Robotics & Automation News

Where Innovation Meets Imagination

Abdul Montaqim

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

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

Hannover Messe: A new software paradigm for industrial hardware

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Within every intelligent machine, such as an industrial robotic arm, there is, of course, software.

The software is what enables it to operate according to its requirements.

And as the machines get more sophisticated, so does the software. [Read more…] about Hannover Messe: A new software paradigm for industrial hardware

Hannover Messe: Global expansion for events platform

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Deutsche Messe is the company behind the annual Hannover Messe industrial technology show, and generates annual revenues of around $360 Million, give or take $100 million.

The company has been expanding recently into Asia, with several new trade events for the manufacturing industry as well as the logistics sector.

For the logistics sector, Deutsche Messe holds a series of events under the brand name of CeMAT. While both these events are expectedly huge in Germany, they are also rather large in other parts of the world. [Read more…] about Hannover Messe: Global expansion for events platform

ABB showcases electric vehicle technology to German and Mexican leaders

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ABB has been showcasing its latest technologies for electric vehicles to the German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto at Hannover Messe.

The two leaders, along with ABB CEO Ulrich Spiesshofer, were shown a demonstration of the company’s new high power fast charging solution: the Terra HP EV charging station with a power output of up to 350 kW recharges a car battery in just eight minutes for 200 km reach.

“This high-power fast charger provides electric vehicles with up to seven times more range in the same charging time than with previous models,” Spiesshofer said. [Read more…] about ABB showcases electric vehicle technology to German and Mexican leaders

Kuka launches specialised system for riveting

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Industrial Robot maker Kuka has launched something it calls ready2_rivet, which the company says is the “ideal self-pierce riveting solution for body-in-white applications”.

The new ready2_rivet solution is part of Kuka’s ready2_use range.

The self-pierce riveting solution for body-in-white applications has been developed jointly with Böllhoff, one of the world’s leading manufacturers and suppliers of fasteners and assembly systems.  [Read more…] about Kuka launches specialised system for riveting

Teradyne becomes leading power in collaborative robotics. Now owns MiR and Universal Robots

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US industrial giant Teradyne has become a powerful force in the collaborative robotics sector with the purchase of Mobile Industrial Robots, the maker of warehouse robots.

The new acquisition adds to Teradyne’s existing purchase of Universal Robots, which is the leading supplier of collaborative industrial robotic arms. Teradyne, which specialises in supplying automatic test equipment, generated approxmately $2.2 billion revenue in 2017.

Teradyne announced the acquisition of privately held MiR of Odense, Denmark for €121 million ($148 million) net of cash acquired plus €101 million ($124 million at current exchange rate) if certain performance targets are met extending through 2020. [Read more…] about Teradyne becomes leading power in collaborative robotics. Now owns MiR and Universal Robots

Moving with the times: Exclusive interview with Mobile Industrial Robots CEO

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Judging by the number of people who visit this website to read about warehouse robots, the interest in the sector has grown dramatically over the past year.

Automated guided vehicles have been around for a long time, but they required markings and sometimes rails to be placed on the ground in order to inform of their route, and there was nothing autonomous about them.

They did their job of moving material from place to place within a facility effectively enough, but the new generation of machines are autonomous and allow for far greater flexibility. [Read more…] about Moving with the times: Exclusive interview with Mobile Industrial Robots CEO

Hannover Messe: An überwhelming experience

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This is the second time I have been to Hannover Messe and I thought I was better prepared for what is probably the largest industrial technology show in the world.

But even though I had a lot of ideas of what to cover, it turns out that Hannover Messe has many more ideas than I brought with me and has overwhelmed me again.

The basic numbers about the show are impressive enough — close to a quarter of a million visitors over the five days the show lasts in the German city of Hannover. [Read more…] about Hannover Messe: An überwhelming experience