Abstract: A robotic lead trimmer employing a sensor probe guided over a printed wiring board by a robot to determine the contour of a printed wiring board and a lead trimming element guided by the robot to automatically follow the determined contour of the board during lead trimming to achieve tight trimming tolerances. The sensor probe in conjunction with a fixed sensor is employed to determine an offset factor related to dimensional variations in the lead trimming element in order to impart additional accuracy to the lead trimming operation. An air ionizer and blower are utilized to neutralize static charge and remove debris. The robotic lead trimmer may be enclosed and utilized in conjunction with a tooling shuttle which receives a printed wiring board and transfers it to within the working envelope of the robot.