Robotics & Automation News

Market trends and business perspectives

Archives for April 2018

Locus Robotics releases third generation of its Advanced Navigation system

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Locus Robotics, provider of autonomous, collaborative robots for use in e-commerce fulfilment warehouses, has introduced Advanced Navigation 3.0 (LRAN3 or “Puffin”) to increase the agility and performance of its robots in the warehouse.

“Locus Robotics Advanced Navigation 3.0 addresses one of the most challenging aspects of fulfilment robotics and automation: the dynamic nature of the warehouse,” said Rick Faulk, CEO of Locus Robotics.

“LRAN3 enables LocusBots to actively adapt to minute-by-minute changes within a facility, identifying obstacles and navigating tactically around them, to successfully complete their mission.”

[Read more…] about Locus Robotics releases third generation of its Advanced Navigation system

Smallest industrial PC interface launched

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HMS Industrial Networks has added the M.2 format to the IXXAT® INpact PC-card range. The result is the smallest PC-interface for Industrial Ethernet and Profibus on the market, says the company.

With the new IXXAT INpact M.2 interfaces, users can implement PROFINET, EtherNet/IP, EtherCAT, Modbus-TCP, Powerlink and PROFIBUS slave connectivity with the smallest footprint ever.

The compact form factor M.2 2260 (Key B-M) makes INpact M.2 suitable for small and mobile devices, typically used for service, configuration, data analysis or process data visualization purposes.

[Read more…] about Smallest industrial PC interface launched

Hospital achieves IoT equipment integration with LoRaWAN

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Two recognized players in IoT technologies, Adeunis and ARC Informatique, are integrating their solutions to achieve unprecedented IoT equipment integration with an existing Building Management System (BMS) using LoRaWAN technology at Grenoble Alpes University Hospital.

The Grenoble Alpes University Hospital´s technical teams wanted to be able to monitor and control various pieces of equipment quickly, inexpensively and without cabling (Ethernet and power). The Grenoble Hospital asked Adeunis and ARC Informatique the question of how to best solve this operational challenge.

In addition, the Hospital wanted to use their existing BMS software without adding additional software layers. PcVue supervision from ARC Informatique, is the BMS in charge of managing two of the Hospital´s sites, the GTB and the GTE site.

[Read more…] about Hospital achieves IoT equipment integration with LoRaWAN

EQT sells industrial automation company Piab

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The EQT VII fund has agreed to sell Piab Group AB to Patricia Industries for an enterprise value of SEK 6,950 million. Piab, headquartered in Sweden, is a global technology pioneer within industrial automation and robot components, and provides smart solutions for the automated world.

Piab was acquired by EQT VII in January 2016. From 2015 to March 2018 LTM revenues, including full-year effect of acquisitions, increased from SEK ~700 million to SEK ~1.2 billion and adjusted EBIT increased from SEK ~200 million to SEK ~330 million.

With the support of EQT VII, Piab has accelerated its strong organic growth and captured market shares across the globe.

[Read more…] about EQT sells industrial automation company Piab

Hannover Messe and CeMAT review: Raving with the machines

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The machines are not out to get us, claims Deutsche Messe boss

German Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel and Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto set the tone on day one of the Hannover Messe/CeMAT double-header. Asked to shake hands with a robot, they both went for the more casual fist bump – a symbol for the relaxed, natural interaction of humans with digitization, robots and machine learning. (See main picture.)

Dr Jochen Köckler, chairman of the managing board at Deutsche Messe, at the close of Hannover Messe/CeMAT, said: “Technology is not about competing with us humans – it’s about assisting us. That is the core message conveyed by this trade fair, which has again underscored Hannover’s reputation as a global hotspot for the digital transformation of industry.

“The focus here has clearly been on the human element: We’re the ones making the decisions and setting the course. The interaction of humans with machines and IT adds up to a huge competitive gain across manufacturing, logistics and the energy industry.” [Read more…] about Hannover Messe and CeMAT review: Raving with the machines

Hannover Messe: Bosch takes lead with 5G connectivity for industry and invests $100 million in new ‘smart factory’ in Mexico

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Industrial giant Bosch is taking the lead in 5G connectivity in partnership with Nokia.

The two companies have been demonstrating a number of 5G projects at Hannover Messe, probably among the first of their kind in the industrial sector.

One of the experts working on the project explained that “most of the industry is cabled”, meaning that robots and other machines, whether they are mobile or stationary, tend to be connected via cables, such as Ethernet, for example. [Read more…] about Hannover Messe: Bosch takes lead with 5G connectivity for industry and invests $100 million in new ‘smart factory’ in Mexico

Robustel launches LoRaWAN gateway R3000 LG at Hannover

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Robustel Technologies, an industrial IoT/M2M hardware and solution provider, is launching its new LoRaWAN Gateway R3000 LG at Hannover Messe 2018 in Germany.

Robustel R3000 LG is an industrial-grade LoRaWAN (Low Power Wide Area Network or LPWAN) gateway, integrated with LoRaWAN wireless communication technology and cellular network technology, to provide users with wireless long-distance data transmission services.

R3000 LG allows access to various types of LoRa application nodes, and supports wired Ethernet and wireless 4G/3G/2G accesses to the cloud platform, mainly for LoRaWAN data transmission between LoRa node and cloud platform.

[Read more…] about Robustel launches LoRaWAN gateway R3000 LG at Hannover

Nord exhibits drives for digital factories at Hannover

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Nord Drivesystems are exhibiting drive solutions for digital factories of the future at the Hannover Fair 2018. These include Nordak Link decentralised field distributors, smart drives with cloud links for predictive maintenance, as well as LogiDrive – the drive solution for intralogistics.

The Nordak Link series field distributor for applications in modern, networked intralogistics systems is a drive control for flexible close-to-the-motor installation. It is available as a frequency inverter (up to 7.5 kW) or a motor starter (up to 3 kW) and enables rapid commissioning, simple operation and maintenance, says the company.

Thanks to an integrated PLC and compatibility with all common bus systems, the freely configurable field distributor can be integrated into all modern automation systems.

[Read more…] about Nord exhibits drives for digital factories at Hannover

New tablet for hazardous areas

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The Pepperl+Fuchs brand, ecom, is presenting the next generation of its tablet series for hazardous areas, Tab-Ex, at the Hannover Messe 2018.

The industrial tablet Tab-Ex 02 combines performance with applications such as augmented reality.

It is ideally suited for IoT-capable applications and simplifies data exchange with SCADA / DCS systems, enterprise resource planning systems (SAP, IBM Maximo), project management systems and computer-aided system planning.

[Read more…] about New tablet for hazardous areas

Hannover Messe: Siemens showcases its digital enterprise portfolio

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Siemens has been showcasing its digital enterprise portfolio at Hannover Messe. The company says it has been continuously enhancing its digital services for Industrie 4.0, also referred to as the fourth industrial revolution, wherein all machines are connected to the internet and everything is digitised, right down to individual components, which have what are called “digital twins”.

It’s a process also known as “digital transformation”.

Klaus Helmrich, member of the managing board of Siemens, at the press conference for Hannover Messe, said: “We created the technical prerequisites for this transformation with our range of consistent solutions. By implementing Digital Enterprise solutions, users and customers can now tap into the full potential of Industrie 4.0.” [Read more…] about Hannover Messe: Siemens showcases its digital enterprise portfolio