotic drilling system is designed to create hundreds of precise holes in complex 3D parts. It uses a versatile router head with tool-changing capability and is mounted in an inverted configuration above a custom fixture table that securely holds parts in alignment with the CAD model’s specifications. An additional calibration step further refines the drilling parameters to ensure consistent accuracy. A sophisticated vision system then verifies each drilled hole in real time and logs quality data, streamlining process optimization. This integrated approach significantly enhances production efficiency while maintaining the high precision required in modern manufacturing.
Machine and Forging Robotic Cell
This integrated robot cell automates the transfer of parts from a Swiss lathe into a heater, where they undergo a critical thermal process. Once the heating cycle completes, a second robot retrieves the parts and places them into a forge, ensuring a seamless process. The system offloads the processed components onto two trays, facilitating smooth material handling throughout the line. This arrangement minimizes manual intervention and supports lights-out manufacturing for continuous, unattended operation. By combining precise robotic control with automated material flow, the solution significantly enhances production efficiency and reliability.
Common questions
Are you an authorized FANUC integrator?
Yes. CalWest is an authorized FANUC robot installer and designs and builds complete robotic cells. Our own weld department runs a FANUC ArcMate 210iD/12L cell for production weldments, so the integration team lives with the same equipment it installs for customers.
What kinds of automation do you build?
Robotic cells for welding, machine tending and palletizing, and custom mechanical automation for tasks a standard robot does not suit. Recent projects include an automated tapping machine for an aerospace part, a two-robot glass handling cell, an inverted drilling and milling robot for complex 3D parts, and a machine and forging tending cell.
Is the tooling and guarding made in-house?
Yes. End-of-arm tooling is machined on our 5-axis mill and the cell enclosures are laser cut and formed in the same building, so a tooling change during commissioning is made the same day instead of waiting on an outside shop.
How does an automation project start?
Every cell is developed first in SolidWorks as a virtual working cell before anything is built, then fabricated and programmed, PLC, HMI and robot, in our Fontana, California facility.