Robotics & Automation News

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Industrial robots

Chancellor Merkel hand in hand with the robot of tomorrow

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German Chancellor Angela Merkel explored the possibilities of the Schunk SVH 5-finger grippers at the Hannover Messe.

She visited the IBG Automation booth, where the head of the German government, together with Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto and his wife Angélica Rivera, got up close and personal with the robotic hands of Schunk.

“The Hannover Messe has succeeded in impressively demonstrating that the digitization of industrial production and the trend toward Industry 4.0 will be pivotal global topics in the years ahead,” emphasized Henrik A. Schunk, Managing Partner, CEO, Schunk GmbH & Co. at the conclusion of the trade show.

[Read more…] about Chancellor Merkel hand in hand with the robot of tomorrow

Automatica preview: Robotics innovations of today for the smart production concepts of tomorrow

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Automatica is probably the world’s leading showcase event for the robotics and automation industry.

This time around, Robotics and Automation News is highly pleased to announce that we are an official media partner for the biennial trade show.

Event organisers are previewing some of the main robotics innovations for smart production concepts that will be at the show next month.  [Read more…] about Automatica preview: Robotics innovations of today for the smart production concepts of tomorrow

Hyundai Heavy Industries to sell Kuka robots to manufacturers

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Hyundai Heavy Industries has reached an agreement to supply Kuka industrial robots and other products to manufacturers and other industrial companies. 

This is according to a report on the website of the Korea Herald, which says the agreement is for HHI to market Kuka products to “large Korean manufacturing firms”.

South Korean industry is dominated by what are referred to chaebols, which means very large conglomerates, and gaining access to them is probably quite difficult.  [Read more…] about Hyundai Heavy Industries to sell Kuka robots to manufacturers

Rethink Robotics presents new features for collaborative robot Sawyer

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Rethink Robotics presented its smart cobot Sawyer at this year’s Hannover Trade Fair last week, featuring new functionalities such as an Intera 5.2 software update for real-time production data visualization and easy external camera integration, and ClickSmart technology for easy changing of end-effectors.

Companies from numerous industries – including automotive, plastics, metalworking, electronics and co-packing – use Sawyer to complete tasks that cannot be automated with conventional industrial robots due to labour constraints, short product cycles or fluctuations in demand.

At the Hannover Trade Fair, Rethink Robotics provided demonstrations of manufacturing use cases from Germany, Europe and worldwide.

“With Sawyer, Rethink Robotics offers companies a smart, secure and quick-to-implement solution that allows them to automate manufacturing processes quickly and with the necessary flexibility,” says Darius Wilke, Director of European Business at Rethink Robotics.

Automotive robotics market forecast to grow to $6 billion by 2024

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SCARA robots used in the automobile industry will cross over 33 thousand units by 2024, according to research by GM Insights.

The company says this can be credited to increasing usage in applications such as high-speed assembly and handling operations.

Rising demand for reduced bottlenecks and optimized productivity will boost the product penetration.  [Read more…] about Automotive robotics market forecast to grow to $6 billion by 2024

Locus Robotics releases third generation of its Advanced Navigation system

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Locus Robotics, provider of autonomous, collaborative robots for use in e-commerce fulfilment warehouses, has introduced Advanced Navigation 3.0 (LRAN3 or “Puffin”) to increase the agility and performance of its robots in the warehouse.

“Locus Robotics Advanced Navigation 3.0 addresses one of the most challenging aspects of fulfilment robotics and automation: the dynamic nature of the warehouse,” said Rick Faulk, CEO of Locus Robotics.

“LRAN3 enables LocusBots to actively adapt to minute-by-minute changes within a facility, identifying obstacles and navigating tactically around them, to successfully complete their mission.”

[Read more…] about Locus Robotics releases third generation of its Advanced Navigation system

Kuka launches specialised system for riveting

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Industrial Robot maker Kuka has launched something it calls ready2_rivet, which the company says is the “ideal self-pierce riveting solution for body-in-white applications”.

The new ready2_rivet solution is part of Kuka’s ready2_use range.

The self-pierce riveting solution for body-in-white applications has been developed jointly with Böllhoff, one of the world’s leading manufacturers and suppliers of fasteners and assembly systems.  [Read more…] about Kuka launches specialised system for riveting

Teradyne becomes leading power in collaborative robotics. Now owns MiR and Universal Robots

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US industrial giant Teradyne has become a powerful force in the collaborative robotics sector with the purchase of Mobile Industrial Robots, the maker of warehouse robots.

The new acquisition adds to Teradyne’s existing purchase of Universal Robots, which is the leading supplier of collaborative industrial robotic arms. Teradyne, which specialises in supplying automatic test equipment, generated approxmately $2.2 billion revenue in 2017.

Teradyne announced the acquisition of privately held MiR of Odense, Denmark for €121 million ($148 million) net of cash acquired plus €101 million ($124 million at current exchange rate) if certain performance targets are met extending through 2020. [Read more…] about Teradyne becomes leading power in collaborative robotics. Now owns MiR and Universal Robots

Audi opts for FRS Robotics quality control on car doors

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FRS Robotics has introduced a new adaptive robot cell that automates the highly sensitive ultrasonic inspection of fold glue joints of Audi vehicle doors.

Vehicle door types consist of metal sheet inner and outer parts which are glued, plied and welded along the door edges. Ultrasonic inspection is performed manually to verify correct glue bonding.

Audi asked FRS Robotics to automate the highly sensitive ultrasonic quality control of the doors’ fold glue joints.

[Read more…] about Audi opts for FRS Robotics quality control on car doors

Apple unveils ‘Daisy’, the robot that can disassemble iPhones to reclaim precious metals

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Apple has revealed a new robot which can disassemble nine different iPhone models to recover valuable materials within the devices.

The company called the robot “Daisy” and says that traditional recyclers cannot perform the intricate functions that Daisy can.

The robot looks to be a follow-up to a similar machine the company revealed a couple of years ago – called “Liam”.  [Read more…] about Apple unveils ‘Daisy’, the robot that can disassemble iPhones to reclaim precious metals