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Siemens acquires integrated circuit software developer Solido Design Automation to strengthen its digital offerings

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Siemens is strengthening its digitalization offerings – in particular, its product lifecycle management platform – through a new acquisition.

Siemens has reached an agreement to acquire Solido Design Automation, a provider of machine learning-based variation-aware design and characterization software.

Siemens says the purchase will strengthen the integrated circuit design and verification technologies it already offers through Mentor, a previous acquisition.  [Read more…] about Siemens acquires integrated circuit software developer Solido Design Automation to strengthen its digital offerings

Chinese collaborative robot maker Aubo Robotics raises $9 million in funding

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A Chinese collaborative robot manufacturing startup company called Aubo has raised $9 million in funding from Fosun. 

Fosun is a conglomerate based in China with a widely diversified investment portfolio.

Fosun has previously invested in Aubo and believes the cobot maker has the potential to become a “unicorn”, a startup with a valuation of $1 billion or above.  [Read more…] about Chinese collaborative robot maker Aubo Robotics raises $9 million in funding

New study: Industrial cameras, technical features, and market

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Each year, in cooperation with the trade journals Vision Systems Design and Inspect, industrial imaging company Framos identifies technical and commercial trends in the industry based on users’ and manufacturers’ views.

For this 10th market study, 90 manufacturers and users from 22 countries responded to questions about the status quo of the imaging market, and its ongoing development.

In the age of automation and the smart factory, classic machine vision is the cornerstone of success for the Imaging industry.

CMOS technology and fast processing are enabling real-time precision, while cognitive vision solutions using artificial intelligence are the bases for further growth.  [Read more…] about New study: Industrial cameras, technical features, and market

Digital manufacturing: An overview of an increasingly complex scenario

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Digitalisation is, in essence, simple. It means exactly what the word implies – the digitalisation of everything. 

But as simple as it sounds, digitalisation can be applied to any business in any sector, and that is what makes it difficult to provide a simple overview.

If we stick to one sector – manufacturing – that might make it more manageable.

But since manufacturing is already a hugely complex endeavour, the process of digitalisation – even in this one single sector – encompasses so many different disciplines that it’s difficult to think of it as being, essentially, simple.

But enough complaining about having to do some work for a change, let’s get on with the show.  [Read more…] about Digital manufacturing: An overview of an increasingly complex scenario

HMS demonstrates human-machine interface solutions on the Vuzix smart glasses platform

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HMS Industrial has demonstrated a range of human-machine interfaces on the Vuzix smart glasses platform.

Vuzix is a supplier of smart glasses and augmented reality technologies and products for the consumer and enterprise markets.

HMS is provider of industrial networking and remote management solutions.  [Read more…] about HMS demonstrates human-machine interface solutions on the Vuzix smart glasses platform

OR Laser launches new hybrid metal additive and subtractive manufacturing platform

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OR Laser has launched its new hybrid metal additive and subtractive manufacturing platform, the ORLas Creator Hybrid, and unveiled its new cloud manufacturing services at this year’s FormNext event.

FormNext, is into its final day in Frankfurt, and it’s where the great and the good of the 3D printing and additive manufacturing industry congregate.

Traditionally the latest additive manufacturing developments are unveiled at FormNext, and this year has been bigger and better than years gone by, according to some visitors.  [Read more…] about OR Laser launches new hybrid metal additive and subtractive manufacturing platform

Adient breaks ground on ‘largest-ever’ automotive seats prototyping and testing facility in India

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Adient, a provider of automotive seating, has broken ground on a new automotive seating prototyping and testing facility in Pune that the company says will be “the largest of its kind ever to be built in India”.

Construction of the new facility marks a major expansion of Adient’s existing technical center in Pune, already a world-class facility with the largest workforce among the automotive seating suppliers global network of tech centers.

The new facility, which is scheduled to open in late 2018, will provide physical testing to augment the capabilities of the existing technical center in Pune, a global Center of Competence at Adient for computer-aided engineering, computer-aided design automation and finite element analysis simulation expertise.  [Read more…] about Adient breaks ground on ‘largest-ever’ automotive seats prototyping and testing facility in India

Omron Microscan releases new ‘high-performance smart camera’

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Omron Microscan Systems, has launched its newest smart camera, the Hawk MV-4000, which the company says has developmental roots stretching back to automotive and robotics development.

Omron says the Hawk MV-4000 has “exceptional processing capabilities in a compact form factor”, is easy to use, and constitutes a “golden middle” between PC-based devices and the average smart camera on the market.

Omron says the new smart camera could be used in a wide range of industries to streamline companies’ operations.  [Read more…] about Omron Microscan releases new ‘high-performance smart camera’

Cognex launches new real-time monitoring system for factory automation

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Cognex, a provider of machine vision and industrial barcode reading, has released a new monitoring system for factory automation.

Cognex Explorer Real Time Monitoring aggregates and reports trends in data captured by DataMan barcode readers and provides instant facility-wide feedback to identify process errors, minimize no-reads, and maximize throughput, says the company.

The company says RTM tracks trends in barcode quality, monitors configuration changes, and analyzes data from every DataMan barcode reader to quickly identify the causes of low read rates and other errors that threaten the efficiency of an operation.  [Read more…] about Cognex launches new real-time monitoring system for factory automation

Collaborative industrial robot market in China forecast to grow to almost $200 million by 2020

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The market for collaborative industrial robotic arms in the Chinese industrial sector is forecast to grow to almost $200 million, according to a report on ChinaDaily.com. 

Quoting statistics in the Blue Paper of the Cobots Industry for 2017 – a report produced by Universal Robots and the Shenzhen Gaogong Industry Research Consulting Company – China Daily says the total market size for collaborative robots will exceed $196 million.

Small and medium-size businesses are expected to drive much of the growth. In total, some 12,000 units are forecast to be sold in China by 2020 – although this might sound like an understimate to some.  [Read more…] about Collaborative industrial robot market in China forecast to grow to almost $200 million by 2020