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Lab automation company raises $14 million from top life sciences companies

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Andrew Alliance, a developer of robotic liquid handling systems, has raised $14 million in its latest funding round.

Andrew Alliance says its technology is is improving repeatability with an innovative approach to liquid handling with conventional laboratory pipettes.

The new $14 million investment came from several of the leading life sciences enterprises, including Tecan Group, the Waters Corporation, Inpeco, Rancilio Cube, Sam Eletr Trust and Omega Funds.  [Read more…] about Lab automation company raises $14 million from top life sciences companies

Osaro and Denso Wave unveil new food automation technology

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Osaro is expanding the scope of its deep reinforcement learning platform to the food industry with its latest solution, Osaro FoodPick.

In collaboration with Denso Robotics, and in consultation with Innotech Corporation, Osaro unveiled FoodPick, which performs automated food assembly tasks using deep learning and other AI and robotics techniques, at Denso Wave’s booth at Fooma Japan 2018.

Osaro has partnered with Denso Wave, a producer of automated data capturing products and industrial robots headquartered in Agui, Japan.

[Read more…] about Osaro and Denso Wave unveil new food automation technology

Mass customisation: Cimpress finds ‘the right balance’ of automation and human intervention in manufacturing

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Cimpress was practising “mass customisation” years before the term became fashionable. In 1999, the Netherlands company took its operation to the internet and launched its now-famous Vistaprint brand, among others.

Originally established in 1995, Cimpress now employs 12,000 people worldwide and last year generated revenue of more $2 billion.

In this article, Maarten Wensveen, chief technology officer at Cimpress, provides an insight into the company’s operations and technology. 

Modern manufacturing technology is improving how goods are made and how quickly they can be delivered to customers.

[Read more…] about Mass customisation: Cimpress finds ‘the right balance’ of automation and human intervention in manufacturing

B&R joins Huawei’s OPC UA TSN testbed

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B&R Automation has joined the OPC UA TSN testbed of Chinese network equipment vendor Huawei. The Austrian automation specialist is now participating in all three of the world’s most significant platforms for practical testing of the new communication technology.

The two other testbeds are those organised by the Industrial Internet Consortium (IIC) in the USA and Labs Network Industrie 4.0 (LNI) in Europe.

“Huawei’s testbed gives us the opportunity to advance the standardisation of OPC UA TSN in Asia,” explained B&R Marketing Manager Stefan Schönegger.

[Read more…] about B&R joins Huawei’s OPC UA TSN testbed

Universal Robots strengthens its partner network in Malaysia

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Universal Robots (UR) is strengthening its partner network in Malaysia with four new partners: Bizit Systems in Johor, Multitrade Asiapac and Servo Dynamics in Penang, and T. E. M. Engineering in the Klang Valley.

They join a growing network of UR channel partners in Southeast Asia to support increasing demand for collaborative robots (cobots) in the region.

In Malaysia, cobots are deployed in industries such as electronics, automotive, semiconductor, furniture and consumer products.

[Read more…] about Universal Robots strengthens its partner network in Malaysia

Magna partners with May Mobility to develop self-driving shuttles

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Collaboration in south-eastern Michigan to make the first deployment in Downtown Detroit possible

Getting around in crowded city streets of America is about to get a little easier. May Mobility, an Ann Arbor, Michigan startup building self-driving shuttles, has partnered with Magna, a mobility technology company and one of the world’s largest automotive suppliers, to retrofit and scale up May Mobility’s unique fleet of self-driving shuttles set to enter the US market.

This partnership is an industry-first, with Magna retrofitting low-speed self-driving micro transit electric vehicles from the chassis up. (See video below.)

The initial fleet of vehicles will debut on June 26, 2018 with May Mobility’s first commercial deployment which will take place in Detroit, Michigan.  [Read more…] about Magna partners with May Mobility to develop self-driving shuttles

Hypertherm launches new version of Robotmaster software

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Hypertherm has launched a new version of its Robotmaster software, claiming it enables process experts to program without robotics or CAD/CAM expertise. (See video below.)

Hypertherm says Robotmaster V7 is a task-based robot programming platform built from scratch on a completely new architecture.

Robotmaster V7 caters to process experts to make robot programming “easy and intuitive, even for first-time robot users”, adds Hypertherm.  [Read more…] about Hypertherm launches new version of Robotmaster software

Alien farming technology: A glimpse into the future of automated agriculture

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Farming, as a human activity, is thought to be the basis for civilisations and societies dating back 15,000 years, possibly even further back if you believe the ancient alien astronaut theory.

In fact, ancient alien astronauts from the Anunnaki race are thought to have introduced Earthlings to farming in the first place, and gifted humans the plough. But that’s a whole other story.

Whatever its age, farming is still a globally widespread activity today. Indeed, until around 50 years ago, the vast majority of countries around the world were agrarian, meaning their economies and societies were reliant on the income generated by the agricultural sector – not just the food produced by it.

Even today, the largest economy in the world – the US – is also the world’s largest exporter of food.  [Read more…] about Alien farming technology: A glimpse into the future of automated agriculture

Former Universal Robots CEO launches ambitious plan for end-effectors sector

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Enrico Krog Iversen, former CEO of collaborative robot maker Universal Robots, is partnering with the Danish Growth Fund to address what he sees as “the next challenge in automation” with the merger of three innovative end-of-arm tooling companies to facilitate the ongoing growth of collaborative robotics, an industry expected to reach $8.5 billion by 2025.

The new company – which combines US-based Perception Robotics, Hungary-based OptoForce, and Denmark-based On Robot – will be called OnRobot.

Iversen says the new company will drive innovation and ease-of-use for robotic end-of-arm tooling.  [Read more…] about Former Universal Robots CEO launches ambitious plan for end-effectors sector

Audi uses Stratasys 3D printer to prototype tail light covers

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Audi is planning to use what is claimed to the “world’s only full-color, multi-material 3D printer” to prototype tail light covers.

Additive manufacturing systems supplier Stratasys says Audi Pre-Series Center with its Plastics 3D Printing Center in Ingolstadt, Germany, will leverage “the world’s only full-color, multi-material 3D printer” – the Stratasys J750 – to innovate its design process and accelerate design verification.

For the production of tail light covers, Audi expects to reduce prototyping lead times by up to 50 percent.  [Read more…] about Audi uses Stratasys 3D printer to prototype tail light covers