Robotics & Automation News

Market trends and business perspectives

Archives for July 23, 2020

What does the term ‘productivity’ actually mean in economics?

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Here at Robotics and Automation News, we’ve often wondered what factors determine the productivity of a nation or industry, market or economy. There is a reason for this that has to with our website’s editorial subject matter and possibly our survival as a business.

In other words, we would like to expand our editorial coverage, and we would like to monetise. Our website has millions of readers, a significant proportion of whom are business people, so we have a marketable audience.

So far, we have mostly carried niche industrial news. Now, we want to add to that broader, global industry-wide and indeed world economy-wide, perspectives that may affect their growth and success. [Read more…] about What does the term ‘productivity’ actually mean in economics?

What to Do When Your iPhone is Causing More Problems Than it Should

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Since its inception, the iPhone has become an all-rounded gadget, age-appropriate, and an important tool for home use and office work. It helps to make a lot of tasks easy and manageable.

With an iPhone, you’ll have fewer security breaches as it has an extra added layer of security, it’s consistent, and can be integrated across various platforms.

However, having a faulty or problematic iPhone can be a pain in the neck and can cause inconveniences, especially if it is your office planning tool or an everyday gadget you use. [Read more…] about What to Do When Your iPhone is Causing More Problems Than it Should

Brainy alien hunter obsessed with finding life on Mars

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A brainy alien-hunter is apparently obsessed with finding life on Mars. The Purdue scientist is playing a critical role in the 2020 NASA Mars rover mission.

Briony Horgan (main picture), associate professor of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences at Purdue University, is working to determine whether we are alone in the universe or if life once existed on other planets such as Mars.

When the NASA Mars rover Perseverance launches in the next few weeks, it will travel to Jezero Crater, which preserves evidence of a time when rivers flowed on Mars. [Read more…] about Brainy alien hunter obsessed with finding life on Mars

Omron launches new autonomous mobile robot

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Omron Automation Americas has launched the HD-1500 autonomous mobile robot, which it says can handle bulky objects weighing up to 1500 kg. (See video below.)

This addition to Omron’s robotics portfolio comes after the LD-250 mobile robot launch and further expands manufacturers’ options for autonomous material transport.

Manufacturers are facing a growing need to automate their material handling operations due to an industrial demand for increased productivity and flexibility coinciding with challenges in finding and properly utilizing skilled workers. [Read more…] about Omron launches new autonomous mobile robot

Commercial cleaning robots using Brain OS log 2 million hours of autonomous operation

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Commercial cleaning robots which run Brain Corp’s operating system have racked up 2 million hours of autonomous operation.

Brain Corp, an artificial intelligence company which provides its “Brain OS” software to commercial cleaning robots, says it now powers “the world’s largest fleet of autonomous commercial mobile robots operating in public indoor spaces”, estimated to be more than 10,000.

The milestone was achieved earlier this month due in part to a recent surge in activity by retailers who are maximizing their use of Brain OS-powered cleaning robots in the wake of the Covid-19 health crisis. [Read more…] about Commercial cleaning robots using Brain OS log 2 million hours of autonomous operation

How Does a Digital Height Gauge Work?

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Height gauges can be used to determine an object or workpiece’s height with extremely high accuracy and precision.

These precision measuring instruments also provide marked locations on an item relative to one reference plane for subsequent use.

Center-line distances, internal/external diameters, and step heights are some of the different measuring tasks that can be carried out by high-specification digital height gauges.

They claim consistency of ±0.0001 inch and can be extremely precise up to 0.001 inch. Of course, the consistency and precision of such instruments still depend on their overall quality, so it’s essential only to source one from websites of reliable manufacturers, such as eleymet.com.

Read on to learn more about a digital height gauge.

What’s In A Digital Height Gauge?

High-quality, hardened stainless steel is what makes the body of a digital height gauge. To ensure the instrument’s rigidity and stability, a digital height gauge comprises a solid cast iron base.

It also has a beam that extends from the base up, and includes a printed scale in metric and imperial format.

The metric scale usually ranges from zero to 300 millimeters, while the imperial scales range from zero to 12 inches. In some digital height gauges, metric and digital scales can even measure up to 2000 mm or 80 in.

The beam also has an electronic measuring slider, which comes with the Power ON/OFF, HOLD, TOL, SET, MM/INCH, ON/OFF/ZERO, and ABS buttons.

On one of the jaws, the slider also comes with a carbide scriber tip. Along the scale, the attached scriber, together with the slider, can slide up and down and be locked in place.

To be locked in place with the help of a second locking screw, a fine-tune wheel is used to make the final adjustment. Sending data to a printer or computer via a special cable is also possible through a data output port.

Uses Of A Digital Height Gauge

Electronic height gauges can perform several measurement types. They’re usually used in quality control applications of the manufacturing industry for the following tasks:

  • measuring the perpendicularity or squareness/straightness of parts;
  • angle measurement;
  • measuring flatness;
  • verification of center-to-center dimensions;
  • performing 2D measurements of part features;
  • scribing features from a datum place or a certain part with accurate vertical dimensions to make additional machining possible; and
  • verifying that specifications and tolerances are met by measuring the distance from a reference surface going to a part’s specific feature.

Preparing A Digital Height Gauge

The process of using a digital height gauge to take measurements is highlighted below:
The first step is making sure that the surface on which the instrument is to be set up is free from dirt and smooth.

Of course, cleaning the work area is a must, just like using any other equipment:

  • Dry the height gauge’s surface after cleaning it.
  • Clean the measuring jaw before attaching it to the instrument.
  • Make the slider on the scale free from moving by loosening the locking screws. Then, check if the display registers change in height by moving the slider up and down.
  • Finally, make sure that the surface of the object to be measured is clean and dry.

How To Take The Measurements

The actual measuring process can be started once the cleaning and preparation are done. Here are the steps to do it correctly:

The surface of working the platform usually becomes the point of measurement. Make the platform surface and the measuring jaw gently touch with a measuring force of about three to five Newton. Also, make sure that the LCD shows a value of zero. To make it zero, press the ON/OFF/ZERO button.

Adjust the movable jaw to its nearest inch or centimeter by holding the rod against the surface plate.

Check the large LCD screen to get the reading.

Taking Caution When Using The Digital Height Gauge

Lift the base using a block when measuring an object that’s beyond the height gauge’s range. That way, the surface of the object or block becomes the starting point, and the platform surface becomes the zero point.

Preset the block’s height if it’s the starting point (a more accurate measurement is needed to measure the height).

Preset the height of the surface when the measured object’s surface is the starting point.

Final Notes

After the measurement, take off the jaws so that they can be cleaned and dried with a cloth that’s soaked with cleaning oil. You can use a clean, dry cloth before storing the instrument in the fit case.

During storage or while in use, it’s important to maintain the temperature between five to 40 degrees Celsius. The protective sticker shouldn’t be in contact with any hydrous liquid.

Finally, prevent damage to the electronics, such as an electrical circuit overload, by never applying voltage or engraving with an electric pen any part of the depth gauge.