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In Brief
In metalworking and machining workshops, the handling of heavy components and sustained production rates present dual challenges: productivity and worker health. Forged blanks, raw machined parts, sheet metal, metal profiles – these components are seized, moved and placed dozens of times per hour with precision requirements that leave no room for fatigue. Neoditech supports metalworking and machining manufacturers with ergonomic handling solutions designed to eliminate workplace strain whilst guaranteeing millimetre-accurate positioning. Since 2007, our manipulator arms and mobile jib cranes have protected operators and streamlined production lines for over 575 clients across France and Europe, including ArcelorMittal, THK, Walter Tools, Lisi, KS Tools and many others.
Why Equip Your Metalworking Workshop with an Ergonomic Handling Solution?
Eliminate Musculoskeletal Disorders at Source
Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) account for the largest share of work-related ill health in Great Britain, affecting over 470,000 workers annually (HSE). In metalworking workshops, manual handling positions are among the most exposed: repetitive lifting, forced postures, dense and compact loads. The manipulator arm eliminates the perceived weight of the component: the operator guides the movement, they carry nothing. Workplace strain disappears at source, and with it the risk of work stoppages. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) provides free guidance and risk assessment tools to help employers identify and control manual handling risks. Your employer’s liability insurer may also offer premium reductions when documented ergonomic investments reduce MSD claims.
Precision Execution Below the Millimetre
In machining, an imprecise placement or impact during loading can damage the chuck, misalign the workpiece or generate scrap. Our SCARA manipulator arm is specifically designed for precision operations and delivers movement fluidity and stability that human strength alone cannot guarantee over time, especially towards the end of a shift. Result: fewer rejects, less rework time, consistent production quality throughout the day.
Workstations Accessible to All Profiles
Recruitment in metalworking is tight. A workstation equipped with a manipulator arm requires no particular strength: women and men, junior and senior staff maintain the same pace without physical strain. This is a concrete recruitment advantage and tangible proof of your commitment to occupational risk prevention.
Discover now the testimonial from A.U.T, a company that transformed its machined component handling with our SCARA PARTS manipulator arm.
Mobility Designed for the Metalworking Workshop
A metalworking workshop is not an empty hangar. It is a constrained space: machining centres aligned as closely as possible, swarf on the floor, lubricant tanks, reduced circulation aisles. Equipment mobility must adapt to these constraints – not the other way around.
Three configurations are available, depending on your layout:
Base on electric wheels: autonomous movement from one machining centre to another, without external intervention. Ideal for workshops where several machines share the same operator.
Base movable by pallet truck: rapid repositioning during series changes or when new machinery arrives. No tooling required.
Floor-mounted fixation: for permanent high-speed workstations – dedicated CNC lathe, continuous production press – with maximum rigidity.
No fixed infrastructure, no civil engineering. Your workshop evolves, your equipment follows.
Our Solutions Dedicated to Metalworking and Machining Material Handling
Two pieces of equipment, two usage logics. Selection is made according to the operation, not load alone.
SCARA Manipulator Arm
Load Capacity up to
100Kg
For insertion and precision operations: component insertion into a machining centre, press feeding…
Mobile Jib Crane
Load Capacity up to
100Kg
For pick-and-place operations, feeding your production lines.
SCARA vs Mobile Jib Crane: Two Usage Logics in Metalworking
| Equipment | Load Capacity | Typical Operation | Key Advantage |
|---|---|---|---|
| SCARA Manipulator Arm PARTS | 50 and 100 kg versions at 2 m | CNC lathe and milling machine loading/unloading, component insertion into chucks, 5-axis machining centres, press loading, heavy forged blanks | Millimetre precision, mobile base, custom gripper |
| Mobile Jib Crane | 70 or 100 kg, 350° rotation | Supply of raw materials and blanks to workstations, sheet metal and stamping line feeding, inter-zone transfers | Total mobility, no floor fixation, 2 m reach (2.70 m optional) |
Request a Free Workstation Audit
Our account managers visit your workshop, analyse your constraints and propose the adapted configuration, with no obligation.
Practical Applications in Your Metalworking Workshop
Funding: Reduce Your Investment Cost with Ergonomic Equipment Grants
Made Smarter (UK) offers 50% match-funded grants of up to £20,000 for manufacturing SMEs investing in technology and equipment – ergonomic handling systems included. Eligible businesses must have fewer than 250 employees. More information: madesmarter.uk
In the United States, state-level programmes offer direct equipment funding: the Minnesota Ergonomics Safety Grant covers up to $10,000 for ergonomic equipment recommended by a formal workplace assessment (dli.mn.gov); the North Dakota WSI Ergonomic Grant covers 75% of approved equipment costs, up to $75,000 depending on employer premium tier (workforcesafety.com).
In Australia, WorkSafe Victoria offers project grants of up to $300,000 over three years for manufacturing businesses addressing hazardous manual handling (worksafe.vic.gov.au); SafeWork NSW provides a $1,000 rebate for approved ergonomic items for small businesses (nsw.gov.au).
Our team supports every client in identifying the applicable scheme and preparing the application. We know the eligibility criteria and the documentation required – you do not have to navigate this alone.
Why Neoditech?
Why Choose Neoditech for Your Metalworking and Machining Projects?
Neoditech is designer AND manufacturer. Each solution is designed, manufactured and installed in our workshops in Mouzillon, Loire-Atlantique. Our internal engineering team designs the gripper adapted to your specific component: material (steel, cast iron, aluminium, stainless steel), geometry, temperature (hot components fresh from furnace or forge), surface finish (components greasy with cutting oil). Not a standard gripper: a tool designed for your component, tested in real conditions before delivery.
Our References in Metalworking and Machining: ArcelorMittal, THK, Wienerberger, Walter Tools, Aubert & Duval, Souriau, Mecarelep. These manufacturers have rigorous processes, high speeds and precise workshop constraints. We are experienced in these environments. Our teams work in your workshops with discretion, adapt to your production constraints – line shutdowns, shift rotations, confined spaces – and provide complete documentation for internal validation.
What This Changes in Practice:
Free on-site workstation analysis, with no obligation
Custom gripper design by our engineering team (permanent magnet, electromagnet, mechanical gripper, high-temperature tool for hot or greasy components)
Manufacture in France, controlled lead times
Installation in a few hours, operator training on site
CE marking, compliance with Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC
Support with ergonomic equipment grant applications (Made Smarter, state-level programmes)
What Our Solutions Do Not Cover
Loads exceeding 100 kg for SCARA, 100 kg for Mobile Jib Crane: beyond this, a bridge crane or dedicated lifting system is more appropriate.
Fully automated continuous flows without operator: our equipment is designed with the operator at the heart of the process. If the goal is an autonomous line without human intervention, a robotics integrator will be better suited.
Heavy intralogistics over long distances: conveyors, AGVs and automated storage systems cover massive flows over large distances. Our solutions cover the workstation and close inter-workstation transfers.
The SCARA manipulator arm is designed for these operations. Its articulated architecture allows it to approach the component frontally into the chuck or vice, without the operator carrying the weight. The SCARA PARTS (50 kg) covers the majority of CNC lathes and milling machines; the SCARA TITAN (100 kg) handles 5-axis machining centres and presses. A permanent magnet gripper or mechanical gripper is custom-designed according to your component geometry.
The decisive criterion is not load, it is the operation. The SCARA arm is designed for precision gestures at the workstation: loading a lathe chuck, inserting a component into a press, positioning a blank in a vice. Its articulated architecture allows it to approach the component with a controlled trajectory, in confined space, with repeatability that human strength alone cannot guarantee over time. The mobile jib crane is designed for flows between zones: supplying a workstation with raw materials from the storage area, feeding a cutting line, transferring blanks from one island to another. It covers large movement distances with 350° rotation and 2 m reach, with no floor fixation. In practice, the two often coexist in the same workshop: the crane brings material to the workstation, the SCARA loads the machine.
Yes. Our engineering team designs specific grippers for these conditions: sealed mechanical grippers for greasy components, high-temperature grippers for components fresh from furnace or forge. The gripper choice is determined during the workstation study, based on maximum temperature, surface finish and speed.
For ferromagnetic components (steel, cast iron), the permanent magnet is the fastest and most reliable solution: instant grip, no energy, no drop risk. For stainless steel or aluminium sheet metal (non-ferromagnetic), a vacuum gripper or mechanical gripper is used. For hot components fresh from forge, a custom high-temperature gripper is designed by our engineering team.
Several schemes apply depending on your location. In the UK, Made Smarter offers 50% match-funded grants up to £20,000 for manufacturing SMEs. In the US, the Minnesota Ergonomics Safety Grant (up to $10,000) and the North Dakota WSI Ergonomic Grant (up to $75,000, 75% of equipment cost) fund ergonomic equipment recommended by a formal workplace assessment. In Australia, WorkSafe Victoria offers project grants up to $300,000 for manual handling improvements, and SafeWork NSW provides a $1,000 small business rebate. Some training programmes (OSHA Susan Harwood in the US) may also fund operator training. The Neoditech team can help identify the right scheme for your location and support your application.
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Conclusion :
Take Action
Material handling in metalworking and machining does not have to remain the leading source of MSDs in your workshop. The equipment exists, the funding exists too. Our account managers visit your workshop free of charge to analyse your workstations and propose the adapted solution, with no obligation.
Neoditech, Your Metalworking and Machining Handling Partner
At Neoditech, we place ergonomics, innovation and safety at the heart of our solutions to improve your processes whilst preserving the health and comfort of your operators. Ergonomics and productivity do not oppose each other: they reinforce each other. This is what we have demonstrated since 2007, workshop after workshop, across France and Europe.
We design solutions that combine ergonomics and productivity. Our equipment enables manufacturers to improve operator safety while optimizing their production processes. Neoditech is also :
Customers supported in France and Europe
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Manipulators sold in France and elsewhere
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