Robotics & Automation News

Market trends and business perspectives

Archives for January 10, 2017

GM begins autonomous vehicle manufacturing and testing in Michigan

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On the heels of the signing of the Save Act legislation to support autonomous vehicle testing and deployment in Michigan, General Motors says it will immediately begin testing autonomous vehicles on public roads.

GM also announced it will produce the next generation of its autonomous test vehicles at its Orion Township assembly plant beginning in early 2017.

General Motors chairman and CEO Mary Barra, says: “Revolutionizing transportation for our customers while improving safety on roads is the goal of our autonomous vehicle technology, and today’s announcement gets us one step closer to making this vision a reality.

“Our autonomous technology will be reliable and safe, as customers have come to expect from any of our vehicles.”  [Read more…] about GM begins autonomous vehicle manufacturing and testing in Michigan

Apple to expand manufacturing in America

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Apple CEO Tim Cook during a visit to the company’s facility in Austin, Texas, where the Mac Pro is assembled. Picture courtesy MacRumours.com

Tech giant Apple looks to have decided to expand its manufacturing operations in the US. The company filed a notification in the Federal Register apparently to that effect. 

A statement on the Federal Register website says that Apple already has authority to manufacture within the Mesa, Arizona region. “The new request would add finished products and foreign status materials and components to the scope of authority,” it says.

TechCrunch notes that the statement included a mention of Apple’s plan to build data centre server cabinets, which is not a consumer product Apple sells and, therefore, TechCrunch presumes, would be “used for building out its own data centers”.  [Read more…] about Apple to expand manufacturing in America

Technical insight: The brake chopper size conundrum

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brake choppers

John Mitchell, global business development manager of maintenance and repair specialist CP Automation, looks at the dangers of taking your IGBT for granted

Many drives manufacturers design and build their products with a seventh Insulated-Gate Bipolar Transistor (IGBT), in the form of a brake chopper, incorporated into the device. 

Manufacturers often include a brake chopper up to a certain size of inverter, but beyond that size, they will expect customers to use an external unit.

However, to reduce the cost of the drive to the end user, the seventh IGBT isn’t necessarily rated to the full power rating of the drive itself.  [Read more…] about Technical insight: The brake chopper size conundrum

Energy management systems: Growing more critical by the minute

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siemens ems
Energy management systems are becoming increasingly important as power becomes more expensive. Picture courtesy of Siemens

An energy management system is a set of computer-based tools used to optimise the production and consumption of power. 

Generally speaking, EMS applications are found in the power-generation sector, in utilities, but they are becoming increasingly important in industrial operations large and small.

Additionally, they are being installed for the home, along with smart meters connected to smart grids. This market will become increasingly important as consumers use a greater number of electrical devices and appliances, including power-hungry ones like electric cars.  [Read more…] about Energy management systems: Growing more critical by the minute

Hannover Messe: And Polska has won it!

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Poland is this year’s partner country for Hannover Messe, the world’s most influential industrial trade show. 

Last year’s partner country was USA, and President Barack Obama was the guest of honour. The year before that, it was India, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, welcomed as usual by German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

So, following on from the one of the world’s most populous nations, and then the world’s most powerful, Poland and its leaders have a lot to live up to. [Read more…] about Hannover Messe: And Polska has won it!