Robotics & Automation News

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Industrial robots

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

Robotiq discontinues sales of the FT 150 Force Torque Sensor

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Robotiq’s new FT 300 Force Torque Sensor is now able to perform the applications done by the FT 150 Force Torque Sensor. Considering this, Robotiq has discontinued sales of the FT 150 Force Torque Sensor.

The latest updates on the Robotiq FT 300 Force Torque Sensor hardware and URCap enabled this product to perform highly repeatable precision force control tasks such as finishing, product testing, assembly and precise part insertion.

Notwithstanding discontinuation, Robotiq’s standard terms and conditions, including the twelve-month warranty and end-of-life product support, will continue to apply to all FT 150 units sold.

Extra sensitivity for robotic force sensor

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The Robotiq FT 300 multi-axis torque force sensor, designed specifically for operation with Universal Robots, has had its sensitivity increased tenfold, says UK supplier Raruk Automation.

With plug-and-play integration on all models of Universal Robots, the Robotiq FT 300 performs highly repeatable, precision force control tasks such as finishing, product testing, assembly and precise part insertion. It has a measuring range of ±300N.

Raruk Automation offers the complete range of Robotiq off-the-shelf 2-finger, 3-finger and dual grippers and 6-axis torque force sensor.

[Read more…] about Extra sensitivity for robotic force sensor

Hollar deploys inVia Robotics mobile robots for warehouse operations

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Hollar has deployed inVia Robotics Picker robots and cloud-based Robotics-as-a-Service (RaaS) management system to streamline e-commerce fulfillment in its Los Angeles warehouse.

Hollar needed a cost-effective, collaborative mobile robotics platform to automate the goods-to-person fulfillment process. It will initially deploy 100 inVia Picker robots and scale as needed to address seasonal shopping and company growth.

The inVia Picker works collaboratively alongside Hollar’s human operators to pick and move items, automating the storage and retrieval process and minimizing operator risk exposure.

[Read more…] about Hollar deploys inVia Robotics mobile robots for warehouse operations

Cobots halt slide to overseas manufacturing

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The long-standing industrial practice of outsourcing manufacturing operations to low-cost parts of the world to keep manufacturing costs down has recently taken a turn.

A report from Boston Consulting Group has shown that ‘the share of executives saying that their companies are actively reshoring production increased by 9% since 2014 and by about 250% since 2012. This suggests that companies that were considering reshoring in the past three years are now taking action.’

With rapidly rising labour costs in traditional low-cost countries such as China, manufacturers are now experiencing that the financial advantages of manufacturing overseas are being seriously eroded.

[Read more…] about Cobots halt slide to overseas manufacturing

Cimtec to repair Epson Robots in south-east US

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Cimtec Automation LLC is now an official Epson Robots certified repair center. The partnership will extend beyond the current scope of selling new Epson Robots and automation products to include maintenance and repair of the broad installed base of legacy systems throughout the Southeastern US.

The original agreement, in 2015, included distribution of all of Epson Robots’ automation products, including the large lineup of SCARA, 6-Axis and Linear Module robots as well as Vision Guidance, Force Guidance and many other industrial automation products.

Cimtec has helped Epson Robots grow new robot-based automation solutions throughout North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.

[Read more…] about Cimtec to repair Epson Robots in south-east US

ESI looks to capitalise on collaborative robot market growth with its new CanArm model

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Engineering Services Inc is looking to capitalise on growing global demand for collaborative robots with its newly developed cobot. 

ESI says its CanArm C-15 cobot is the result of “several years of research … relying on our rich experience”.

ESI is looking to establish itself in a fast-growing market which has seen tens of thousands of robots sold in the past few years, as well as new companies entering the competition.  [Read more…] about ESI looks to capitalise on collaborative robot market growth with its new CanArm model

Rethink Robotics releases new industrial robot software development kit

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Rethink Robotics has launched the Sawyer Software Development Kit, a software upgrade designed for researchers and students to build and test programs on the Sawyer robot.

With a wide range of uses for university research teams and corporate research and development laboratories around the world, Sawyer SDK offers further compatibility with ROS and Open Source robotics tools, as well as an affordable solution to increase access to advanced robotics in the classroom.

Sawyer SDK includes several advanced features that allow users to visualize and control how the robot interacts with its environment.  [Read more…] about Rethink Robotics releases new industrial robot software development kit

Cobots set to become fastest growing robotics sector

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ABI Research, a market-foresight advisory firm providing guidance on the most transformative technologies, has identified collaborative robotics as one of the fastest growing segments of robotic systems.

Small-to-medium sized businesses are driving the increased demand for collaborative robots, as cobots provide solutions that allow for a more flexible kind of manufacturing that makes no assumptions as to volume levels or types of products being manufactured.

From 2016 to 2025, the global revenue of collaborative robotics shipments is set to enjoy a compound average growth rate of 49.8 per cent, compared to 12.1 per cent for Industrial robots and 23.2 per cent for commercial robotics.

[Read more…] about Cobots set to become fastest growing robotics sector

Rethink Robotics signs up 11 new distributors in Europe and North America

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Rethink Robotics has signed deals with 11 new distributors throughout North America and Europe, building on its existing global network of channel partners.

The new relationships expand Rethink’s presence in North America and Europe to include the US, Canada, Mexico, UK, Ireland, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Sweden, Romania and Turkey.

The new channel partners will all carry Rethink’s Sawyer robot, which is powered by Intera 5.2.  [Read more…] about Rethink Robotics signs up 11 new distributors in Europe and North America