POWERHOUSE COLLECTION

Cincinnati Milacron T3 industrial robot

Object No. 2019/102/1

The Cincinnati Milacron T3 was the first commercially available computer-controlled industrial robot. This robot is thought to have been used in a training facility at the Ford assembly plant in Homebush, Sydney, from around 1980 until the plant's closure in 1994. When first developed by Cincinnati Milacron Corporation in the USA in 1973, this robot was called 'The Tomorrow Tool' or T3. This name evokes the expectation and anticipation that robotics in industry presented as the technology was emerging and becoming commercially viable in the 1960s and 1970s. This was a period of significant transition in industry across the world as similar technologies were introduced into manufacturing in the USA, Europe and Japan. This object documents the introduction of industrial robots into car manufacturing in Australia. It also documents the rise and fall of the automotive industry in Australia, and wider changes in the Australian manufacturing sector. The automotive industry has been a leader in utilising robotics and automation in assembly line production for dangerous or difficult work. This object embodies the many historical and contemporary dialogues regarding automation, technology, changes to labour and working life. Industrial robots like this one perform detailed, accurate work tirelessly without the need for for rest. The T3 was promoted as being versatile, strong, dependable and able to work for 24 hours a day. While popular contemporary narratives around robotics highlight the potential for robots with artificial intelligence in humanoid form, this robot exemplifies the more prosaic industrial reality of robots and their widespread impact on building our world. Angelique Hutchison Curator 2019