Where Innovation Meets Imagination
By Thomas Sautter, Kollmorgen
In the beginning, there is the pipe – and, at the Breyer machine factory, it comes endlessly out of the extruder.
If the singular for pipe in Latin is tubus, it is very easy to see why the technological origins of a tube are in a pipe.
Breyer is said to be one of the world market leaders in sophisticated extrusion systems. [Read more…] about Kollmorgen launches new generation of Topline drives
General Motors is using new, advanced software design technology to introduce the next generation of vehicle lightweighting. The technology is key to developing efficient and lighter alternative propulsion and zero emission vehicles.
GM is the first automaker in North America to use new generative design software technology from software company Autodesk.
It uses cloud computing and AI-based algorithms to rapidly explore multiple permutations of a part design, generating hundreds of high-performance, often organic-looking geometric design options based on goals and parameters set by the user, such as weight, strength, material choice, fabrication method, and more. The user then determines the best part design option.
Heidenhain will use its control systems to connect equipment from many machine tool builders at the September IMTS exhibition in Chicago back to its own booth. The list of connected manufacturers is to be announced closer to show time.
“Connecting Systems for Intelligent Production” has been Heidenhain’s motto at many trade shows over the past year as the manufacturing trend of digitization and networking have become the goal for many in order to increase competitiveness.
To this end, Heidenhain offers Connected Machining, a package of components and systems to support end users introducing digital order management in their production processes.
[Read more…] about Heidenhain to show off machine connection capability at IMTS
Startup company Fictiv says it has raised $15 million in Series B funding.
The funding round included Accel, Intel Capital, FJ Labs, Tandon Group, Stanford-StartX Fund, and Bill Gates.
The on-demand manufacturing services provider also demonstrated new workflow optimization tools and unveiled offices in Guangzhou, China. [Read more…] about Fictiv raises $15 million for its virtual manufacturing platform
Heason Technology delivers EtherCAT motion solution for Swift TG’s novel WindSurf vertical axis wind turbine
Swift TG Energy Scotland, the renewables technology division of the Swift TG Group, has developed an innovative active-pitch Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT) called WindSurf – where multi-axis EtherCAT motion control executes CFD derived algorithms to dynamically position aerofoil blades in real-time – offering increased efficiency and operability over similar technologies, as well as challenging the location siting limitations of the Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine (HAWT).
Heason Technology, the leading motion systems designer and manufacturer, has worked closely with STGES’s engineers from the initial WindSurf design concept and through the project’s development stages – providing prototype systems and application support for a tightly synchronised six-axis EtherCAT system that manages all of the motion control, maths functions and I/O interfacing as a single stand-alone solution.
The basics for the WindSurf VAWT comprises five individual 6 metre high vertical aerofoils that are arranged and supported on upper and lower “spider arms” that drive the generator. [Read more…] about Pioneering renewable energy project benefits from precision motion control
Capgemini has announced a new report by its Digital Transformation Institute which reveals that the automotive industry can expect to achieve $160 billion in productivity gains annually from smart factory adoption from 2023 onwards.
The report, Automotive Smart Factories: How Auto Manufacturers can Benefit from the Digital Industrial Revolution, which surveyed more than 320 automotive manufacturers, demonstrates that the automotive sector has set more aggressive targets for smart factory initiatives compared to other sectors.
A global top 102 automotive manufacturer can expect to realize an additional $4.6 billion or a 50 percent growth in operational profits annually within five years of a full smart factory implementation. [Read more…] about Automotive industry could gain $160 billion through smart factory adoption, says report
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
Voestalpine invests up to €350 million in the world’s most advanced special steel plant in Kapfenberg
A groundbreaking ceremony marked the official start of the three-year construction phase for the new Voestalpine special steel plant in Kapfenberg, Austria. (See video below.)
From 2021 onwards, each year the fully digitalized plant will produce around 205,000 tons of sophisticated high-performance steels, especially for the international aviation and automotive industries as well as for the oil & gas sector, while at the same time securing more than 3,000 highly skilled jobs in the region over the long term.
Preparations for the major project with an investment volume of up to €350 million are already fully under way: the construction site is currently being prepared, with work focusing on energy supply and logistics infrastructure. [Read more…] about Work starts to build Europe’s first steel plant in 40 years
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
There is a bright future for printed books, a recent survey by Stora Enso has found.
According to the results, printed books will continue to be important, relevant, interesting and still very much appreciated compared to e-books and audiobooks.
As one of the leading book paper and cover providers, Stora Enso conducted a study with 80 in-depth interviews in 13 countries across Europe, Asia and North America together with research company Opticom International. [Read more…] about Printed books have ‘positive future’, says Stora Enso survey
