NEWS 2019-Ⅱ
CONTENTSTOPICS- New Products Open House Show
- New Products and Technologies Open House(Held at the Nagoya Branch Oﬃce)- 2019 Round-Table Talk
- Overseas Exhibition Report- Company Anniversary Ceremony- Ceremony Welcoming New Employees- Winner of the Supplier of the Year Award- Winner of the Intellectual Property Achievement Award- FANUC Global Conference

Photo taken on July 2019

New Products Open House Show
The FANUC New Products Open House Show was held in the Nature Hall of FANUC Headquarters from April 8 (Monday) to April 10(Wednesday). In light of the congestion of having over 4,000 visitors in a single day, the duration of the Show was extended this year toallow visitors to take time to view the exhibits carefully. Although there was some poor weather with over 10 cm of snow on the third day,the total number of visitors amounted to about 9,000 this year. Visitors were able to see many new FANUC technologies, such as FIELD
system, which connects, visualizes, analyzes, and drives machines in manufacturing sites; FANUC AI functions, which are optimized for
manufacturing; and QSSR (Quick & Simple Startup of Robotization), which enables quick and easy integration of machine tools and robots.

In the FIELD system area, we showcased the applications of each FIELD Partner company that are designed to be used on the factory floor. Many
visitors voiced their eagerness to use these applications. The improved AI thermal displacement compensation function, AI Servo Tuning, the AI
evaluation function utilizing robot vision, and the annotation function for AI bin picking drew much attention, and were popular with visitors.

In the FA area, visitors showed interest in exhibits, starting with FANUC’s CNC 0i-F Plus product line-up with improved usability, five-axis integrated technology utilizing FANUC'slatest technology that combines high machine performance and usability, and the battery-less Pulsecoder. Visitors had many questions and requests regarding the use of theseproducts.
In the ROBOT area, many visitors were attracted to exhibits such as the new spot-welding robot R-2000iD/210FH with the servo gun cables integrated inside its arm, the new Delta
robot DR-3iB/8L with an 8kg payload and a wide motion range, and collaborative robots with the compact 14kg payload robot added to the line-up. Visitors also enjoyed watching
the demonstration of high-speed bin picking of various parts with the new 3D vision having a wider measurement range. The strong interest in robotization could be felt profoundly.
The ROBOMACHINE area featured ROBODRILL, with enhanced usability of DDRiB while also enabling customized screens to support peripheral equipment; ROBOSHOT, which
supports the recommended specifications for various moldings, such as automobile parts, medical parts, and LSR (Liquid Silicone Rubber); ROBOCUT with enhanced position
measurement functionality using approaches, corner control, and wires; and ROBONANO with the new lathe-type model α-NTiA. At demonstration exhibits, many curious visitors
asked detailed questions about practical usage of the machines.
In the service area, the thorough support offered by service sites in addition to lifetime maintenance was highly recognized.
2

New Products and Technologies Open House (Held at the Nagoya Branch Office)
The FANUC New Products and Technologies Open House took place at the
Nagoya Branch Office Technical Center in Komaki, Aichi Prefecture, fromMay 22 (Wednesday) to May 23 (Thursday). Blessed with good weather
on both days, a total of 2,243 visitors were present, which was a record
high. Visitors came not only from the local Tokai region, but also fromthe Hokuriku and Kansai regions, and even further west, contributing tomaking the atmosphere lively
Since the Open House was held near the factories of some customers, many
visitors came in their work uniforms. People who actually use FANUC
products on the factory floor could see the latest models and features.
Feedback from customers could be heard first-hand regarding theirassessments, expectations, and opinions.
【Key exhibits】
one FANUCFIELD system
FANUC AI
QSSR
FA
Latest Nano CNC model with high-speed, high-quality machining
CNC with enhanced user-friendliness
Easier maintenance with battery-less Pulsecoder
Strong support in every situation, from setup to simulation and actual machining
Enhanced basic CNC performance with a reduced cycle time thanks to ease of setting
Expanded applications into lathes and gear-cutting machines
Laser system with a high operating rate
IoT promotion through high-speed data collection and analysis
ROBOT
Kitting, transportation with AGV, and assembly by collaborative robot
Bin picking system for various small parts
Teach-less bin picking system
Arc welding robot system
Application examples of SCARA robots
Packaged food packing by new Delta robot
High speed spot welding system by new spot welding robot
Maintenance, diagnostics, and application study function
ROBOMACHINE
Machining system with new ROBODRILL functions and robot
Precision molding system with new ROBOSHOT functions and robot
Machining system with new ROBOCUT functions and robot
Lathe-type model (new model) and machining-type on-machine measurement function for ROBONANOSERVICE
Lifetime maintenance
Manual search with AI
Enhanced operating rate by using IoT in preventive maintenanceMonitor - Think - Drive with Apps @ Manufacturing Sites
Useful AI for FA, Robot, ROBOMACHINE and FIELD on site
Robot easily connects to a machine tool and ROBOMACHINE
Series 30i/31i/32i-MODEL B Plus (reference exhibit)
Series 0i-MODEL F PlusSERVO MOTOR αi-B/β i-B series
5-axis integrated technology
Fast cycle time technology
Servo Learning Control
FIBER LASER FFi-A and Fi-B Series, Series 30i/31i-LB
EDGE ANALYZING UNIT
CR-14iA/L, CR-15iA, CR-35iA, 3D vision sensor
M-10iD/10L, 3D vision sensor
LR Mate 200iD, 3D vision sensor
ARC Mate 100iD, ARC Mate 120iD
SR-3iA, SR-6iA
New Delta robot DR-3iB/8L, 2D iRVision
New spot-welding robot R-2000iD/210FH, R-2000iC/210F
ZDT on ROBOT-LINKi, ROBOGUIDEROBODRILL α-DiB Series + FANUC Robot
ROBOSHOT α-SiA Series + FANUC Robot
ROBOCUT α-CiB Series + FANUC Robot
ROBONANO α-NTiA, α-NMiA
Repair, redesign
FANUC Service Site
ZDT on ROBOT-LINKi (cloud), MT-LINKi
3

2019 Round-Table Talk

On April 12 (Friday), professors and researchers who provide FANUC with continuous support, were invited and introduced to exhibits in the
New Products Open House Show, after which a roundtable talk was held.

Attendees
Toshiro Higuchi, Professor Emeritus, The University of Tokyo
Hidenori Shinno, Professor, Tokyo Institute of Technology
Yoichi Hori, Professor, The University of Tokyo
Hideki Aoyama, Professor, Keio University
Shigetaka Takagi, Professor, Tokyo Institute of Technology
Keiichi Shirase, Professor, Kobe University
Atsushi Matsubara, Professor, Kyoto University
Hiroyuki Sasahara, Professor, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology
Shigeki Sugano, Professor, Waseda University
Hajime Asama, Professor, The University of Tokyo
Takayuki Okatani, Professor, Tohoku University
Tsunemoto Kuriyagawa, Professor, Tohoku University
Masanori Kunieda, Professor, The University of Tokyo
Eiji Shamoto, Professor, Nagoya University
Takashi Matsumura, Professor, Tokyo Denki University
Hitoshi Omori, Senior Researcher, RIKEN
Tojiro Aoyama, Professor, Keio University(Listed in the order of comments)

FANUC CORPORATION 
Yoshiharu Inaba, Representative Director, Chairman
Kenji Yamaguchi, Representative Director, President and CEO (Moderator)
Hiroyuki Uchida, General Manager, ROBOMACHINE Business Division
Yutaka Saito, General Manager, FIELD Promotion Division
Kiyonori Inaba, General Manager, ROBOT Business Division
Hiroshi Noda, General Manager, FA Business Division
Shunsuke Matsubara, General Manager, Research & Development Administration Division
Hidehiro Miyajima, General Manager, Basic Research Laboratory
Yoshiki Hashimoto, General Manager, CNC Hardware Laboratory
Mitsuyuki Taniguchi, General Manager, SERVO Laboratory
Yuji Nishikawa, General Manager, LASER Laboratory
Kenichiro Abe, General Manager, ROBOT Mechanical Development Laboratory
Seigo Kato, General Manager, ROBOT Software Development Laboratory
Tong Zheng, General Manager, ROBODRILL Laboratory
Satoshi Takatsugi, General Manager, ROBOSHOT Laboratory
Akihiko Fujimoto, General Manager, ROBOCUT Laboratory
Hong Youngpyo, General Manager, ROBONANO Laboratory
Masako Sudo, Chief Engineer(The titles are as of April 12, 2019.)

President Yamaguchi: Thank you fortaking the time to participate in thisroundtable talk. We would like to ask foryour comments, including those on the
exhibits you saw in the Open House.
First, we would like to hear from
Professor Higuchi.
Professor Higuchi: First, I would like tomention the awards granted in the past
Yamaguchi
year.
As introduced in the Open House, in 2018,
ZDT (Zero Down Time) received two awards: the METI (Ministry of
Economy, Trade and Industry) ROBOT AWARD and the MIC (Ministerof Internal Affairs and Communications) Award.
Also, the ROBONANO α-NMiA, which was exhibited at last year’s
Open House, was granted two awards: the Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun Ten
Great New Products Awards Main Prize and the Nikkei Outstanding
Products and Services Awards Best Award/Nikkei Sangyo Shimbun
4

Award. This is tremendous news.
In addition to this 5-axis machining-type
α-NMiA, a 3-axis lathe-type α-NTiA
is exhibited as a new product. The
α-NTiA specializes in turning with areduced number of axes, which enables
easy introduction of an ultra-precision
machine tool, and is expected to promotewidespread use mainly for lens molding.
Professor Higuchi
As for demonstrations, the remote laserwelding robot system was interesting.
Each of the fiber laser oscillator, robot, and Galvano scanner, which
are all essential components of this system, have been developed
and manufactured originally by FANUC, enabling sophisticatedsynchronous control. This could be done only by FANUC, and I wasquite impressed.
I was also interested in the OCT sensor introduced in the laser
welding cell. This enables real-time depth measurement of molten

metal while being machined, so it would be useful for achieving highly
reliable machining.
As before, Servo Learning Control technologies were exhibitedin several booths. Among these exhibits, an interesting one is thetechnology that uses repetitive control, which is a type of learning
control, for shredding cutting chips to prevent them from becoming
entangled. Over thirty years ago I used repetitive control for noncircular contour cutting. I think it was the first time in the world.
This control technique is simple but produces great effects, and I was
happy to see FANUC applying it.
I am interested in how FIELD system, which is exhibited in the centerof the exhibition area, will develop in the future. I think it is important
to know what kind of information is needed and how to connect
them. FIELD system is used with machine tools and robots, so it
will be increasingly important to grasp phenomena that occur duringmachining, develop new sensors, and study control technologies. Fromeach exhibit, I understand FANUC is working hard to develop thetechnologies that support FIELD system.
President Yamaguchi: Thank you. Next, we would like to hearcomments on FA from Professor Shinno.
Professor Shinno: Today I was looking
forward to seeing FANUC’s fiber laser.
FANUC successfully developed a Galvano
scanner and other core system elementson its own, creating an outstanding
system. More specifically, FANUC has
been skillfully combining lasers, servo
systems, machining controls, and robots
and the like to configure its systems, andI get the impression that incorporating
Professor Shinno
these elements further into ROBODRILL
will make it easier to use ROBODRILL as a combined processing
machine.
I am also interested in FANUC’s approach to IoT, represented by
FIELD system.
Key information, including force, temperature, and images has
been obtained from sensors, and has been used in various systems.
In addition to this information, I wonder if in the future we could
realize status monitoring that actively uses sound information in themachining space. Also, it would be interesting if there was a proactive
sensing system that moves in order to see when vision is blocked.
As for AI, thermal displacement compensation systems have been
incorporated into ROBODRILL and ROBOCUT, which have been
put to the market. Regrettably, this Open House does not include
any approach to detecting and reducing chattering vibration. This isa research and development challenge that we hope will be solved,
and I am very interested in how it will be handled with IoT. I hope
an approach will be included in the next Open House. Also, various
studies have been done on detecting tool wear, but I hope FANUC will
make new suggestions using IoT and AI.
Finally, this Open House includes suggestions on machining, assembly,
diagnosis, and transfer, but if FANUC could display a compact
manufacturing system that combines these suggestions, we could havea more specific image. Next time, I would like to see FANUC present
its concept of a system that integrates various products and functions.
President Yamaguchi: Thank you, Professor Shinno. We will try hardto include what is lacking in future Open Houses. Professor Hori,
please let us hear from you next.
Professor Hori: One of the biggest events this year is that Mr.
Iwashita of the Servo Laboratory (currently, General Manager
of Software Laboratory) received his doctorate. The theme was“Research on a method for precisely controlling servo motors fordriving machine tool feed axes,” on which
a lecture will be delivered at TECHNOFRONTIER in Makuhari. FANUC’s policy
for encouraging management personnel
to earn doctoral degrees is wonderful,and sends the message that FANUC
will actively recruit more students with
doctorates.
Last fall, I, as Chairperson of WEVA
Professor Hori(the World Electric Vehicle Association),
conducted an International Electric
Vehicles Symposium (EVS31) in Kobe. Electric vehicles are now a
big trend. Also, I served as the subprogram director of the powerelectronics group in the SIP (Strategic Innovation Promotion) program,an initiative of the Cabinet Office. It provided a good opportunity forengineers from power device and module manufacturers to meetengineers in the industrial, electric power, transportation, and otherfields. The second era has begun, where wireless power feeding isbeing discussed as an important theme.
Also, autonomous driving and renewable energy are becoming hot
issues. These technologies are important, but I think it would bebetter not to pass down excessively complicated systems to future
generations. Recently, I wrote a preface for Kansai Electric Power’s
newsletter with the title of “What everyone says is totally wrong.” In
the newsletter, I suggested that we are barking up the wrong tree
when it comes to battery-powered electric vehicles, and what is more,
we should be more careful about adopting solar and wind energy. Sofar, I have not received many complaints, so I am beginning to worry
that hardly anyone reads my article.
President Yamaguchi: Thank you for your humorous yet profoundcomments as usual. Recruiting good people is an important theme, andI will focus on this more. Professor Hideki Aoyama, please let us hear
your comments.
Professor H. Aoyama: First, my overall
impression of this Open House is that AI
has been incorporated into not only FA
but also many others, such as ROBOTs
and ROBOMACHINEs. Among these,
I found it interesting that AI does not
require learning, even though it normally
does. In particular, I was very interested
to hear that only normal data is needed
Professor H. Aoyama
for estimating spindle life.
Next, let me talk about my impressionof FIELD system. The APIs for FIELD system were disclosed two
years ago, and some applications were released last year. Today, I
was amazed to see a substantial number of applications, including
those already released and those in preparation for release. It has been
discussed that systems like FIELD system collect as much data as
possible and then wonder what to do next with the collected data. The
applications I saw today process collected data, make decisions, andgive feedback, so now I see more possibilities for FIELD system than
before.
New functions are presented every year. Let me focus on somespecific functions. The fast cycle-time technology is an exciting
function that measures the inertia of the workpiece and tunes thegain automatically. The fine-surface technology, which I saw last year
as well, surprised me tremendously as it showed me that precision in
the range of 0.1-μm could bring about such a drastic change to themachine surface. I have some relationships with die manufacturers. I
think this function is useful to them, and have the impression that byusing this function, the polishing process could be eliminated from the52019 Round-Table Talkmachining processes.
The 5-axis integrated technology is used to load CNC parameters into
CAD or CAM and create an NC program that can effectively bringout the characteristics and performance of the CNC. I want to see how
effective it is in actual use. The EDGE ANALYZING UNIT can load
servo information in the order of microseconds, so I am interested inlight of my research. I heard that the EDGE ANALYZING UNIT will
be released in July. It is something I would like to use.
President Yamaguchi: Thank you for your valuable comments. These
three new functions focus heavily on user-friendliness so that users canbenefit from high performance and functionality. Moreover, machine
tool builders are showing great interest in the EDGE ANALYZINGUNIT. Professor Takagi, please let us hear your comments.
Professor Takagi: I specialize in analog
integrated circuits, so I don’t know muchabout robots or controls. But I believe
FIELD system now links with applications
and has made further progress. Although
I am not an expert, I also think that
AI will contribute to improving trouble
analysis and production, and in the future,
FIELD system will be combined with AI
to be able to achieve amazing things.
Professor Takagi
If I remember correctly, ROBONANO’s
machining precision was 1 nm two years ago, but is now 0.1 nm. I
have just heard that ROBONANO received an award from Nikkei, theJapanese newspaper company. This is a marvelous technology without
doubt. In the field of integrated circuits, the machining precision, or
the minimum line width, is said to be 4 nm or 7 nm at best. Normally,
integrated circuits are formed by photoetching, but the day may comesoon when integrated circuits can be formed without it.
I cannot dismiss my interest in sensors for collaborative robots. I havebeen promoting the importance of visualization in simulation, multipaths, and cancellation of low frequencies and noise, and that it is time
to take drastic measures. Last year, Chairman Inaba asked if it werepossible to reduce noise to one-hundredth of its current level. “Onehundredth” is a tough challenge, but I discussed this in detail withan assistant professor to see whether we could make a contribution.
Currently, distortion is compared based on DC signals, but a DC offset
is produced at the amplifier, and noise is converted to a direct current
or almost direct current when entering a nonlinear device.
So, I mentioned that the S/N ratio might be increased by converting
the signal to an AC signal and then using a mechanical filter to steeply
eliminate noise, except for the noise around the signal. However, I can’t
say anything for sure since I don’t have data on the noise frequency
and paths, nor the blocking features of the mechanical filter, but I
believe it may be feasible.
I also heard that the amplitude of the AC signal is being compared asanother detection method. In analog circuits, comparing the phase iseasier than comparing the amplitude, so it may help a little more to
improve accuracy.
I am talking off the top of my head, so adequate verification isrequired, but I think these ideas may be feasible.
President Yamaguchi: Thank you, Professor Takagi. You have given
us many ideas after such a short time of seeing the exhibits. Professor
Shirase, please let us hear your comments.
Professor Shirase: I focused on looking at technologies using AI and
FIELD system.
As for AI Servo Tuning, its lecture was delivered at a symposium
called “Basics and Applications on Using AI to Realize a Smart
Factory,” held in March by the Japan Society for Precision
Engineering. Over 100 people attended this symposium. The concept
6of FIELD system consists of fourfunctions: “connecting,” “seeing,” “thinking,”and “driving.” It seems that many
attendees were thinking, “the factories
have now been connected and visualized,
so what comes next?”
In the exhibit on spindle failure diagnosis,
an anomaly is indicated instead of a“failure.” I asked the reason for this. The
Professor Shirase
answer is that not enough failure data canbe collected for learning. Data has beencollected at factories for about five years, but the number of failuresthat occurred is very small, which makes the situation difficult.
At the symposium, I heard, “We want data from various companies,
but there is an obstacle regarding to whom the data belongs to.” Weneed to use our wisdom to solve the dilemma that it is technicallyfeasible but not possible to collect the data we need. Users don’t want
to be monitored constantly for data collection. However, for example,
if they are asked to provide only the data recorded before and after
a failure occurs, such as from drive recorders, they may be willing toprovide it. In this way, developing an environment where users arewilling to provide data would be a solution to this problem.
Another suggestion is that FANUC prepares and discloses data forlearning, and holds a competition. For example, company A may comeahead in having highly reliable diagnostic results, or company B may
be the winner in high preventive maintenance prediction accuracy.
Such competitions would help improve AI technology. Until lastyear, all FIELD system applications had been developed by FANUC.
However, as mentioned by Professor Aoyama, applications developedby other companies are now available. Currently, FIELD system is ata stage where applications can be executed, but if they could link with
one another in some way, FIELD system could attract more attention
through a synergy effect.
I am engaged in research on making machine tools intelligent.
Everybody seems to be saying that various data can be obtained with
IoT, but there is still some that cannot. For example, NC programs
are created with CAM, but we cannot know the operator’s thoughts
or intentions. For instance, the operator may want to minimize themachining cost or want fast machining, ignoring the cost, but these are
not left anywhere in the form of data. To make FIELD system more
attractive, collecting such data may be necessary.
As a last item, I heard that a ROBODRILL function called G-code
guidance makes it very easy to create programs. I believe that theworld is heading in a direction where programs could be createdarbitrarily if CAD data were provided. Although it is a personalmatter, I am running a university-launched venture for automaticallycreating NC programs based on CAD data. This year, I’ll launch a
project on machining dental prostheses (tooth fillings used in dental
treatment). Since the shape of dental prostheses differ with eachpatient, we should not spend time or labor for creating an NC programfor each. Therefore, we plan on creating NC programs automaticallyfrom CAD data for dental prostheses, and then go directly tomachining the dental prostheses.
President Yamaguchi: Thank you for giving your comments fromvarious perspectives. We are developing AI technology while
recognizing that it is important to set a strategy in light of final
commercialization. For machining, linking CNC and CAM based on
CAD data is an important theme. Your continued support will beappreciated. Professor Matsubara, please let us hear your comments.
Professor Matsubara: OK. First, I would like to talk about the EDGEANALYZING UNIT. We do various measurements, but since linkage
with NC coordinates is not possible, we use drawings to check whatis happening and where. For example, weare presently machining aircraft engines,
and vibrations are highly likely to occur
depending on where the machining isdone, so it is very helpful to know wheresuch vibrations occur.
However, vibration measurement requires
a high sampling frequency, which meansa large amount of data is stored. In other
Professor Matsubara
words, I think it is very important todifferentiate the data to be saved and thedata to be discarded. The EDGE ANALYZING UNIT would be aneven better product if improvements could be made on this point.
There is one more thing that I want to say. I didn’t understand thedifferences between FIELD system, MT-LINK, and FOCAS2, buttoday I received a detailed explanation. I am now a senior member ofthe production engineering subcommittee on smart factories (RC279)
of the Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers. On Monday this week,
I visited a factory in preparation for a factory tour, and the person
developing an IoT system for the factory from scratch guided mearound the site. That person had built a system just like MT-LINK
and was monitoring the operation of equipment. Every day, he checks
the operation monitor and if any machine is not operating normally, hegoes to the machine and communicates with the operator to ask what
is going on. In short, after data is checked, a judgment is made andaction is taken immediately.
In the future, the number of people who know everything about theirfactory, like this person, will decrease, and instead there will be morereason to support the use of FIELD system. In reality, the person inthis factory I visited was not using a system like FIELD system. He
knew what machining programs were running, but did not know what
job each machine was doing. To do so, he needs to check the comment
in line 0 of the program, but not much can be written there. Manycompanies, especially small and medium-sized ones, cannot afford to
introduce a host system, and this presents a problem. I think it isimportant that they first use MT-LINK to connect their machines tosolve daily problems, and then bring in FIELD system.
I realized that the number of applications has increased compared tolast year. I would be pleased if FIELD system could improve throughmaking the most of manpower, which we Japanese are good at. That’s
all from me.
President Yamaguchi: The relationship between FIELD system, MTLINKi, and FOCAS may be difficult to understand, but I am happy tohear that you have understood this today. Professor Sasahara, please
let us hear your comments.
Professor Sasahara: Every year I lookforward to seeing laser-related exhibits.
FANUC lasers can be used in combination
with NCs, and synchronized with NCs
at extremely high speeds, which othercompanies cannot imitate. This time,
the newly mounted Galvano scanner has
made it possible to control the Z axis as
well as the X and Y axes. I heard that
Professor Sasahara
the focus can be changed by the Z axis,
which would enable intentional defocusing,meaning that you could create an application that not only applies
energy locally but also heats a wide area by defocusing
As a high-requirement application, this can be applied immediately for
laser welding of automotive roofs, something which is commonly seen
on German luxury cars. In the automotive industry, some companies
use laser blanking, instead of fine blanking using a press, to cut out

body panels. Like laser blanking, I think this technology is highly
suitable for cutting large objects at high speeds. The technology
may be used not just for lasers, but also when lasers are mounted onmachining centers or combined machine tools. There’s room to think
about the applications, and I think something exciting will show up.
OCT sensors are used for sensing in laser welding, which makes it
possible to know the exact penetration and therefore accurately judge
welding conditions. I am engaged in research on metal AM. While itis important to monitor the fused portion, if molding continues for along time, the molded product will heat up and the problem of thermal
deformation will arise substantially. I would like to see the addition of
new sensing functions to measure the overall temperature and monitor
thermal deformation.
Another thing that makes sense to me is the active G-code checker.
Some of the parameters set by users cannot be understood without
reading the manual, or the default settings continue to be used withoutchange since they are believed to be the best. This function makes it
possible to easily determine whether the desired functions are enabled,which is very helpful to users.
Finally, in terms of cutting, there was an exhibit of the function forshredding cutting chips in lathe turning with the tool oscillated byservo motors. There are many applications and conditions where chipbreakers do not work well, so this function would be very useful inpractice. As for accuracy and roughness, however, there is still room
for improvement, and I think intermittent cutting may prolong tool life.
I, as an academic, am very interested in the relationship between thecondition setting and tool life. It would be easy to intentionally form asurface pattern, so I thought I could expect new applications when I
saw this exhibit. That’s all from me.
President Yamaguchi: Thank you for your detailed comments on theactive G-code checker. Many machine tool builders are interested inoscillation cutting so your comments are appreciated. Let us hear fromFANUC about FA.
Noda: The quality of a workpiece isaffected by non-cutting processes, such as
programming, setup, and measurement.
For example, a rotary table driven by a
DD motor is easily affected by the shape
and weight of the workpiece. Therefore,
at the time of setup, parameters arereadjusted according to the workpiece
to be machined, in order to elicit higher
Noda
performance from the machine. Regarding
data collection using IoT, appropriate preprocessing and synchronization of signals is required to make it work,so we developed the EDGE ANALYZING UNIT for this purpose. By
continuing to develop these technologies, we will be contributing to theintroduction of IoT to smart factories.
Uchida: Thank you for looking in detailat our exhibits. Here, I would like to raisea problem from a slightly different pointof view to ask for advice. Today, manycustomers visited our Open House andcommented as before that, “FANUC’s
products have excellent reliability andperformance but are not easy to use.” Thelaboratory must make improvements.
UchidaThe challenge is that different machine
tool builders, end users, and system
integrators have different ideas of “user-friendliness.”
Therefore, we will pursue “user-friendliness” and analyze it indevelopment with the aim of receiving comments like, “FANUC’s
7

2019 Round-Table Talk
products have become easier to use than before” at the next OpenHouse.
Saito: I am very happy to hear thecomments saying that FIELD system has
improved a bit. We are working to linkvarious data in factories for visualization.
For future applications of the FIELD
system, we need a secure system, toolsthat place value on the people who
actually perform machining, and systems
that support the people who are creating
the strength of Japan, and accumulate
Saitoknow-how. In addition, I heard that digital
data is useless without background information, which is very helpful
to us. I want to reflect this opinion in FIELD system to make FIELD
system an eco-friendly open innovation system platform. Thank youvery much.
Chairman Inaba: With regard to
chattering in cutting, the development of
a high-speed real-time adaptive control
function is a rewarding big theme for us
as a machining technology company. Muchas experienced operators refine cutting
conditions through their five senses,
FIELD system should use acceleration
sensors and audible sensors, as well as
deep learning to realize such control. Also,
Inaba
it is a very difficult challenge to increase
the payload of a collaborative robot, but we will continue development
based on the countermeasure for sensor noise that Professor Takagi
has just suggested. With regard to a straightforward system from
CAD to a machining program, combining such a system with FIELD
system would open up new horizons. Thank you very much for yourcomments.
President Yamaguchi: Thank you. Professor Sugano, please give us
your comments on robots.
Professor Sugano: I am Sugano, fromWaseda University. Thank you for inviting
me today. I would like to talk about two
things.
First, let me talk about logistics as afield of application. While it isn’t a newtechnology for FANUC, introducing robots
to logistics is a new development. In thisregard, Amazon acquired Kiva Systems
Professor Sugano
a long time ago. This acquisition led tosome amazing technology combining
AI and mobile robots. I predicted that Amazon would next workon picking, and as expected, Amazon launched the Amazon Picking(Robotics) Challenge, but ended it two years ago. It appears that eventhe technology of the winning team was useless. The technology wassomething anybody could think of. It was a combination of a suction
device and a gripper that could hold a complicated-shaped object.
Since the movement was too slow, nothing could evolve from there.
By combining existing technologies, FANUC has already developed
a picking system which can operate at high speeds. This approachis characteristic of FANUC. However, the types of objects that thesystem can handle are currently limited, so the next step would be
to increase the types of objects that can be handled. In the Amazon
Picking Challenge, there were hundreds of types of objects withcomplex shapes, which vexed the participants, so handling theseobjects at high speeds requires developing a new gripper. A few
8years ago, FANUC developed grippers with mechanisms that enabled
flexible handling. I hope you will resume such development projects
with a mechanical approach to develop grippers for achieving highspeed in logistics.
The other thing I want to talk about is design. FANUC is placing
highest priority on quality, reliability, and functionality, whichconstitute the core of robots. I am engaged in research on thesymbiosis between humans and robots, and think that design isimportant as well. Around the world, there is little discussion about
the design of industrial robots. Some manufacturers produce robots
with unique shapes, but such designs may not be suitable as humancollaborative robots. Design is a critical element for robots to work
together with humans. Of course, there are several points to notein designing robots, one being that the appearance of a robot affects
human behavior and consciousness. FANUC has achieved cooperation
between robots and humans with green robots, and I hope you willfurther consider what the design of green robots working withhumans should be.
President Yamaguchi: Thank you. Logistics is a major field where
robots are used, but I think we should focus on grippers without
limiting their use to logistics. Also, I think there is room to consider
whether the current design is suitable for robots to work with humans.
Thank you for your comments. Professor Asama, please let us hear
your comments.
Professor Asama: I am Asama, fromthe University of Tokyo. This is thefirst time in two years that I came to
the Open House, and I would like to talkabout things that I think have made great
progress, as well as future expectations.
First, I would like to talk about
intelligence technology. FANUC has
been using not only AI but also highProfessor Asama
performance 3D vision sensors andother devices effectively to achieve morestable and reliable, faster, automated vision picking, thereby making
the technology more intelligent. Handling objects in an accurate andreliable manner requires modeling not only the shape but also thephysical aspects, as well as understanding the motions of gripping. It
would be good to conduct joint research with universities.
Next, I would like to talk about technologies for robots to interact withhumans. One of these is a collaborative robot, or in other words, safety
technology. ISO defines “safe” as being “free of unacceptable risks,”
so it is important to also think about acceptability when consideringsafety. Another matter I wish to mention is design. As Professor
Sugano just mentioned, I think design is important as a sensed value.
One more thing I want to mention is user-friendliness. Products need
to be easy for anyone to use, and such technologies could be applied infields other than manufacturing, such as aerospace.
Thirdly, I would like to talk about collecting, accumulating, and using
data. For this, I have the same opinions as many other people here.
FIELD system connects many things, and data science is being
promoted in the manufacturing industry. I get the impression that
FANUC has shifted its business model from merely selling products
as its business to providing services throughout the life cycle after the
products are sold and used. It is important to think about the services
for using collected data and how to link this to creating new values. I
have high expectations.
Last April, the Research into Artifacts, Center for Engineering (RACE),
which was a university-wide center of the University of Tokyo, wasreorganized into the Graduate School of Engineering, as a nextgeneration manufacturing center. Since April, I have been serving

as the director of this center, and will be working to promote social
implementation and human resources development through industry
academia-collaboration as the center’s goal.
Amid rapidly increasing competition due to globalization, Japan is
becoming less competitive in both industry and academia. Developing
areas where industry and universities can cooperate is important forsolving this problem, and I believe there is something I can do as an
academic. As for human resources development, I believe we should
work with private companies to consider how to develop personnel
who will support Japan, especially in the manufacturing industry. I
would appreciate your cooperation.
President Yamaguchi: Thank you for your comments. As for future
human resources, we tend to rely on universities, but I also think it
is important to provide an environment where people can work withvigor and enthusiasm. The relationship between universities andprivate companies can be compared to the wheels of a car. Professor
Okatani, please let us hear your comments.
Professor Okatani: I am Okatani fromTohoku University. The exhibits were
fulfilling and I appreciate your providing
me with this opportunity. This year,
a graduate from my laboratory was
explaining one of the exhibits. In addition,
last week, another graduate visited mylaboratory with some subordinates andwe had discussions. I feel encouraged
Professor Okataniand relieved to see graduates from mylaboratory being active after graduation.
Every year, I take this opportunity to talk about deep learning. I
would like to share what I am thinking at the moment, including myreflections on the past year.
I am here as an expert in vision. In the field of vision, for example,
deep learning is always discussed at international conferences, so
research which does not use deep learning feels fresh. Given this, notmany of the exhibits I saw today use deep learning as a commercial
product or to be turned into a commercial product.
However, the same thing can be said for other fields and industries.
The reason seems to lie in the need for training data. People often
discuss data in terms of the amount, but to be exact, what’s importantis whether “the data which properly expresses the problem to besolved” is actually available.
In fields or industries where this problem can be cleared, things aregoing well. In industries where such data is not readily available,
including the industry FANUC belongs to, the AI boom is likely toslow down, but I think FANUC should stay alert. The data issue
may be solved in the future, and FANUC should pay attention to thepossibility that deep learning will become a universal technology.
This may be an exaggeration but, problem solving has reached thestage of a paradigm shift. Some people call this “Software 2.0,” which
may bring about a major change in programming. Problems will besolved by designing neural networks instead of programming, anduse data for learning. Deep learning has such a potential, so FANUC
should at least keep an eye on it. Furthermore, FANUC shouldinternally train even a small number of people who can do that. I
personally think it is important not to outsource but to develop such
personnel internally in the current situation where we have no idea
what will happen next. That is all from me.
President Yamaguchi: Thank you for your comprehensive insight on
deep learning. At FANUC, personnel who understand such technology
are being nurtured, and your continued support would be appreciated.
Let us hear from FANUC about robots.
Abe: Commonly, neat design accompanies high performance andreliability, so we are conducting researchon design. Collaborative robots must
not cause a feeling of discomfort inenvironments where humans work, andwe are now researching what shapes can
fit in with the environment where robots
and humans work together as well as
user friendliness. Your guidance would begreatly appreciated.
Abe
K. Inaba: Making vision functions easier
to use with a learning theory was amajor theme. For example, with machinelearning, it became possible for eventhose unfamiliar with the vision inspection
function to deal with it. Also, development
is underway to make teaching byannotation (finger pointing), or visual,
intuitive teaching possible by using deeplearning for the bin-picking function. This
technology is fundamental but regarded as
K. Inaba
the first step to sharing human knowledge
with robots. We would appreciate yourcontinuous guidance for improving user-friendliness from software andmechanical aspects.
President Yamaguchi: Professor Kuriyagawa, please let us hear yourcomments on ROBOMACHINE.
Professor Kuriyagawa: I am Kuriyagawa
from Tohoku University.
Currently, I belong to the Graduate Schoolof Biomedical Engineering, but specialize
in machining. Mechanical engineering canbe applied to medical science and dental
science, so I am working on biomedical
engineering. Recently, I have beenworking to apply mechanical engineering
Professor Kuriyagawa
to agriculture, pharmacy, and othervarious fields.
I thank you for giving me an opportunity today to see various
technologies.
The first thing I noticed is that the terms “AI” and “IoT” areubiquitous, and I realized first-hand how widely AI has spread. IoT
could be used to diagnose machines in a similar way to human healthcheckups. I think it would be even better if IoT could eventually be
used to manage the working environment and health of workers.
There are two things I want to use immediately. One is the laser
scanner. I was looking for a high-power, high-speed scanner, but
could not find exactly what I want. The exhibit I saw today is notcommercially available yet, so I am looking forward to its official
release.
The other thing I want to use now is ROBONANO. I was impressedthat the lathe-type model has become available in a compact size anda resolution of 0.1 nm. If picometer-level resolution could be achieved,
ROBONANO could be used in the semiconductor field. Currently,
the number of substrate layers in a 3D integrated circuit is around100, but in the near future, it is expected to increase to around 120.
ROBONANO could be used in such an application. In reality, whenpeople specializing in semiconductors visit our laboratory, they
are surprised to hear that the resolution is at the nanometer level.
People from electronics companies seem to harbor a stereotype thatmachining is used for rough processing.
ROBONANO has on-machine measuring devices. I think theyshould be used to measure not only the physical dimensions but also9

2019 Round-Table Talkmachining quality under the surface, and I think using ROBONANO asa base machine for such an application would increase its value.
As Professor Asama just mentioned, I am also looking forward to thedevelopment of human resources. That is all from me.
President Yamaguchi: The resolution of ROBONANO is 100
picometers, so it is approaching the picometer level, although this is
still a high bar to overcome. Thank you for your valuable comments.
Professor Kunieda, please let us hear your comments.
Professor Kunieda: I specialize inelectrical discharge machining. I think
FANUC is very active in suggesting
to users various machining methods
including not only electrical-dischargemachines but also laser, injection molding,and ROBODRILL. Wire-cut electricaldischarge machining used to mainly apply
to die cutting. Today, however, I learned
Professor Kunieda
that the application had expanded to parts
cutting such as cutting of aircraft parts,
PCD tools and medical parts. Among them, I think using titanium
wire electrodes to machine titanium implants is highly effective
for preventing contamination. I was impressed that the surface isintentionally finished rough so that the implant can be secured firmly
with an anchoring effect.
In making precision punch-dies, carbide machining in water issometimes avoided. I think that we also need to explore thecomparison in characteristics between electrical discharge machining
in oil and water from the academic sector. FANUC is undertaking
various efforts such as reducing the water submersion time anddeveloping carbide for water machining with material manufacturers.
The method for detecting the discharge position was developed about
30 years ago, but it seems that until now this method had only beenused in the development stage for machine tools. However, I heardthat an overseas manufacturer has recently been using this method inan actual machine. The discharge position directly affects machining
stability. Today, the current-voltage waveform is monitored to checkif machining is stable or unstable. In this case, the discharge positionis the cause, and the current-voltage waveform is the effect. I think it
is time to further examine the discharge position detection. It could be
used to predict wire breakage or detect the thickness of a workpiece.
It could also be used to simulate real-time wire behavior.
As far as I know, real-time simulation has not been done todate. Nowadays, it is possible to analyze the static electricity,
electromagnetic force, and hydrodynamic force acting on a wire, so
I think it is about time to get started. Although it is still difficult toanalyze the discharge reaction force, using a wire displacement sensor
would make it possible to identify in real time.
President Yamaguchi: FANUC is working hard on machining
technology, and the feedback to product development is getting fasterand faster. It is important to use the results of analysis and simulationof discharge phenomena to enhance ROBOCUT’s performance. Your
continued support would be greatly appreciated. Professor Shamoto,please let us hear your comments.
Professor Shamoto: I am Shamoto
from Nagoya University. Thank you
for allowing me to learn various things
about ROBONANO today. I have threecomments on ROBONANO.
First, I am very interested in the newlathe-type ROBONANO. I think the lathe
type has a highly orthodox structure andis very practical, just as the milling type
Professor Shamoto
10

is. Now that both the lathe and milling types, which are representativeof machining, have become available with advanced specifications anda full support system, I expect them to become popular.
Second, I would like to talk about the on-machine measurement
function. I believe it is very important to enhance the usability offunctions other than just the basic functions, such as the on-machinemeasurement function. A complete system should therefore be
developed that covers not only on-machine measurement, but also
compensation machining using that data. A characteristic of ultraprecision machining is that it takes a long time outside of machining
itself, so there is a lot of room to improve user-friendliness.
For example, in setup, it takes a long time to detect both the tool andworkpiece positions, and I think this is what we should investigate. In
addition, addressing trouble during machining may present a problem.
For example, I heard that in die cutting that took several tens ofhours, a tool defect was found after several tens of hours of cutting
had been completed. Actually the defect occurred in the initial stage ofcutting and was found only when the door was opened after work wascompleted. Although it is not easy to detect trouble during fine cutting,monitoring is important even in ultra-precision machining.
We are also working on setup and machining process monitoring as
research themes, so we would be happy to help you with this.
Third, I would like to talk about ultra-precision machine element
technologies. I heard from your staff that hydrostatic bearings areproduced with gaps of just a few micrometers. This shows FANUC
has high technical capabilities but the pressure is 1 megapascal, whichis relatively low. If the pressure could be further increased by using
this basic technology as a foundation, higher performance could be
expected.
So far, I have talked about ROBONANO, but I have one more thing tomention. Some of the attendees have talked about chattering vibration,and I have long been engaged in research on this topic. If you haveany plans to study functions related to chattering vibration, I would be
happy to join you.
That is all from me, thank you.
President Yamaguchi: Thank you very much, Professor Shamoto. You
have talked about on-machine measurement of ROBONANO. FANUC
is placing great importance on measurements, and will be working
harder on it. Also, we would appreciate your guidance on chattering
vibration. Professor Matsumura, please give us your comments.
Professor Matsumura: I am Matsumura,from Tokyo Denki University. Today,
I looked mainly at exhibits related to
ROBODRILL. My impression is that ashift has taken place from “machine” to“machining,” and the concepts of FIELD
system and AI have been embodied
increasingly on the machining processside. In other words, I strongly feel that
Professor Matsumura
FANUC is making a shift from “machine
control” to “process control.”I heard that user-oriented development will be required as a strategy
against competitors. Improved user-friendliness can be expected byeffectively using open resources as well as FANUC’s own technologies.
An interesting thing about this is that various application software
programs have been installed on ROBODRILL screens. I get the
impression that installing applications in a stand-alone machine like
ROBODRILL, taking the bottoms-up approach, encourages small andmedium-sized companies to use the machine, and I heard that manysmall and medium-sized companies are installing ROBODRILL. Having
small and medium-sized companies use applications would provide
opportunities to improve various machining technologies, and I expect

that this will contribute to establishing a framework for users toaccumulate their individual knowhow.
Another interesting thing is that in process control, AI has been used
for thermal displacement compensation. I heard that FANUC has
achieved thermal displacement compensation at the level of ±20 μm,
but thermal displacement caused by the accumulation of cutting chips
should also be eliminated in order to achieve further progress.
The required accuracy for machining is expected to become stricter
to 10 μm, and then 5 μm, so it will be necessary to set higher targets.
What is important is that high-precision machining, and not thermal
displacement compensation is the goal. FANUC would have to takemechanical factors into account when considering compensation.
Many users who want to keep their machines clean and use themfor a long time, or want a stable automated process, have difficulty
handling cutting chips. Cutting chips have long been a problem, but
no effective solution has been found so far, and the problem is dealt
on site on a trial and error basis. I have hopes that FANUC will use
its AI technology, or another form of process control to handle cutting
chips effectively and develop user-friendly machines.
President Yamaguchi: I think shifting from “machine control” to“process control” is important. We will focus more than ever to findways for handling cutting chips in development. Thank you very much,
Professor Matsumura. Dr. Omori, please let us hear your comments.
Dr. Omori: Let me talk about
ROBONANO. ROBONANO has now
achieved 0.1 nm control, and the surface
accuracy and cutting data shows a drastic
improvement. With conventional diamondcutting, the accuracy is a bit below 1 nm,
but this time, ROBONANO’s data showsan Ra of 0.5 nm, which is very attractive.
For optical devices handling shortDr. Omori
wavelength light, 1 nm is not enough,and 0.3 nm is required. You might
increase machine accuracy further to achieve that level, or combine
ROBONANO with other processes, such as polishing with a magnetic
viscous fluid.
The latter is a polishing technology called MRF, developed by the
University of Rochester in the USA. I applied MRF to a diffraction
grating made by cutting and successfully removed burrs generated
on minute protrusions. Also, I heard from someone overseas thatmagnetic viscous fluid polishing has been put to practical use insurfaces cut by a nanomachine.
If there are any guidelines that indicate the extent that polishing isrequired after cutting, users could easily imagine how they can use
ROBONANO. Using ROBONANO in combination with post-machining
could work well in practical situations.
In manufacturing sites, turning is highly required in axisymmetric,
aspheric lens machining and die cutting, and I am pleased to hearthat the lathe type has been added to the ROBONANO lineup.
Measurement functions are needed in practical use, and depending on
the shape of the lens to be cut, a much smaller stylus may be needed,which is something I think should be discussed further.
Finally, finding applications suitable for ROBONANO is a challenge forboth the 5-axis machining type and lathe type. As a new application,“metamaterial” may be a good idea. Metamaterial is an artificial
material that can be used for creating fine structures of a dozen to a
few tens of nanometers to allow innovative functions to be applied tosurfaces. That being said, making such fine structures is difficult.
With the high resolution of ROBONANO, such cutting may be possible
just by having an appropriate cutting tool. Making ROBONANO
available for such applications could create a new future for mankind.

That is all from me, thank you for listening.
President Yamaguchi: Thank you for your insight not only from anacademic perspective, but also from your in depth experiences on-site.
Let us give some comments.
Uchida: I would like to talk about two things regarding FANUC’s
research and development policy and direction. First, as can beseen in the fact that CNCs have functions for collecting data fromperipheral equipment of machine tools, such as touch probes and mistcollectors, the role of CNCs is expanding. Now, CNCs not only control
the machine tools as before, but also serve as hubs for aggregating
various data in its vicinity. This point will be important in future
developments.
Second, I think our fundamental technical strength cannot be improved
without analyzing various physical phenomena and principles relating
to machines. There are limitations to developing machining technology
or molding technology only with knowhow and human effort, so I willkeep striving to analyze what phenomena are taking place.
President Yamaguchi: Thank you very much. Professor Tojiro
Aoyama, please give us your comments to conclude this discussion.
Professor T. Aoyama: I listened toeveryone’s comments and gained theimpression that you talked much more
about AI and IoT compared to two years
ago. I think this is very natural as a global
trend. In other words, the era when justmaking a good product was enough ended
a long time ago. My opinion is, that fromnow on, the importance of manufacturing
will shift to seeing how manufactured
Professor T. Aoyama
goods are used in society, examining theresults, and shaping businesses accordingly.
For ROBONANO, the guide surface was changed from aerostaticpressure to hydrostatic pressure ten years ago, and ROBONANO can
now work as a lathe, so changing the guide surface to hydrostaticpressure was indeed the right decision. The cardinal rule that themechanical structure must be kept as simple as possible has been
observed during development, and the result is that ROBONANO
has become an ultra-precise machine tool with extremely stableperformance. For the spindle, porous aerostatic pressure is usedwith a porous carbon material. While porous materials are highly
rigid and hard to handle, such material was machined well, and aporous diaphragm mechanism was applied to the spindle, showing
improvements in technical capabilities. Again, let me conclude thediscussion. In manufacturing, we must always think about how theresults of technical development affect society.
Since there is a shortage of data scientists and people with the ability
to analyze data, it is imperative that we recruit, train, and nurturesuch people. This is one of the missions of universities and publicresearch institutes to serve as organizations for developing humanresources.
The Heisei era has ended and we have embarked on a new era, “Reiwa.”
In this period of change, I think FANUC’s technological developments
and business strategies should focus more on manufacturing putting
value on interactions with humans. Universities and research institutes
could make even greater contributions by partnering from various
perspectives.
Thank you for the invitation to this Open House today. On behalfof all attendees, thank you for this opportunity to participate in afulfilling discussion with people from various universities and research
institutes. We all look forward to FANUC’s continued success.
President Yamaguchi: Thank you for taking the time to attend this
discussion. We will apply your valuable insights in our future business.
11

FANUC Factory Introduction Mibu Plant
In September 2014, FANUC began planning of the construction of the Mibu Plant to increase the production capacity of CNCs, servo amplifiers, and servo
motors, which are the core products of FANUC, and as part of its business continuity plan (BCP). Construction commenced in August 2015, with completion inlate April 2016, and operation began in October 2016. The Mibu production site has an area of approximately 700,000 m2 and is comprised of five factories: theElectronics Factory, Servo Motor Factory, Press and Die-Cast Factory, Mold Factory, and Laser Factory. The main Electronics and Servo Motor
Factories have three stories, each of which has a floor area of 126m x 252m. The large buildings of the Mibu Plant have capacities to produce at thesame level as FANUC Headquarters.
The Electronics Factory mounts and inspects printed circuit board components, and assembles, tests, and packages CNCs and amplifiers. The Servo
Motor Factory machines and assembles motor components, assembles sensors, and assembles, tests, and packages motors. The Press and Die-Cast
Factory produces motor components, and the Mold Factory manufactures plastic components. The manufacturing processes incorporate a large
number of robots, and conveyors connect the buildings to automate the material flow from one factory to the next. As such, the entire processof manufacturing products, from components to their completion, is carried out efficiently. All equipment and devices are connected to a network.
FIELD system is used to monitor their status and manage production. The Mibu Plant is a cutting-edge smart factory.
Three years have passed since the buildings were completed. Currently, there are over 1,000 robots operating in these highly automated factories.
Equipment will be increased to support a stable supply of CNCs, servo amplifiers, and servo motors.

Full view of Mibu Plant

12

PCB inspection cell, Electronics factory

Motor assembly cell, Servo motor factory

Parts machining cell with ROBODRILL, Servo motor factory

Molding cell with ROBOSHOT, Mold factory

Overseas Exhibition Report
IMTEX2019
IMTEX 2019, which is India's biggest machine tool exhibition, took place in Bangalore,
India, from January 24 (Thursday) to January 30 (Wednesday), 2019. About 1,200
companies from around the world exhibited, and the total number of visitors in theseven-day period reached 91,000 people. It was a very successful event. This year, an
extra hall was added to the venue, making the exhibition even larger in scale. FANUC
exhibited FA products, Robots and ROBOMACHINEs, as well as Service, highlighting
our comprehensive strength that also includes IoT technology.

TIMTOS2019
The 27th Taipei International Machine Tool Show (TIMTOS 2019), the largest machine
tool exhibition in Taiwan, was held in Taipei, Taiwan, from March 4 (Monday) to March
9 (Saturday), 2019. Around 1,200 companies participated and more than 54,000 visitors
attended, making it a very lively few days.
FANUC exhibited 0i-F Plus, oscillation cutting, Fine Surface Technology, and Fast
Cycle-time Technology, as well as fiber laser, collaborative robot and AGV, and QSSR
consisting of ROBOCUT and a collaborative robot. These are some of the highlights thatdrew many visitors to our exhibits.

CIMT2019
The China International Machine Tool Show (CIMT 2019), the largest machine tool
exhibition in China, took place in Beijing, China, from April 15 (Wednesday) to April
20 (Saturday), 2019. 1,700 companies from 28 countries and regions around the world
exhibited, and the total number of visitors during the six-day period reached 200,000
people. It was a very successful event. FANUC exhibited new products including FA,
Robots, and ROBOMACHINEs, and promoted its comprehensive strength that leverages
the strength of "one FANUC.”

Company Anniversary Ceremony

President Yamaguchi giving a speech at FANUC Hall

The lively party venue

The 47th Anniversary Ceremony commemorating the founding of FANUC was held on July 1 (Monday).
Following a speech by the President and CEO, an awards ceremony was held. The Achievement Award was presented to those who have greatly contributed tothe company's performance; the Invention Award went to those who have created outstanding inventions; the Continuous Service Award was given to those whohave diligently worked at the company for many years; and the Flash Fiction Award was awarded to those who wrote the best commemoration day flash fiction.
After the ceremony, there was a buffet party where company employees and their families sat together at tables with the members of the Akafuji Committee
which consists of FANUC retirees. It was an event enjoyed by all.

13

Ceremony Welcoming New Employees

The ceremony for welcoming new employees to the company took place on April 1 (Monday) in FANUC Hall at FANUC Headquarters. On this day, 258 new employees joined the FANUC workforce.
On listening to President Yamaguchi's encouraging and welcoming words, the new employees confirmed their commitment.
【Extract from the President's speech】

Congratulations to all new employees. FANUC was founded 47 years ago in 1972. Since our founding, we have developed our business activities with afocus on automation and robotization in the manufacturing industry, becoming a global leader in the field. The fundamental principles of FANUC since ourbeginnings have been "strict preciseness" and "transparency." I believe that a company's permanence and integrity comes from strict preciseness, and thatan organization's deterioration and decline derives from a lack of transparency. To sustain FANUC's robust corporate structure, I want you all to remember
these two fundamental principles in your daily work.
I would now like to explain the current situation at FANUC. From about five years ago, we have been proactively making investments for the future. Yet as
we move forward, the impact of the U.S.–China trade friction has caused the number of orders we receive to drop significantly since the second half of the last
fiscal year. This impact is not likely to subside in a few months; it may continue for two or three years. However, there is no need to fear or be daunted. Since
our founding, FANUC has overcome numerous waves of economic ups and downs, and with each struggle, we have further strengthened our structure.
I intend to interpret this current recession as an opportunity to think positively and to engage in making our company more robust, such as throughstrengthening our product competitiveness, enhancing our sales and service activities, advancing factory automation and robotization, and streamlining
administrative tasks. I believe that after we overcome this recession, FANUC will come back stronger than ever before.
For FANUC to maintain a robust corporate structure for the next 40 years, which will be the time most of you will reach retirement age, our company
strategies are of course crucial. However, I believe it is ultimately the combined strengths of each and every one of you who joined our company today thatwill lead us to success.
I hope that with your help, we can all combine our strengths—executive officers and employees alike—to contribute to a healthy and ever-lasting FANUC.

Winner of the Supplier of the Year Award
FANUC was selected for the 2018 Supplier of the Year Award by the US-based
company General Motors (GM).
GM comprehensively evaluates their suppliers based on product performance, service
structure, and level of technological support. This year, 133 companies received thisaward out of more than 20,000 suppliers.
This is the 14th consecutive year and the 15th time in total that FANUC has received
the award. The reliability of FANUC robots and global service structure were highly
appreciated.
General Manager Kiyonori Inaba and President Cicco of FANUC America attended theaward ceremony held at GM’s headquarters in Detroit, USA on May 15 (Wednesday).

Winner of the Intellectual Property Achievement Award
Of the 2019 Intellectual Property Achievement Awards, presented by the Patent Officeof the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), FANUC received the METI
Minister Award as a company that effectively uses intellectual property rights (openinnovation promoter).
As a result of promoting company-wide open innovation, FANUC was highly praisedfor its efforts in creating FIELD system and using AI technology to accelerate thedevelopment of new functionalities, as well as its proactive efforts regarding patentapplications. President Yamaguchi attended the awards ceremony held in Tokyo on
April 18 (Thursday) (Inventions Day).
14

FANUC Global ConferenceThis year's FANUC Global Conference was held for three days from March 11 (Monday) to March 13 (Wednesday). Employees representing FANUC Group
companies worldwide assembled in one place to discuss future product developments and sales strategies.
As markets around the world rapidly contract due to problems such as the U.S.–China trade friction and Brexit in Europe, technologies such as IoT and AI are
permeating all industries and a major transformation is taking place. In line with this trend, the Conference focused on the theme, "Change and Adaptation."

At the Conference, lively discussions were held in the FA, ROBOT and ROBOMACHINE divisions on how to increase the number of loyal FANUC customers by responding totheir needs even under unfavorable economic conditions. There were reports from each market about the current situation as well as future targets and strategies. The researchlaboratories introduced the latest products and functionalities, and explained the forthcoming development plans. All participants shared the challenges and course of actions.
The entire group also shared latest information on "one FANUC," including FIELD system, which is close to expanding overseas; the AI functions and QSSR (Quick & Simple
Startup of Robotization) that are being implemented on factory floors; as well as fiber laser applications, which are being evaluated as a robot system. The current state offactories that are being built or expanded was introduced. With this, the pride of being the leader of innovation in global manufacturing was reconfirmed. The last day featured avisit to the newly expanded ROBOSHOT factory and ROBOCUT factory to provide insights on uses of collaborative robots in assembly.

After the Conference ended, Chairman Inaba hosted a party in thecompany cafeteria, where all participants further deepened their friendship.

15

Driving machinery smartly and eﬃciently for a smarter factory.
Discover new values with FIELD system: an ecosystem for manufacturing that utilizes production data more eﬀectively.

Connect

Monitor

Drive

Think

FIELD system is a platform open to everyone, and wasdeveloped for edge-heavy computing by bringing together
the latest IoT and cutting-edge AI technologies.
By using this system, FANUC aims to work with partners
around the world to innovate manufacturing.

FANUC News 2019-Ⅱ

Oshino-mura, Minamitsuru-gun, Yamanashi 401-0597 Japan
https://www.fanuc.co.jp/
Phone: (81) 0555-84-5555
Fax: (81) 0555-84-5512
Person in charge of publishing:
Shunsuke Matsubara, Executive Managing Officer, General Manager, Research & Development Administration Division
Reprint or reproduction is not permitted without permission. All rights reserved.
©FANUC CORPORATION December. 2019 Printed in Japan