The Revolution Blog

Meet Hamilton’s newest automation BFF

Monday, May 23, 2022

When you’re the new guy, you want to make a good first impression. You don’t take long lunches or ask to knock off at 4 so you can go home and walk the dog.

But our latest hire is really taking new guy niceties to the next level. It’s Hamilton’s very own lights out robotic CNC cell, and it’s been machining our parts more efficiently from dusk to dusk. This new investment represents the continuation of Hamilton’s automation and technology strategy on the shop floor, as we constantly strive to provide higher quality casters and wheels with shorter and shorter leadtimes.

Although we already have robotic welders and CNC machines, this robotic machining cell is our first complete system designed to machine large volumes of parts for a very long time. In our latest video, you can watch the new system machine cast iron cores of our polyurethane tread wheels—by far the most popular wheel types Hamilton produces and a natural choice for our first large production run.


The automated cell’s lights out machining capabilities can accommodate multiple crates of raw parts at any given time. We also designed the new cell to have 4 redundant tools for long production runs. It’s like having a marathon runner who can run continuously without having to stop to repair 4 pairs of running shoes! The machine also has live tooling that allows us to drill zerk holes in the cycle.

And did someone say quality control? The new cnc machine is also equipped with a probe and appropriate programming to automatically measure and make adjustments to ensure wheels are within tolerance.

We love using technology to automate redundant tasks so we can free up our human talent to focus on high value activities. Here at Hamilton Caster, we are committed to leveraging technology and automation to lead the industry in best-in-class manufacturing right here in the USA.

Leave a comment

Add Comment Cancel

Comments