Robotics & Automation News

Where Innovation Meets Imagination

Sam Francis

Industrial 3D printing poised to shift from prototyping to full-scale production runs, says survey

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Industrial 3D printing is poised to move from prototyping to full-scale production runs, according to a survey by Essentium, a provider of 3D printing technology and materials for additive manufacturing.

Essentium says the findings of its survey, 3D Printing At Scale, conducted by Dimensional Research, reveal that confidence in, and deployment of, industrial-scale 3D printing is at a tipping point amongst 3D production manufacturing stakeholders and decision makers.

Over half of the respondents report to be preparing for full-scale 3D printing production runs, 21 percent now use 3D printing for full-scale production part runs, and 88 percent believe the economic advantage to manufacturing industries from production scale 3D printing will be in the billions of dollars.  [Read more…] about Industrial 3D printing poised to shift from prototyping to full-scale production runs, says survey

Hannover Messe to showcase modular production systems

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This year’s Hannover Messe will feature a showcase on modular production.

For the third year running, manufacturers, users and module providers will demonstrate the ability of interface standardization to significantly increase production plant flexibility in process manufacturing.

The key is to have end-to-end modularization and make greater use of intelligent, decentralized automation, say the experts.  [Read more…] about Hannover Messe to showcase modular production systems

Online retailer Tobi installs inVia Robotics technology in its Reno warehouse

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Online fashion retailer Tobi has installed robots in its supply chain to speed up the processing of orders.

inVia Robotics, the provider of warehouse automation solutions supplying Tobi, says the e-commerce company has chosen its picker robots and its cloud-based Robotics-as-a-Service management system to optimize fulfillment in its warehouse in Reno, Nevada, US.

The highly competitive e-commerce retail space continues rapid growth, with US retail e-commerce sales increasing by 14.3 percent in just one year, according to inVia.  [Read more…] about Online retailer Tobi installs inVia Robotics technology in its Reno warehouse

General Motors to invest $20 million in Michigan plant

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General Motors is investing $20 million at its Romulus, Michigan propulsion plant to increase the facility’s capacity for future 10-speed transmission production.

Romulus currently builds V6 engines and 10-speed transmissions used in several GM cars, trucks and crossovers.

The new investment will be used to purchase additional machining equipment that will enable the transmission capacity expansion. GM is not disclosing specifics or timing related to the plant’s future products at this time.  [Read more…] about General Motors to invest $20 million in Michigan plant

Groupe PSA Poissy plant to produce an additional vehicle

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Groupe PSA’s Poissy plant is to produce an additional vehicle.

The allocation of a new Opel/Vauxhall B-SUV was made possible by the initiatives taken to enhance performance at the plant, says the company.

Investments since 2016 have made the Poissy plant the first one of Groupe PSA to assemble on the company’s multi-energy common modular platform.  [Read more…] about Groupe PSA Poissy plant to produce an additional vehicle

Maps show charging points for electric cars on journeys across the US

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One of the main reasons for the slow growth of the electric car market in the past few decades was the lack of availability of charging points.

Now, in the past year or two, not only have more automotive giants developed electric car models as serious market propositions rather than novelties, many companies have also been developing electric vehicle charging technologies and networks.

Prices of electric vehicles are still relatively high, but they will come down as demand leads to economies of scale in manufacturing.  [Read more…] about Maps show charging points for electric cars on journeys across the US

Agriculture: Cambridge Consultants launch autonomous robot to monitor farm crops

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Technology research company Cambridge Consultants has launched a robot to monitor and manage farm crops.

Cambridge Consultants says the mechatronic farming machine, called “Mamut”, is an autonomous robot that explores crop fields, capturing data on health and yield at the level of individual plants and on a massive scale.

By automating data capture, Mamut “gives growers regular, precise and actionable information on their crops, enabling them to predict and optimize yields”, says the company.  [Read more…] about Agriculture: Cambridge Consultants launch autonomous robot to monitor farm crops

Swisslog secures ‘major orders’ worth €17 million for its warehouse management solution

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Swisslog has secured what it describes as “major orders” for its warehouse management solution from three customers.

The projects involve AutoStore and SAP EWM applications, and are in China, Austria, and Switzerland.

A specialist provider of intralogistics automation solutions, Swisslog says it is “making great strides” with the SAP EWM warehouse management system alongside its own SynQ software platform.  [Read more…] about Swisslog secures ‘major orders’ worth €17 million for its warehouse management solution

Scallog installs 60 robots and eight picking stations for Decathlon warehouses in Germany

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Scallog, short for “scalable logistics”, has completed two installations in Germany for its client Decathlon, one of the world’s largest retailers of sports goods. 

The installation includes a site with a fleet of 60 robots and eight preparation or picking stations on the Mannheim site.

The Scallog solution allows the preparation of e-commerce orders for sports products of the brand as well as the management of returns.  [Read more…] about Scallog installs 60 robots and eight picking stations for Decathlon warehouses in Germany

Don’t like doing the washing up? This robot could do it for you

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If you don’t like doing the washing up, or there’s simply too much of it to do, then this automated system could be just the thing for you

Cambridge Consultants has developed a prototype automation system that addresses one of the most unloved tasks in commercial kitchens.

Using a combination of strategic business consultancy and expertise in artificial intelligence and robotics, “Turbo Clean” automates the process of clearing food trays and washing dirty dishes.

The automation system is part of a wider business transformation initiative undertaken for a multinational commercial catering company.  [Read more…] about Don’t like doing the washing up? This robot could do it for you