Surface Finishing Automation

A cohort from the first South Bend - Elkhart Manufacturing Accelerator at Liftco
Photo provided by iNDustry Labs

Lowering operating costs, enhancing worker safety and improving throughput without compromising quality are just some of the benefits the South Bend-Elkhart Manufacturing Accelerator’s Surface Finishing Automoation cohort is seeking to provide area companies. The cohort, hosted by University of Notre Dame’s iNDustry Labs, provides opportunities for regional manufacturers to participate in cohorts where professionals will learn about the general technology, as well as how it can be tailored to each business’s specific tooling and needs.

Join the Surface Finishing cohort to learn how to integrate flexible surface finishing automation solutions seamlessly into your operations. The Accelerator program offers opportunities to apply for funding to support industrial innovations. Participation is free of charge.

In the first cohort, the South Bend - Elkhart Manufacturing Accelerator program focused on a welding cobot system.Learn more about the lead company from the South Bend - Elkhart Manufacturing Accelerator welding cobot cohort: Liftco. The welding cobot improved productivity up to 300%, delivering higher-quality, consistent welds with 88% fewer warranty claims and reducing operating costs by 50% - 60%:

Flexible Surface Finishing Automation

Discover the versatility of a Flexible Surface Finishing Automation Cell. This is adept at performing customized sanding or grinding operations to meet the diverse needs of industries, and can be tailored to suit different product demands while adhering to common regional automation needs.

System features

  • Low maintenance
  • Minimal programming
  • Easy set-up and operations

The Benefits

  • Consistent and high-quality surface finishes
  • Lower operating costs
  • Improved efficiency and throughput
  • Enhanced production flexibility and adaptability

On top of learning about the integration system, your company may also:

  • Receive up to $10,000 of technical services and support from iNDustry Labs at no cost.
  • Tour the lead company's system implementation to familiarize your team with the Surface Finishing Automation Technology.
  • Gain access to our vendor selection process and decision matrix.

By joining the accelerator program, your professional can:

  • Validate that your product is fit for automation
  • Design automation equipment specification
  • Investigate funding opportunities to support the acquisition of equipment

How does the cohort model work?

  • One lead company per accelerator theme
  • Inclusion of four to 10 partner companies per automation theme
  • Companies in the cohort will have common manufacturing automation needs

Technical Services provided by iNDustry Labs

  • Shop floor line walks
  • Automation need identification
  • Robotic Path Simulation
  • Return on Investment (ROI) estimations
  • Engineering System Design
  • Request for Proposal (RFP) evaluation
  • Integrator / vendor management
  • Technology adoption support

Important dates

  • Tour automation on site at lead company in Q4 of 2025

Ready to learn more or join the cohort?

Contact: Jim Wittendorf, Engineer-in-Residence, jwittend@nd.edu