#22 Lights Out, Bots On with Graham Francis
Update: 2025-11-20
Description
Justin sits down with automation nerd and Lights Out Manufacturing mastermind Graham Francis for a deep dive into the future of robot-tended machining.
From vacuum-gripping raw stock to running 25 chaotic OP1s on a trade-show floor, Graham breaks down why part-loading beats pallet-loading, why cobots aren’t “toys,” and how self-aligning fixtures make or break real automation.
They get into the messy truth of integrating robots with CNCs, the magic of force-feedback motion, the art of soft-jaw design, and what actually happens when your robot tries to open a chip-packed machine door.
It’s a brutally honest, deeply technical, and surprisingly funny tour through automation myths, machine-shop reality, and the wild engineering that makes lights-out machining possible.
Find Lights Out Manufacturing here: https://www.lightsoutmfg.com/
From vacuum-gripping raw stock to running 25 chaotic OP1s on a trade-show floor, Graham breaks down why part-loading beats pallet-loading, why cobots aren’t “toys,” and how self-aligning fixtures make or break real automation.
They get into the messy truth of integrating robots with CNCs, the magic of force-feedback motion, the art of soft-jaw design, and what actually happens when your robot tries to open a chip-packed machine door.
It’s a brutally honest, deeply technical, and surprisingly funny tour through automation myths, machine-shop reality, and the wild engineering that makes lights-out machining possible.
Find Lights Out Manufacturing here: https://www.lightsoutmfg.com/
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