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Driving your digital transformation

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The latest digital manufacturing trends are aimed at connecting physical and virtual factory environments to boost productivity, efficiency and profitability.

To successfully bridge these two worlds, businesses need to combine a number of cutting-edge technologies on the road to digital transformation.

Jeremy Shinton, Edge Computing Product Manager at Mitsubishi Electric, looks at how to implement a winning digital strategy using the right technologies. [Read more…] about Driving your digital transformation

Major order from Korea: Kuka to deliver 185 robots to automotive supplier Seojin Industrial

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Korean automotive supplier Seojin Industrial, which manufactures for Hyundai and Kia, among others, has placed a major order with Kuka: 185 Kuka robots, mainly from the KR Quantec series, will soon be used in Korea for welding and handling tasks.

The Korean company Seojin Industrial is supplementing its decades of experience with the latest technologies and automated production.

Starting next year, the automotive supplier will be using more than 185 Kuka robots at its Hwaseong and Gwangju plants to manufacture car parts for customers such as Hyundai and Kia. [Read more…] about Major order from Korea: Kuka to deliver 185 robots to automotive supplier Seojin Industrial

Electronic assemblies without PCBs through laser direct structuring

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Laser direct structuring (LDS) is a special success story. For almost 20 years, it has been possible to apply electronic conductor paths directly onto plastic parts during series production. 

LDS enables electronic assemblies to be made in flexible geometric shapes. Smart phones, hearing aids and smart watches are becoming smaller and more powerful thanks to this process.

LDS enables the production of electronic assemblies with flexible geometric shapes. This process enables electronic products (such as smart phones, sensors or medical devices) to become even smaller and more powerful. Automated manufacturing processes also make this process more economically attractive. [Read more…] about Electronic assemblies without PCBs through laser direct structuring

Solving the talent component of the automation equation

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Automation is key to the US competing on a global manufacturing stage, but we have work to do to train our workforce to be fluent in advanced manufacturing skills such as robot programming.

To enable more broad deployment of the automation that will power the future of manufacturing, it is imperative that we make automation easier to deploy. However, user-friendly automation technology isn’t enough on its own because we need a way to rapidly train more workers in the skills necessary to implement automation.

The future of US manufacturing requires that we democratize automation with a combination of technology and worker training/upskilling. One example of where success is being had is in Paintsville, Kentucky. [Read more…] about Solving the talent component of the automation equation

Daimler Trucks and Torc Robotics celebrate one year of successful collaboration

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September 2020 marks one year of Daimler Trucks and Torc Robotics partnering as a team after the US-based automated driving technology company became part of Daimler Trucks’ Autonomous Technology Group.

One year together, collaboratively pursuing a common goal of bringing series-produced highly automated trucks (SAE Level 4) to the roads within the decade; including on-road deployment of a Level 4 test fleet, initiation of redesign of truck chassis, adoption of a hub-to-hub model, formalized rigorous testing protocols, formal truck safety driver certification process, and extended software capabilities.

Now, the Autonomous Technology Group will extend its testing to New Mexico by building up a new testing center in Albuquerque. Expanding to a new location will support testing and provide data for more use cases of next generation vehicles on public roads starting this fall. [Read more…] about Daimler Trucks and Torc Robotics celebrate one year of successful collaboration

Mercedes showcases new manufacturing tech at Factory 56

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Flexible, digital, efficient and sustainable: Factory 56 embodies the future of production at Mercedes-Benz and sets new standards for the automotive industry.

With an investment of approximately 730 million Euros, the factory at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Sindelfingen is a clear commitment to Germany as a business location. In total, Mercedes-Benz is investing about 2.1 billion euros at the Sindelfingen site.

At the same time, the company is increasing efficiency in Factory 56 by 25 percent compared to the previous S-Class assembly. Production in Factory 56 is characterized by maximum flexibility; this applies to the number of models produced and the production volume as well as to material flows. [Read more…] about Mercedes showcases new manufacturing tech at Factory 56

Sarcos Robotics raises $40 million in Series C funding

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Sarcos Robotics, a global leader in the production of robots that augment humans to enhance productivity and safety, announced that it has raised $40 million in an oversubscribed Series C financing round.

The Series C round was led by Rotor Capital, with most of the company’s existing investors participating in the financing.

The Series C funding will be used to begin commercial production of the company’s Guardian XO industrial exoskeleton – the world’s first full-body, battery-powered wearable industrial robot designed to increase strength and endurance – scheduled for commercial release in 2021. [Read more…] about Sarcos Robotics raises $40 million in Series C funding

e-con Systems launches IP67 rugged GMSL2 camera for industrial applications

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e-con Systems, an embedded camera solutions company, has launched its STURDeCAM20 industrial grade GMSL camera and STURDeCAM20_CUXVR camera kit leveraging the powerful capabilities of the Nvidia Jetson edge AI platform.

The new offerings accelerate time to market for customers developing and deploying ruggedized applications for industrial and outdoor environments such as autonomous mobile robots, delivery robots, sidewalk robots, blind spot cameras for large vehicles, mining vehicles, forklifts, surround view systems, and more.

The STURDeCAM20 is based on a Full HD CMOS sensor with well-tuned image signal processor (ISP) packed in an IP67 rated (water and dust proof) enclosure with operating temperature of -40 to 85°C. [Read more…] about e-con Systems launches IP67 rugged GMSL2 camera for industrial applications

Graze unveils solar-powered autonomous commercial lawn mower

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Startup company Graze has unveiled a new solar-powered autonomous commercial lawn mower, which it plans to launch by 2021.

The company says has now expanded the design to increase efficiency and maintenance speed for mid-to-large sized commercial lawns, enhance cutting blades to perfect trim precision, add new sensor capabilities to increase safety, improve GPS based mapping and computer vision, while optimizing intelligent and applicable insights through advanced machine learning capabilities.

Analyst reports have found landscaping services in the US generated $101.7 billion in revenue in 2020, while commercial landscaping services (maintenance and general services) have been projected to range between 40 and 60 percent of the overall landscaping service industry in the US. [Read more…] about Graze unveils solar-powered autonomous commercial lawn mower

ForwardX Max 500 AMR earns CE mark

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ForwardX Robotics, a Beijing-based developer of visual Autonomous Mobile Robots, announced its ForwardX Max 500 robots have achieved CE mark approval and are now certified for use across Europe.

CE marking indicates that the Max 500 visual Autonomous Mobile Robots (vAMRs) now adhere to the European Union’s directives and standards for health, safety, and environmental protection.

“Our Max 500 vAMRs give warehousing and manufacturing facilities the ability to automate dangerous, time-consuming tasks,” said Viktor Wang, Senior Product Director at ForwardX Robotics. [Read more…] about ForwardX Max 500 AMR earns CE mark