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Carton recycling robot 50 per cent more productive, claim researchers

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carton recycling robot

Project uses artificial intelligence to identify, grab, and separate food and beverage cartons

The Carton Council of North America says that it has been conducting a pilot program that uses artificial intelligence to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of carton recycling.

Its research concluded that the system was 50 per cent more productive.

Through a collaboration led by the Carton Council with two Denver-based companies, AMP Robotics and Alpine Waste & Recycling, a robotic system has learned to identify the wide variety of food and beverage cartons in order to grab and separate them from the recycling stream.

The AMP Cortex, nicknamed “Clarke” after the sci-fi author and futurist Arthur C. Clarke, has spider-like arms with specially designed grippers to pick up and separate cartons at a materials recovery facility.

Clarke was installed in late 2016 and, through fine-tuning and adjustments, has achieved a pickup rate of 60 cartons per minute. This is a considerable increase from the human average of 40 picks per minute.  [Read more…] about Carton recycling robot 50 per cent more productive, claim researchers

ABB sells its first ever industrial robot manufactured in the US

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The ABB IRB 2600 industrial robot

ABB says customer is Hitachi Powdered Metals USA, and that production at Auburn Hills, Michigan facility “progressing on schedule”

ABB has sold its first robot manufactured in the United States. The IRB 2600 industrial robot is the first to be produced at the ABB Auburn Hills, Michigan facility, and was sold by ABB partner CIM Systems to Hitachi Powdered Metals USA.

The compact robot, which is painted with special commemorative red, white and blue paint, will be used for material handling of in-process engine component parts at the Hitachi Greensburg, Indiana facility. It is the 180th ABB robot at the Hitachi plant, which installed its first ABB robot in 2005.  [Read more…] about ABB sells its first ever industrial robot manufactured in the US

Midea expands in North America

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midea usa building

Midea, which claims to be the world’s leading manufacturer of air conditioners and home appliances, has strengthened its presence in North America by opening new facilities to support what it says is “continued business growth in the region”. 

Midea’s North American locations include a customer service center, expanded corporate office spaces, and research and development facilities. This expansion further enhances Midea’s network of over 280 major product facilities and logistics centers worldwide.

Jim Tomaszewski, president of Midea America, says: “Our physical expansion in North America is a testament to the continued business growth in this important market.

“Not only will these facilities give us the resources and tools we need to meet the fast-growing demand for high-quality products for the home in the US and Canada, but they will also create more jobs in each location, which will help to boost the local economies.”  [Read more…] about Midea expands in North America

Universal Robots delivers high double-digit growth again

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Jürgen von Hollen, the new president of Universal Robots
Jürgen von Hollen, president of Universal Robots

Universal Robots has continued its rapid expansion worldwide with a growth rate of 62 per cent from 2015 to 2016.

The company that pioneered and commercialised collaborative robot technology continues to leverage its first mover advantage and market leadership position.

Cage-free, user-friendly collaborative robots of all sizes have now become the market driver within industrial robotics.

The 2016 annual result of Universal Robots is a testament to that market growth, with revenue reaching $98.4 million and delivering a profit of $13.7 million before tax.

President of Universal Robots, Jürgen von Hollen, considers net income to be satisfactory and expects revenue growth of 50 per cent or greater in 2017, which means that the company will stay on target to reach $148.6 million by the end of 2017. [Read more…] about Universal Robots delivers high double-digit growth again

GE, Nokia and Qualcomm unveil ‘first’ private LTE-based trial network customized for industrial IoT

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ge predix windmill

GE Digital, Nokia Networks and Qualcomm Technologies say they have successfully demonstrated a private LTE network for the industrial internet of things market.

LTE stands for “long term evolution” and refers to an advanced version of the 4G network.

The new GE-Nokia-Qualcomm network meshes together each party’s platforms and technologies.

The companies plan to further research and conduct live field trials throughout 2017 based on this demonstration, which they says is “designed to advance the digitization of industrial processes”.  [Read more…] about GE, Nokia and Qualcomm unveil ‘first’ private LTE-based trial network customized for industrial IoT

Stäubli launches new collaborative industrial robot

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staubli tx cobot TX2-60

Stäubli has unveiled a new collaborative robot which it says represents the company’s “next generation of fast and precise 6-axis robots”. 

Stäubli is releasing two models of the TX2 – the TX2-60 and the TX2-60L. The specifications are listed below.

staubli teach pendant

Gerald Vogt, Stäubli Robotics general manager, Germany, says: “The new machines are lighter in weight and therefore more dynamic and more energy efficient.

“Safety was a main criterion for the development team.

“In this regard, it has been possible to integrate pioneering safety features that present new scope for human-machine co-operation.

“The TX2 generation is opening up new areas in which man and machine will be able to work hand in hand in the future.”

ModelTX2-60TX2-60L
Degrees of freedom66
Nominal load capacity3.5 kg2 kg
Maximum load capacity*9 kg5 kg
Reach at wrist670 mm 920 mm
Repeatability ±0.02 mm±0.03 mm
Protection class (*wrist)IP65 (*IP67)IP65 (*IP67)
Attachment methodsFloor, wall or ceillingFloor, wall or ceilling
Stäubli CS9 series controllerCS9CS9
* with specific configurations

BMW shows off its smart factory technologies at its plants worldwide

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bmw worker with collaborative robot

Collaborative robots, smart glasses, exoskeletons and innovative work gloves are among the tech being integrated at plants across the group’s worldwide operations 

German automaker BMW has been providing a glimpse into the advanced manufacturing technologies at several of its factories – in Germany and the US. 

The company says it has been harnessing the potential of innovative automation and flexible assistance systems in production.

In doing so, BMW says it has modernized the work environment and increased the efficiency of its workforce.  [Read more…] about BMW shows off its smart factory technologies at its plants worldwide

Robot ethics: Three things industry can learn from new robotic standards

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Ethical robots

Graham Mackrell, managing director of robotic gearing specialist Harmonic Drive UK, explains the three things industry can take away from the new standard

The British Standards Institute recently released a new set of standards for the ethical design of robots and robotic devices.

The standards highlight the growing need for guidelines on robotic safety, contact with human beings, robotic deception, addiction and possible sexism or racism exhibited by self-learning artificial intelligence systems.

When science fiction writer Isaac Asimov wrote about the three laws of robotics in his book Runaround in 1942, little did he know they would one day become a reality for a world filled with robots.

From automated manufacturing plants, medical and pharmaceutical applications to military, agricultural and automotive systems, robots are everywhere in our modern world.  [Read more…] about Robot ethics: Three things industry can learn from new robotic standards

ABB buys digital inspection specialist Nub3D

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nub3d

ABB has acquired Spanish startup Nub3D, which specialises in 3D inspection and quality-control solutions.

The company says the acquisition expands the group’s portfolio of ABB Ability solutions that connect customers to the industrial Internet of Things.

ABB Ability builds on the intelligent cloud, using connected devices to generate actionable digital information for a broad range of customers.

The financial value of the transaction has not been disclosed.  [Read more…] about ABB buys digital inspection specialist Nub3D

MRK-Systeme builds Kuka-based automation solution for BMW

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Human-robot collaboration-compliant Kuka robots put to work in quality assurance at BMW facility 

MRK-Systeme has developed an automation solution with human-robot collaboration capability for the BMW Group using Kuka robots for high payloads.

It enables the factory in Landshut, Bavaria to carry out quality assurance for crankshaft housing in an “ergonomically friendly manner”, says the company.  [Read more…] about MRK-Systeme builds Kuka-based automation solution for BMW