Where Innovation Meets Imagination
Lufthansa Technik and Pepperl+Fuchs have established a joint venture company which aims to digitalise manufacturing operations in the aerospace industry.
The new company – called 3D.aero – will research, develop and sell “innovative automation solutions for the aviation industry”, say the companies.
It will also work on solutions for the digitalisation of workshops. [Read more…] about Lufthansa Technik and Pepperl+Fuchs establish joint venture company
Inspecting the outer shell of an aeroplane sounds so mind-numbingly boring that it absolutely must be one of those so-called “3D” – dirty, dull and dangerous – jobs that robots are supposed to save us from.
The absolute tedium of closely inspecting every square centimetre of the surface area of, for example, a typical Boeing 747 – which is about 22,000 square feet – would inevitably mean that some tiny imperfections can be missed by human eyes.
But could robots do the job any better? [Read more…] about Robotic inspection: Nasa testing new system for checking and fixing aircraft fuselages
The Chinese government may be encouraging domestic companies to develop more advanced technologies, but for now, the country’s manufacturers are turning to established industrial robot manufacturers abroad.
Japan, being one of the leading industrial robot manufacturing nations in the world, is expecting a 10 per cent increase in orders over the course of this year, according to figures released by the Japan Robot Association.
Jara’s latest data covers the period from October to December 2017, and show that the country’s industrial robot makers produced a total of 53,918 units, valued at about $1.7 billion. [Read more…] about Japanese industrial robot sales increase by 34 per cent on strong demand from China
Communist Chinese government propaganda mouthpiece Xinhua is reporting that another 20,000 industrial robots will be installed in the country’s manufacturing heartland, Guangdong Province.
Quoting Guangdong governor, Ma Xingrui, the state news agency says the robots are to be integrated into operations by the end of this year.
The move is part of a drive by the national government to modernise the country’s industrial infrastructure under the “Made in China 2025” policy. [Read more…] about China’s manufacturing heartland to integrate 20,000 more robots
iQagent, app creator for industrial applications, has released iQagent AR for IOS on the App Store. iQagent AR is the next evolution of the award-winning app iQagent, first released in 2012.
This new version leverages Apple’s ARKit to allow off-the-shelf creation of persistent augmented reality scenes containing process data and resources from existing plant systems. Once created, the scenes can be accessed by other devices running iQagent AR.
iQagent uses QR codes as ‘Point Of Interest’ (POI) markers to identify equipment. Users create POIs for equipment and process areas and associate relevant data points and resources.
[Read more…] about iQuest releases augmented reality app for manufacturing and industry
Picosun, a supplier of atomic layer deposition (ALD) thin film coating technology for semiconductor manufacturing, is partnering with STMicroelectronics to develop the next-generation 300 mm production solutions for advanced power electronics.
Power electronic components are right at the heart of many core elements of our society, where energy saving, sparing use of natural resources, and CO2 emission reductions are called for to provide for sustainable future.
Energy production with renewables such as wind and solar, clean transportation with electric vehicles and trains, and industrial manufacturing with energy-smart power management and factory automation are key markets where the demand for advanced power components is increasing. [Read more…] about Picosun partners with STMicroelectronics to offer 300 mm atomic layer deposition technology
Dutch 3D service bureau, Visual First, is using FDM Nylon 12CF carbon-filled thermoplastic, supplied by applied additive technology solutions company Stratasys, to replace metal machine parts for its customer, The Chocolate Factory.
Using 3D print machinery replacement parts has significantly reduced machine downtime, ensuring production line continuity for the company.
Based in Rotterdam, Netherlands, The Chocolate Factory runs a network of packaging machines, with the company’s daily throughput relying on the smooth operation of a simple, yet crucial, hook-shaped metal part that lifts wrapped bars onto a conveyer belt.
[Read more…] about 3D printed parts keep production flowing at chocolate factory
Automaker Seat, which is part of the Volkswagen Group, has been showing off its autonomous and collaborative intralogistics robots at its factory in Martorell, in Spain.
The company uses 125 automated guided vehicles at the Martorell facility, and the robots share the workspace with 7,000 human employees.
As such, Seat – and others – call these vehicles collaborative robots, because they work alongside humans (video below).
The internal logistics robots were manufactured by a company called Kivnon. Other robotic and autonomous logistics vehicles at the Martorell plant are from Aristeril and Rari.
[Read more…] about Seat shows off intralogistics robots at Spain factory
The global semiconductor market is growing at a phenomenal rate, evidence of which can be seen by anyone who cares to look around them.
Almost everyone on Earth either directly or indirectly uses some sort of device or machine which contains semiconductor technology.
And in some ways, this is just the beginning of the semiconductor revolution.
As Kawasaki Robotics notes on its website: “In the space of a generation, the semiconductor industry has evolved from a niche specialty to a fundamental driver of the global economy.” [Read more…] about Sector spotlight: Record growth of semiconductor market good sign for industrial robot manufacturers
Panasonic has established a new company for its North America operations.
Panasonic Corporation today announced the establishment of Panasonic System Solutions North America Company as a division of Panasonic Corporation of North America, Panasonic’s Newark, New Jersey-based subsidiary.
The new company will be formally established on April 1, 2018. [Read more…] about Panasonic to establish new company to strengthen factory solutions business in North America
