Robotics & Automation News

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Industrial robots

ABB to build ‘world’s most advanced’ robotics factory in Shanghai

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ABB has announced a major, new $150 million investment in Shanghai, China, to build what it calls “the world’s most advanced, automated and flexible robotics factory – a cutting-edge centre where robots make robots, says the company”.

The new Kangqiao manufacturing centre, near ABB’s China robotics campus, will combine the company’s connected digital technologies, including ABB Ability solutions, collaborative robotics and artificial intelligence research to create an environmentally sustainable “factory of the future.” It is expected to begin operating by the end of 2020.

Today’s announcement marks a significant milestone for ABB as China’s #1 robotics manufacturer as well as a critical global growth investment for the company in the world’s largest robotics market.

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Kuka at EuroBLECH 2018: robot-based solutions for sheet-metal working

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EuroBLECH, where experts and potential customers from the world of sheet-metal working come together, is being held from 23 to 26 October in Hannover, Germany, and Kuka will present its tailored automation solutions for different steps in the process chain there.

From individual robots to preconfigured Kuka “ready2_use” packages and standard cells for laser applications: Kuka is able to offer solutions for the various steps in the sheet-metal working process chain.

Visitors to EuroBLECH 2018 will be able to see two new Kuka ready2_use solutions for the robotic linking of press lines.

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Global industrial robot sales doubled over the past five years, says IFR

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The International Federation of Robotics has released its annual World Robotics Report at a press conference at the World Robot Summit in Tokyo.

One of the main findings of the report is that global industrial robot sales have doubled over the past five years.

Another is that a new record high of 381,000 units were shipped globally in 2017 – an increase of 30 percent compared to the previous year.

The sales value increased by 21 percent compared to 2016 to a new peak of $16.2 billion in 2017.

The World Robotics Report which is published every year by the IFR was presented during a press conference held by the IFR at the bi-annual World Robot Summit which currently takes place in Tokyo.  [Read more…] about Global industrial robot sales doubled over the past five years, says IFR

Stäubli Group strengthens robotics portfolio with stake in WFT

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Stäubli Group – a global leader in mechatronic solutions – has announced the acquisition of a 70 percent stake in WFT GmbH & Co. KG, based in Sulzbach-Rosenberg, Germany.

WFT has been a specialist in the construction of special purpose machines and mobile platforms for two decades. In line with Stäubli’s growth strategy, this acquisition allows the joining of forces in new complementary fields such as autonomous guided vehicles (AGV) and automation add-ons.

All employees of the acquired business will join the Stäubli Robotics Division, while the factory in Sulzbach-Rosenberg will become part of the global production network of Stäubli. The new company will operate under the name Stäubli WFT GmbH.

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Omron at the World Robot Summit 2018

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Omron Corporation is an Official Partner in the World Robot Summit 2018 (WRS2018) taking place this week (October 17 to 21) at the Tokyo Big Sight, Japan.

The event, hosted by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization, consists of international robot competitions and exhibitions.

Firstly, the World Robot Challenge (WRC), which is a robot competition in which teams from all over the world compete in various categories to demonstrate their robotic technologies and ideas.

[Read more…] about Omron at the World Robot Summit 2018

Universal Robots to debut new palletisers at Pack Expo

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At Pack Expo in Chicago this week, Universal Robots (UR) is showcasing the first solution for random robotic case erecting, the Xpak Robox. The new UR powered box erector developed by Xpak, allows packagers to randomly erect any box in their suite on-demand without changeover.

The Xpak Robox is equipped with a UR10e cobot arm that picks a flat box from one of two magazines, squares the case, folds and seals the bottom flaps with 2-inch tape.

Additional magazine and custom box conveyance options allow the Xpak Robox to integrate seamlessly into any packaging environment.

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Epson Robots launches Force Guide at Pack Expo

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Epson Robots has announced its new high performance Force Guide integrated force guidance solution at Pack Expo 2018 in Chigago, USA, this week.

Force Guide is a tightly integrated force control system that allows Epson Robots to sense and make precision moves using force feedback data. Powered by proprietary Epson Quartz Technology, it enables Epson robots to detect six axes of force with precision down to 0.1 N, claims the company.

Driven by real-time servo system integration, Force Guide delivers fast, tactile feedback to guide robots for high-precision parts placement.

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Pick-it chooses Zivid 3D camera for pick-and-place solution

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Pick-it and Zivid, two leading players in robot vision hardware and software, have joined forces to accelerate the adoption of robotic 3D vision for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SME).

The European based company Pick-it NV has chosen Zivid AS and its 3D colour camera to offer co-bots and industrial robots of all major brands a plug-and-play solution for pick-and-place applications.

Pick-it is releasing the Pick-it M-HD (High Definition) solution consisting of the Zivid 3D camera, an advanced vision processing unit, and easy to use software tools.

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Universal Robots awards Gold Edition to Vietnamese partner

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Universal Robots has awarded one of its special Gold Edition robots to a selected Southeast Asia partner.

Vietnam’s Vinacomin Motor Industry Joint Stock Company was presented with the rare UR10 special edition collaborative robot, or cobot, which has joints painted in a rich, gold-coloured finish.

Universal Robots machines are always blue and grey. The company recently reached the milestone of 25,000 unit sales, and has been marking the achievement with the awarding of the Gold Robots to selected partners around the world.  [Read more…] about Universal Robots awards Gold Edition to Vietnamese partner

ABB launches new robotic systems for food and beverage industry at PackExpo

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ABB is launching a new “Food & Beverage Assessment Portfolio” at the Pack Expo event, which is taking place now in Chicago, USA. 

The company says the robotic systems it is showcasing are aimed at helping food and beverage manufacturers improve processes and reduce production costs by giving them a better understanding of their plant, from power to automation to digital readiness.

ABB says it will highlight its “assessment services and expertise” in booth N-4930 at the event.  [Read more…] about ABB launches new robotic systems for food and beverage industry at PackExpo