Short answer
Machine tending data records how people load stock into, and unload finished parts from, CNC machines and presses: presenting blanks, opening guards, seating parts in fixtures, starting the cycle, then removing, gauging and placing parts. Machine shops and contract manufacturers hold station video, controller and press cycle logs, and setup sheets. Video does not show clamping force or how a part seats, and recording near running machines requires the plant's safety review.
The deployment problem
Tending is a clear humanoid target because it is repetitive, well defined and built around a person standing at a machine door. The loop is the same every cycle: remove the finished part, clean, load the next blank, close up and start. Much of an operator's time is spent in that loop or waiting for it to end.
The data that matters comes in two layers. Machines and production systems record the loop precisely: cycle starts, program IDs, door states where captured, alarms and counts. Video shows how a person actually presents, seats and removes parts, which the logs cannot. A buyer usually has to join the two, and then add what neither contains: the forces and fine alignment at the fixture.
Task anatomy
| Step | CNC machining center or lathe | Press | Typical failure modes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Present stock | Blank from tray, pallet, bin or conveyor | Blank from a stack or tray | Wrong stock; wrong orientation |
| Open guard | Door opens once the cycle ends and interlocks release | Gate or light curtain clear | Door timing; cycle not finished |
| Clear and clean | Air gun or brush on chips; wipe the fixture | Check the die area for slugs and debris | Chips on a locating surface |
| Load and seat | Place in chuck, vise or fixture; orient to a datum; clamp | Place blank against stops on the die | Mis-seated part; wrong orientation |
| Start cycle | Close the door; confirm program and offsets; press cycle start | Clear hands; two-hand control or automatic stroke | Wrong program; part loose at start |
| Unload | Remove a hot, oily or sharp part | Remove the formed part | Dropped part; burrs |
| Gauge and sort | Check a feature on a gauge; good, rework or scrap | Same | Out-of-tolerance part missed |
| Log and move | Place in the outfeed; update the count | Same | Count mismatch |
Exceptions sit beside this loop: clearing a jam, changing a tool, adjusting an offset. Some of those may count as servicing rather than tending, and servicing follows different rules. OSHA's lockout/tagout standard requires employers to develop, document and use specific procedures to control hazardous energy when employees service equipment (OSHA). Which recorded activities count as servicing at a given plant is a question for its safety staff. Ask which clips include them and how they were done; lockout/tagout procedures covers the document side.
Which data feeds which part
Loop structure and timing. Controller logs record program ID, cycle start and end, alarms and sometimes door state; press counters record strokes. Production systems add job, part number and quantity. Joined to station video, they give state labels for free; see MES records aligned to video and aligning video with system logs.
Stock presentation. How blanks arrive determines the perception problem: trays with known positions, pallets of loose parts or bins. See fixturing and part orientation.
Seating and clamping. Head-mounted video shows where the hand places a part against the datum and how the operator checks it. Setup sheets and fixture drawings define the datum. The seating itself depends on feel, and clamp pressure is not visible.
Quality outcome. Gauging records and in-process checks give a result per part. They link a loading action to a measured outcome only if serial or time keys exist; the catalog entry for manufacturing quality and inspection records describes the record type.
Procedures. Setup sheets, work instructions and changeover procedures give step order and checks.
What this data can and cannot support
| Asset | Supports | Cannot support alone |
|---|---|---|
| Controller and press logs | Cycle timing, state labels, alarm context | Any visual signal |
| Fixed station video | Flow, waiting time, exceptions | Hand detail at the fixture |
| Head-mounted recording | Part pick-up, orientation, seating, door handling | Clamp force, feel of seating |
| Setup sheets and work instructions | Task structure, parameters, checks | Motion |
| Gauging records | Outcome labels | Which loading action caused an error |
Video of people has no robot joint states or commanded actions, and a machine door, chuck and fixture were built for a human hand and arm. Whether a robot hand fits depends on geometry that video records only roughly; see the human-to-humanoid embodiment gap. Hot, oily parts and chips raise grip and perception problems video can show but not resolve.
Automated tending cells are typically built around industrial robots, whose safety requirements are covered by ISO 10218-1, revised in February 2025 (ISO, 2025). How that standard, and the guarding and interlocks it implies, apply to a humanoid is a question for the plant's safety engineers and the robot maker, not something recorded data answers.
Capture and labels
Machine environments are hard on cameras: coolant mist, chips, glare on metal and low light inside the enclosure. Test housings and lens protection first. A head-mounted view shows hands and fixture, a fixed view at the door shows the loop, and a third view on the outfeed shows gauging and sorting. Synchronize all of them to the machine clock. A request to SourceX should name the machine types, part families and views you need.
# Illustrative only — synthetic shop, machine and values
cycle_id: cy_shop027_mc04_0916
machine: {type: cnc_lathe, id: MC04, program: PRG_2281, part_family: shaft_B}
cameras: [door_side_fixed, head_mounted_operator, outfeed_fixed]
machine_events:
- {t: 0.0, event: cycle_end}
- {t: 1.8, event: door_open}
- {t: 14.6, event: door_closed}
- {t: 15.9, event: cycle_start}
steps:
- {name: unload, t_start: 2.1, t_end: 5.0, part_state: hot}
- {name: clean_fixture, tool: air_gun, t_start: 5.2, t_end: 8.1}
- {name: load_seat, datum: face_A, clamp: manual_switch, t_start: 8.4, t_end: 13.9}
gauge: {feature: bore_dia, result: in_tolerance}
exceptions: []
operator_id: operator_D17 # pseudonymous
excluded: [clamp pressure, seating force, robot actions, customer drawings]
Coverage should span part families by size and weight, workholding types, machine and door styles, stock presentation, dry and flood-coolant machining, shifts and operators. A single part family at one machine shows one loop.
Supplier types
- Machine shops. Wide part variety and short runs, but parts are usually made to customers' drawings.
- Contract manufacturers. Variety and volume together; see contract manufacturers as data suppliers.
- OEM plants with machining cells. Own their designs, with longer runs of fewer parts.
- Automation integrators. May hold footage and logs from cell installations, normally under client terms.
- Technical and vocational programs. Hold CNC training recordings, with learner-consent questions.
Limits for this task
- Forces are missing. Clamping, seating and part removal feel are not in the pixels.
- The machine interior is occluded. Cameras seldom see the chuck during loading.
- Safety rules limit recording. Capture near moving machinery needs the plant's approval; see machine safety constraints for recording.
- Environment degrades images. Coolant, chips and reflections reduce usable frames.
- Short runs. High-mix shops change parts often, so any one loop may appear only a few times.
Questions to ask suppliers
- Which machine types, door styles and workholding would recordings cover?
- Do any cameras see the chuck, vise or die at the moment of loading?
- Which machine events (cycle start and end, door state, alarms) are logged, and with what clock?
- Can video be aligned to job and part numbers, and what is the measured offset?
- Are jam clearing, tool changes and offset adjustments in the footage, and how were they done safely?
- Whose part designs appear, and has that customer approved use for AI training?
- Are gauging results linked to individual parts or only to lots?
- What notice or consent covered operators, and does it include licensing to an outside company?
Permissions and provenance
Footage shows customers' parts, drawings posted at stations and sometimes screens with job data. Operators work close to the camera. See manufacturing data confidentiality and worker consent and identifiable people. Masking drawings reduces exposure but does not by itself settle permission. This is not legal advice.
Discuss your requirements
If you are scoping a tending program, tell SourceX the machine types, part families, views and permitted uses you need. SourceX looks for US businesses that hold suitable material, checks the data and the supplier's licensing permissions, and coordinates the license and delivery. If no existing asset fits, SourceX can scope a commissioned collection of new recordings. A request does not guarantee a match; SourceX follows up about potential sources.
Start from the manufacturing and assembly hub or the humanoid training data guide.
Describe the workplace demonstration data your robotics project needs
Sources
- 29 CFR 1910.147 The control of hazardous energy (lockout/tagout) — procedures for controlling hazardous energy during servicing.
- ISO 10218-1:2025 Robotics — Safety requirements — Part 1: Industrial robots — current industrial robot safety standard.