Productive Robotics’ 7-Axis OB7 Solves Labor Shortages And Long Wait Times For New CNC Equipment By Optimizing Existing Machines

Santa Barbara, CA – Research data revealed manufacturing technology orders grew 36 percent in the first half of 2026 but 20.6 percent of U.S. plants are operating below full capacity due to lack of workers and long lead times on the purchase of new CNC equipment. Productive Robotics’ 7-axis teach-by-touch collaborative robots are helping companies reduce setup time and run formerly idle equipment overnight unattended. “Every CNC machine on the production floor represents capital a job shop has already spent,” says Zac Bogart, president of Productive Robotics. “A cobot can squeeze time out of machines that aren’t being used due to the skills shortage. OB7 can tend machines, load and unload parts and then run the equipment overnight and weekends without the addition of personnel or the need to buy more machines. Unlike traditional 6-axis arms, the OB7’s 7th joint mimics the dexterity of a human arm. The cobot can be placed to the side or the back of a CNC machine and still reach around the sliding the door. The front door can remain open, giving operators access to handle setups, tool changes and part inspections without having to move OB7. The cobot’s “no programming” interface allows an operator to physically guide the arm through a job’s steps and use drag-and-drop tiles on a tablet. With OB7’s teach-by-touch capability, anyone can train it to load a part, close the door and hit the machine’s start button. The cobot can run jobs as small as five to 10 parts and store previous jobs in its memory, making repeat setups nearly instantaneous. OB7 can also run 24/7 unattended. “A job shop can order OB7, unbox it, teach it a job by hand and run parts the same day,” Bogart says. “The OB7 can run any CNC machine. A job shop or fabricator doesn’t need to make any facility changes, buy new equipment or take on new personnel.”