Meet OB7AI: Our 7-Axis Cobot with Physical AI for CNC Machine Tending
At IMTS 2026 we introduced OB7AI, our 7-axis OB7 cobot with physical AI. It is built for job shops and contract manufacturers that run CNC mills.
OB7AI scans your work area and finds its own way around your mill, so your operators win back the time they used to spend teaching each new job.
WHY IT MATTERS
From programmed cobots to adaptive partners
Cobots are moving from execution-based programming to adaptive partners, driven by AI and the growing use of no-code interfaces.
For more than a decade, our 7-axis OB7 cobots have been taught by touch, with zero programming. OB7AI sets a new technical benchmark: job shops and contract manufacturers can now shave even more time off tending their CNC mills.
FROM OPERATOR-TAUGHT TO SELF-TAUGHT
Why add AI to a cobot that already needs no programming?
OB7 · TEACH BY TOUCH
You guide the arm through each new job once with the control handle. No code. Simple, but it still takes operator time.
OB7AI · SELF-TAUGHT
OB7AI scans your mill and finds its own way around. No AI training cycles, ever, for new parts or tasks.
“Teaching OB7 is exceptionally simple and only has to be performed once per job, but it’s a task that takes time. Now operators can recoup that time because OB7AI scans and finds its own way around a job shop’s machines. And there are no AI training cycles required for new parts or tasks.” – Zac Bogart, President, Productive Robotics
HOW OB7AI WORKS
Scan. Stage. Push “Work.”
01
Scan
FIRST TIME ONLY
The first time OB7 is placed at your mill, it scans the entire work area and learns where everything is located.
02
Stage
Place blanks on the work table. They don’t need to be placed precisely. As long as there is finger room between them, the gripper can reach each part.
03
Push “Work”
That’s it. From here OB7AI runs the whole cycle on its own.
Once you push Work, OB7AI:
Finds a blank
Opens the mill door, loads the part into the vise and closes the door
Pushes the cycle start button
Reads the CNC screen to know when the cycle is finished
Opens the door and unloads the finished part
Repeats until the job is complete
SOLVING THE HIGH-MIX ROI PROBLEM
Your mills, running around the clock
High-mix, low-volume work has always been the hardest place for automation to pay off. Every new part meant setup time, and short runs rarely earned it back.
OB7AI takes that setup off your operator, so even small jobs can run unattended and your mills keep producing 24/7.
“Our collaborative robots and robotic welding systems operate in nearly every industry, including small to mid-sized enterprises that run high-mix, low-volume parts.” – Zac Bogart
0
AI training cycles for new parts
1
scan per mill, then it’s ready
24/7
mill utilization
LAUNCHED AT IMTS 2026
Built for the production floor today
What sets OB7AI apart: it is designed to work on a production floor now, with no AI training for new parts or tasks.
“The automotive industry and CNC machining are the key markets for cobots with physical AI. The difference is that our OB7AI is designed to work on a production floor now without training. The added capability also opens the door to non-factory sectors such as laboratory research and healthcare.” – Zac Bogart
IN THE NEWS
OB7AI in the news
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