Our engineering team can help improve your robotics process results, and our sales engineers can draw on a deep reservoir of knowledge and tactics for vibration analysis, on-board spindle monitoring, aggregates, and more to protect uptime.
Automate 2026 Q&A with Precision Drive Systems (PDS)
Q&A with | Precision Drive Systems (PDS)
Tell us about your company.
Since 1996, Precision Drive Systems (PDS) has been the global leader in innovative spindle solutions, pioneering design and engineering, providing first-class technical support, and offering rapid repairs for diverse applications in the robotics, metal, wood, plastics, stone, marble, and glass industries.
PDS’s headquarters are in Bessemer City, NC, near Charlotte. Come see us at Automate Booth 34027.
Your company will be exhibiting at Automate. What is it that makes this an important event for your company?
Precision Drive Systems is proud to launch SUPERNOVA, a new generation of high-performance spindles designed and assembled in the USA for manufacturers who can't afford downtime.
SUPERNOVA combines proven reliability, fast delivery, and intelligent monitoring, offering complete confidence in your production.
Why SUPERNOVA?
- Proven Reliability – Backed by a 5,000 run-hour or 24–36-month warranty, SUPERNOVA delivers dependable performance in demanding environments.
- Fast Delivery – Minimize downtime with lead times as short as 14 days.
- Designed for Serviceability – Lower lifecycle costs with 3–5 day rebuilds at approximately 50% of the cost of new.
- Smarter with PDSIQ – Integrated IoT sensors monitor temperature, vibration, run-time, and collision events.
- Built for Your Application – Every operation is different. That's why SUPERNOVA is supported by PDS engineers who understand your process, your challenges, and your performance goals.?
SUPERNOVA. Built in the USA. Engineered for uptime. Powered by intelligence.
What makes your booth a must-visit for Automate Attendees?
Spindles have been a PDS specialty for thirty years. Our engineering team can help improve your robotics process results, and our sales engineers can draw on a deep reservoir of knowledge and tactics for vibration analysis, on-board spindle monitoring, aggregates, and more to protect uptime. Our new SUPERNOVA spindles are equipped with IoT sensors and come with an industry-leading 24 or 36-month warranty.
Automate has many educational sessions, forums & demos, is your company involved in any of them this year?
YES!
PDS Sales Engineer Brandon Messick will be presenting LETTING GO: TOOL HOLDING CONSUMABLES FOR MATERIAL REMOVAL OPERATIONS on Wednesday, June 24, 2026, 8:00 AM – 8:45 AM (CDT).
Toolholders are essential for robotic cutting, grinding, milling, and drilling. In high-speed applications, proper balance is critical to surface finish and equipment life.
- Toolholders, collets, and collet nuts (ISO, BT, HSK, etc.) are consumables
- Wear and minor damage over time can cause an imbalance, leading to poor surface finish, reduced accuracy, and spindle and bearing damage
- Collets and nuts wear out first - replace them regularly
- Toolholders last longer but should be discarded if dropped or damaged
- Regular replacement is far cheaper than machine repairs or scrapped parts
Key Takeaways:
- Toolholding components are consumables, not permanent assets
- Minor wear leads to imbalance, poor finish, lost accuracy, and machine damage
- Routine replacement costs far less than repairs or scrap?
When you get a chance to walk the exhibit hall floor yourself, what will you be most interested to see? Any educational sessions, pavilions, etc., you plan on attending?
Automate Show Pavilion (Lessons from System Integrators). Humanoid Robot Forum.
We are interested in meeting with manufacturers and systems integrators who work with robotic machining, trimming, grinding, deburring, drilling, and polishing to learn more about their challenges and how we can optimize their processes. Our focus is on helping manufacturers maximize uptime.
AI will, of course, be a huge topic. Be it automation, robotics, how are your company’s services and products utilizing AI now to improve business?
We are studying agentic AI across all our business functions. Our AI adjacent services are:
- Predictive spindle maintenance with VibeAid
- Vibration/condition monitoring with our Spindle Health Information Monitoring System (SHIMS)
- Operational uptime analytics
As we sharpen our focus on AI integration, spindle lifecycle management, and uptime, these will be our priorities.
Give us your thoughts on what the future holds for robotics & automation.
The next 10–15 years in manufacturing automation will likely be the biggest transformation since CNC machining replaced manual mills and lathes.
AI will increasingly control:
- Scheduling
- Maintenance timing
- Tool wear prediction
- Machine optimization
- Robot path correction
- Energy management
- Inspection systems
- Supply chain adaptation
Factories will become self-optimizing systems yielding maximum efficiency and accuracy across all processes.
The content & opinions in this article are the author’s and do not necessarily represent the views of RoboticsTomorrow
PDS / Precision Drive Systems
Over 40,000 Spindles Repaired or Rebuilt Since 1996. PDS is a global leader in spindle repairs and retrofits for precision metal and robotics applications. With over 40,000 spindles repaired to better than-new-condition. PDS also offers new spindles, CNC accessories, and Industry 4.0 spindle monitoring. With offices in Bessemer City, NC (near Charlotte) and Herford, Germany PDS backs superb craftsmanship with a standard 12 month warranty on repaired spindles and an optional, industry-leading 24 month PrecisionCare warranty.
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