Robotics & Automation News

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GreyOrange to unveil new Butler XL for supply chain automation

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Robotics and supply chain automation company GreyOrange will unveil its expanded range of Butler robots capable of managing a variety of payloads from 100 to 1600 kgs (220 to 3500 lbs) at LogiMat 2018 in Germany.

The goods-to-person Butler™ system lets warehouses run high-speed operations by automating inventory storage (putaway) and order fulfilment. It has been deployed in distribution centers in Japan, Hong Kong, India, Europe and the Americas for industries such as 3PL, e-commerce and retail.

The robotics systems handle a variety of items including apparel, home furnishing and personal care, reducing cost per shipment and enhancing productivity of warehouse operations by more than four times, says the company. [Read more…] about GreyOrange to unveil new Butler XL for supply chain automation

Flexible ‘robot hands’ pack delicate herbs

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It takes great finesse to cultivate and deliver tasteful, fresh herbs. It requires intelligent automation to ensure that production is efficient, competitive, and creates a good work environment.

That is why Denmark’s largest producer of herbs and mini plants, Rosborg Food Holding, chose to invest in sensitive, flexible robot grippers from On Robot to handle the plants.

The use of herbs dates back to Babylon 4000 years ago. The ancient Egyptians and Greeks developed and refined the cultivation of herbs for the emerging medical sciences and culinary delights.

[Read more…] about Flexible ‘robot hands’ pack delicate herbs

CeMAT 2018: Knowledge platform for logistics providers and supply chain managers

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This year, CeMAT will feature another excellent set of forums. Together with major partners such as VDMA (Germany’s mechanical engineering industry association), BVL (Germany’s logistics association), the Fraunhofer IML Institute and the EHI Retail Institute, CeMAT will illuminate the opportunities presented by new Logistics 4.0 concepts while highlighting the latest best-practice solutions.

“Together with Hannover Messe, we are crafting a unique knowledge platform for the digitization of the supply chain, featuring numerous best-practice solutions and innovations like nowhere else in the world,” said Dr Jochen Köckler, member of the managing board at Deutsche Messe.

Below are some of the forums planned for CeMAT 2018.  [Read more…] about CeMAT 2018: Knowledge platform for logistics providers and supply chain managers

Automatica 2018 to showcase solutions for food and beverage, plastics and packaging manufacturers

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In September 2017, the German engineering research industry association VDMA increased its growth forecast for the current year for German robotics and automation from seven to eleven percent.

The industry is also booming internationally. With this positive outlook and numerous innovations ready to be shown, the world’s leading companies are going to meet at Automatica in Munich from June 19 to 22, 2018.

Visitors from industries such as food and beverage, plastics as well as packaging will find numerous innovative automation solutions and have the opportunity to exchange ideas with experts.  [Read more…] about Automatica 2018 to showcase solutions for food and beverage, plastics and packaging manufacturers

Hannover Messe: Software and additive manufacturing for the factories of the future

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Software and IT solutions will be high on the agenda at Hannover Messe 2018, which is no wonder in view of their pivotal role in connecting the individual links in the industrial value chain.

Integration and networking are central to the digital transformation of industrial production. For this reason, the exhibit categories “Automation” and “Digital Factory” will be a magnet for visiting professionals in April.

In halls 6, 7 and 8 the spotlight will be on IT solutions and integrated processes – in particular, additive manufacturing, CAD/CAM, CAE, MES, ERP and PLM.  [Read more…] about Hannover Messe: Software and additive manufacturing for the factories of the future

Kawasaki robots take the biscuit

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Fox’s, a UK biscuit brand, has replaced SCARA type robots with Kawasaki robots to overcome efficiency issues relating to obsolescence.

Back in 1989, Fox’s Uttoxeter facility first implemented robotic handling of wrapped biscuits, reducing operators from 34 to just 14, using SCARA configuration robots.

Out of three replacement options proposed to Fox’s, Kawasaki suggested a move back to conventional six axes arms. Through simulations, Kawasaki Robotics UK was able to illustrate that the RS-20N Robots would cost effectively match, and exceed if required, the output of the existing SCARA robots.

[Read more…] about Kawasaki robots take the biscuit

Steel fabricator makes intelligent upgrade

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Zalk Josephs Fabricators is a structural steel fabricator that specializes in the commercial market in the upper Midwest of the USA. It uses CNC systems for sawing, drilling and plate processing. It wanted to move to a more integrated and automated approach.

Chris Simonson, president of Zalk Josephs Fabricators, says: “Ficep was able to assist in this process by going through numerous plant layouts where the Ficep software was used to simulate past jobs showing real time productivity and exposing material handling bottlenecks.

“As we were going from stand-alone machines to combined drill/saw and drilling/coping, we needed to be convinced that we could achieve the throughput required to feed our fit up area.”

[Read more…] about Steel fabricator makes intelligent upgrade

South Korean government to expand robotics and automation sector to $6 billion

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The South Korean government has decided to invest significant resources into expanding the country’s production of industrial robotics and automation systems so that it’s worth $6.15 billion by 2022.

This is according to BusinessKorea.com, which says the plan is intended to increase the number of small and mid-size robot makers with sales of more than $46 million to 25.

The report says government-backed organisations, academic and research institutions, as well as private enterprise will take part in the new initiative.  [Read more…] about South Korean government to expand robotics and automation sector to $6 billion

Tiny robots hold promise of better healthcare treatments

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Tiny little machines small enough to travel through the human body, with blood cells along veins, for example, have long been one of the goals of technologists in healthcare science. 

In the 1966 film Fantastic Voyage, a submarine and its crew are shrunk to microscopic size and inserted into the body of a patient to perform brain surgery.

This may have seemed total fantasy at the time, but technology has advanced so much that it almost seems like a realistic goal now.  [Read more…] about Tiny robots hold promise of better healthcare treatments

Do you know what a camera looks like? Do you know what a watch looks like? If you’re under 30, you probably don’t

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Young people today. What do they know?

Not much, obviously. For example, they don’t know what a camera looks like. An actual camera, not a camera “app” on their smartphones.

It’s one of the reasons why Instagram decided to change its logo. The photo-sharing app and website previously used an attractive image of a camera, as shown below, on the left.

It was an elegant design, and made you want one of those cameras. Someone should probably manufacture a camera of that design – it might find a lot of buyers.  [Read more…] about Do you know what a camera looks like? Do you know what a watch looks like? If you’re under 30, you probably don’t

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