Robotics & Automation News

Where Innovation Meets Imagination

Sam Francis

Apple manufacturing partners ‘struggle with low yield rate’

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Apple suppliers “continue to struggle with low yield rate” because the smartphone giant is integrating advanced technologies, requiring investment in new and expensive manufacturing processes, which affect the suppliers’ profit margins, according to Nikkei. 

Apple is planning to launch its $1,000-dollar iPhone X to consumers in the coming months, but the new device includes functions not found in other phones, which is requiring manufacturers to change their processes and invest in new equipment.

Among the features in Apple’s high-end iPhone X will be facial recognition and organic light-emitting diode screens, both of which are new technologies and not found in current Apple devices.  [Read more…] about Apple manufacturing partners ‘struggle with low yield rate’

Yaskawa Electric reports stunning 150 per cent more profits with robotics and automation leading the way

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Yaskawa Electric says it has achieved a staggering 150 per cent growth in net profit for the period from April to September, compared with the same period last year, according to a report on Nikkei. 

Nikkei says Yaskawa’s profits for the period were $184 million, beating its own previous records.

Yaskawa, which also owns the Motoman brand of industrial robot, says most of the growth was due to increased orders for automation equipment from China, Japan and the US.  [Read more…] about Yaskawa Electric reports stunning 150 per cent more profits with robotics and automation leading the way

Silicon value: An overview of the semiconductor market

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The manufacturing of semiconductor-based technologies is arguably the most advanced of human endeavours in terms of engineering. 

Semiconductor materials include silicon, which can either act as a conductor of electricity or as an insulator, stopping the flow of electricity.

This strange duality, along with other features, has made semiconductors the most valuable commodity in electronics, and enabled it to form the basis of today’s technological, increasingly computerised machines and gadgets.  [Read more…] about Silicon value: An overview of the semiconductor market

Additive manufacturing: It’s a matter of finding the right composition

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The terms “additive manufacturing” and “3D printing” are used interchangeably, although it seems additive manufacturing suggests an industrial context whereas 3D printing has become so widespread that it could be considered a consumer technology now. 

The majority of those who use such processes are, however, makers or manufacturers, meaning they’re on the supply side of the economy rather than the demand side.

Perhaps the reason why 3D printers are not yet completely in the consumer domain is that they’re not totally perfect. The high-end machines can probably get close to perfection, but not at a price point which can unlock consumer markets.  [Read more…] about Additive manufacturing: It’s a matter of finding the right composition

Apple and General Electric to bring Predix industrial apps to iPhone and iPad

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General Electric has reached a partnership agreement with Apple to develop industrial apps for iOS devices – iPhone and iPad, according to a report on 9to5Mac.com. 

The website says Apple has been “looking to the enterprise sector as a key market for growing iPad sales which have slipped in recent years”.

Apple and GE said they will deliver “powerful industrial apps designed to bring predictive data and analytics from Predix, GE’s industrial internet of things platform, to iPhone and iPad”.  [Read more…] about Apple and General Electric to bring Predix industrial apps to iPhone and iPad

Worldwide spending on robotics to exceed $230 billion in 2021, says IDC

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A new update to the International Data Corporation Worldwide Semiannual Commercial Robotics Spending Guide forecasts worldwide purchases of robotics, including drones and robotics-related hardware, software and services, will total $97.2 billion in 2017, an increase of 17.9 per cent over 2016.

IDC expects robotics spending to accelerate over the five-year forecast period, reaching $230.7 billion in 2021 with a compound annual growth rate compound annual growth rate of 22.8 per cent.

“The convergence of robotics and artificial intelligence & machine learning are driving the development of the next generation of intelligent robots for industrial, commercial, and consumer applications,” said Dr Jing Bing Zhang, research director, robotics at IDC manufacturing insights.  [Read more…] about Worldwide spending on robotics to exceed $230 billion in 2021, says IDC

From two months to a few seconds: A brief overview of automotive robotic painting systems

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Painting was one of the first applications for industrial robots, but it didn’t start well. 

When they were first introduced in the 1980s at General Motors’ Michigan plant, the robots initially painted each other, according to an article on industrial robot history, published on Robots.com.

The complexity of painting is probably under-estimated because humans can do such tasks with relative ease.  [Read more…] about From two months to a few seconds: A brief overview of automotive robotic painting systems

Terabit Ethernet: The global race towards superfast internet

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The race towards Terabit Ethernet, or TbE, has apparently taken a great leap with the completion of what is claimed to be the world’s first test of a 400-gigabit ethernet network. 

The 400 GbE trial was conducted by Huawei with its partner, China Telecom, the state telecommunications infrastructure provider.

The companies say the results indicate their superfast 400 GbE network technology is ready for commercial utilisation.  [Read more…] about Terabit Ethernet: The global race towards superfast internet

Robotic gripper soft enough to change light bulbs without breaking them

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How many robots does it take to screw in a light bulb?

The answer: just one, assuming you’re talking about a new robotic gripper developed by engineers at the University of California San Diego.

The engineering team has designed and built a gripper that can pick up and manipulate objects without needing to see them and needing to be trained.  [Read more…] about Robotic gripper soft enough to change light bulbs without breaking them

Arnold Automation becomes ‘first official distributor’ of Ready Robotics’ ‘robot for hire’

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New business model allows companies of various sizes to buy or lease robots, says Ready Robotics

Arnold Automation, a newly created division of Arnold Packaging, says it has signed the first-ever distribution deal with Ready Robotics to distribute the TaskMate, Ready Robotics’ flexible automation platform.

The TaskMate can be quickly deployed in a wide variety of manufacturing environments and easily programmed to perform repetitive tasks.  [Read more…] about Arnold Automation becomes ‘first official distributor’ of Ready Robotics’ ‘robot for hire’