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Fabtech 2019: Self-learning Robots with a Human Touch

The fear for many when it comes to robots and automation is losing the human touch and expertise that comes with years of experience. One company has managed to take the expertise of human hands and seamlessly transfer that to robotics. LestaUSA’s new Finishing Robots are programmed using the movements and actions of leading…

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By Derek DeGeest · ·
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The fear for many when it comes to robots and automation is losing the human touch and expertise that comes with years of experience. One company has managed to take the expertise of human hands and seamlessly transfer that to robotics.

LestaUSA’s new Finishing Robots are programmed using the movements and actions of leading human painters and finishers. It then takes those programmed actions and perfectly repeats them time after time, allowing businesses to scale their operations without losing the effectiveness of an expert painter.

“This allows manufacturers to keep the talent they have,” said LestaUSA President Derek Degeest. He also explained that this helps extend the careers of many painters because it reduces the wear and tear that the job can have on the body.

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About the author

Derek DeGeest
Derek DeGeestPresident, DeGeest Corporation / LestaUSA

Derek DeGeest is president of DeGeest Corporation and LestaUSA. A third-generation manufacturing leader, he brought Lesta’s self-learning robotic finishing technology to North America after searching for a solution to his own company’s paint-shop bottleneck. His work connects fabrication, finishing, software and the people who understand how production really happens. Through Manufacturing a Stronger Standard, Derek interviews equipment specialists and practitioners and shares lessons from his own operations. He returns to the relationship between automation and skilled work: preserving experience, improving consistency and developing problem solvers. His company biography also describes work with schools and technical colleges to introduce young people to manufacturing careers.

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About the Expert

Derek DeGeest
Derek DeGeest

President

DeGeest Corporation / LestaUSA

Derek DeGeest is president of DeGeest Corporation and LestaUSA. A third-generation manufacturing leader, he brought Lesta’s self-learning robotic finishing technology to North America after searching for a solution to his own company’s paint-shop bottleneck. His work connects fabrication, finishing, software and the people who understand how production really happens. Through Manufacturing a Stronger Standard, Derek interviews equipment specialists and practitioners and shares lessons from his own operations. He returns to the relationship between automation and skilled work: preserving experience, improving consistency and developing problem solvers. His company biography also describes work with schools and technical colleges to introduce young people to manufacturing careers.

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