Robotics & Automation News

Market trends and business perspectives

Search Results for: ge digital

GE Digital upgrades its industrial control offerings for ‘modern’ workers

by Leave a Comment

GE Digital has unveiled enhancements to its Cimplicity and Tracker software that “provide critical decision support for operators to make them more efficient”, says the company.

Cimplicity is GE’s name for its human-machine interface and supervisory control and data acquisition (HMI/SCADA) solution, which provides client-server visualization to monitor and control operations.

Tracker, part of GE Digital’s Proficy Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) offering, automates routing and sequencing to accelerate time to market, reduce warranty and recall exposure, and support Lean operations and building right the first time. [Read more…] about GE Digital upgrades its industrial control offerings for ‘modern’ workers

GE Digital expands industrial internet partnership with Microsoft

by

GE Digital has expanded its industrial internet partnership with Microsoft, according to Reuters. 

The two companies had already been working together on further developing GE Digital’s Predix platform.

Manufacturers tend to connect sensors to their machines and then connect the sensors to Predix.  [Read more…] about GE Digital expands industrial internet partnership with Microsoft

GE Digital to switch to Amazon and Microsoft instead of building its own data centres

by

 

General Electric’s digital business unit became one of the world’s largest software companies by offering an internet of things platform for industrial operations. 

GE Digital’s Predix software platform enabled machines in factories to send data through the sensors attached to them to the associated computer interfaces.

GE claims to be the first company to have done this, and it has made huge amounts of money doing so.  [Read more…] about GE Digital to switch to Amazon and Microsoft instead of building its own data centres

GE Digital launches new version of manufacturing execution system

by

GE Digital has launched the latest version of its manufacturing execution system software, Production Manager.

The company says the new version of Production Manager addresses important issues where existing plant floor IT systems are inconsistent across plants and, therefore, managers can’t re-use configurations, leverage expertise, or lower overall MES costs.

The software completely digitizes paper-based processes so companies can increase production output per person, reduce reporting and administration, decrease defects and material required, and ensure up-to-date routes and work instructions.  [Read more…] about GE Digital launches new version of manufacturing execution system

Huawei links up with GE Digital to offer industrial cloud solution

by

Huawei and GE Digital are partnering to jointly launch their industrial cloud-based predictive maintenance solution. 

In an interview with Robotics and Automation News, Catherine Du, Huawei’s director of marketing, said the company is looking to increase its share of the nascent but fast-growing sector of business.

“Huawei is one of the leading ICT vendors,” said Du. “We supply a wide range of technologies to the market, from Big Data to IoT, so we feel that now is the right time for us to reach out to the industrial space and build new partnerships.”

And although Huawei’s current focus is on the industrial market, the company is looking to promote its brand globally going forward, in the wider business-to-business market and in the consumer space, says Du.  [Read more…] about Huawei links up with GE Digital to offer industrial cloud solution

The human factor: GE Digital automation boss hints at new directions for Predix

by

Exclusive interview with Matt Wells, of GE Digital. By Abdul Montaqim

GE Digital is a subsidiary of General Electric, the quintessential American multinational corporate conglomerate with operations in more countries than the United Nations. 

But far from being just one of its parent company’s dozen or so subsidiaries, GE Digital is something of a shooting star, outperforming many other subsidiaries to the point where it is informing, if not transforming, the entire culture and ethos of the company.

Nowadays, General Electric likes to be known as a “the world’s digital industrial company”, except they capitalise the words to emphasise the importance of the virtual realm.  [Read more…] about The human factor: GE Digital automation boss hints at new directions for Predix

Why Automation Should be Part of Your Digital Signage Strategy

by Leave a Comment

Automation is not a futuristic word, it is just another way of ensuring your digital signs take as little effort as possible. It can work in several different ways.

For example, you could have a live feed of information that displays information based on whatever program is running. You could have the sort of automation that tells people when their next appointment is due or when their next bus is due.

Even things like having your content run on a schedule is considered automation, and it too should be part of your digital signage strategy. [Read more…] about Why Automation Should be Part of Your Digital Signage Strategy

Manufacturing operations management: A high-value starting point for digital transformation

by 1 Comment

The hunger for transformation among industry players is at an all-time high. But at the same time, organizations want lower risk options to digitalize the shop floor.

To reduce the number of isolated, inflexible solutions, manufacturers will want to seek a connected, scalable and sustainable platform approach that enables them to simultaneously maintain high levels of throughput, quality and customer service – while creating opportunities for sustainable innovation.

This is where a Manufacturing Operations Management (MOM) solution comes into play. The experts at 3DS Delmia, part of the Dassault Systèmes Group, take a closer look at MOM and how it can be so impactful for your business. [Read more…] about Manufacturing operations management: A high-value starting point for digital transformation

Explorer Surgical expands its digital platform into robotic surgery

by Leave a Comment

Explorer Live, a cloud-based digital platform customized for medical device companies to share best practices live with surgical teams, is expanding into robotic surgery, predicted to be the fastest-growing market for the next 10 years.

Medical robotics companies can now leverage Explorer Live, a digital platform featuring a first-of-its-kind procedural playbook, video capabilities and robust data collection to provide unparalleled support and insight into workflow and performance.

Robotic technology is transforming health care worldwide; enabling surgeons to perform cases with more precision and providing minimal downtime for the patient. But the increased learning curve in robotic surgeries presents a unique set of challenges for coordination and collaboration in the operating room. [Read more…] about Explorer Surgical expands its digital platform into robotic surgery

How Does a Digital Height Gauge Work?

by Leave a Comment

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.