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Chinese companies planning to bid for German industrial giant FFT, says Reuters

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Chinese firms including the Jiangsu Hagong Intelligent Robot Company are planning to make a bid to buy German industrial giant FFT, according to a report on Reuters.com. 

Other companies said to be interested include state-owned Shanghai Electric and equity firm AGIC Capital, says Reuters.

FFT, which builds manufacturing facilities for automakers and other industrial companies, is said to be valued at around $712 million.

FFT is owned by an equity investment company called Aton, and any deal is not likely to cause any political controversies, according to people Reuters quotes.  [Read more…] about Chinese companies planning to bid for German industrial giant FFT, says Reuters

IAS uses Visual Components to speed up robotics and automation systems design process

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Robotics and automation integrator IAS says it has accelerated its proposal and design process using Visual Components, a 3D manufacturing simulation application. 

The company says it had been considering using 3D simulation software as a way of communicating its ideas to clients for quite some years.

And, after a demonstration of the software at its facility, the company chose Visual Components.  [Read more…] about IAS uses Visual Components to speed up robotics and automation systems design process

P4Q ‘increases productivity, improves part quality’ with Rethink’s Sawyer industrial robot

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Rethink Robotics’ collaborative robot Sawyer is being utilised by Spanish electronics manufacturer to achieve higher levels of consistency

P4Q, a Spanish manufacturer of electronic products and systems, says it has increased production throughput by 25 percent by deploying smart, adaptable automation on the factory floor.

Rethink Robotics’ Sawyer is testing printed circuit boards and driving improvements in process consistency that are resulting in better part quality and overall production output, says the company.

P4Q has been looking to automate more of its factory for many years to improve efficiency and consistency, but traditional caged robots were unappealing due to high costs and employee safety concerns.  [Read more…] about P4Q ‘increases productivity, improves part quality’ with Rethink’s Sawyer industrial robot

Moxa releases IIoT gateway starter kit with Amazon Web Services support built in

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Industrial automation technology supplier Moxa has launched an industrial internet of things starter kit which it says has built-in support for Amazon Web Services.

The company says the IIoT Gateway Starter Kit is aimed at the needs of system integrators and engineers developing applications for IIoT.

Moxa says the kit is data-acquisition ready, and provides a “reliable ready-to-use platform that simplifies development of IIoT solutions by providing all the essentials needed to get data from edge devices to cloud services, and with little to no programming required”.  [Read more…] about Moxa releases IIoT gateway starter kit with Amazon Web Services support built in

DHL tests PostBot autonomous vehicle for postal deliveries

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DHL, the world’s largest logistics company, has unveiled an autonomous vehicle designed to carry letters and parcels and follow around the postal worker as he or she delivers mail items from door to door.

The robotic parcel carrier – called PostBot – could move along in tandem with the worker, saving time overall and energy on the part of the human.

DHL selected the a town called Bad Hersfeld to test the self-propelled electric robot. Bad Hersfeld is said to be a “smart city”.  [Read more…] about DHL tests PostBot autonomous vehicle for postal deliveries

ABB launches ‘world’s first’ digital automotive robotic painting system

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ABB has launched what it claims is the world’s first digital and robotic automotive painting system which it says can be totally controlled during operation. 

The company says the most fundamental part of its new painting system is the “revolutionary new connected paint atomizer”.

The ABB Ability Connected Atomizer (video below) enables quality and efficiency “like no other”, claims the company.  [Read more…] about ABB launches ‘world’s first’ digital automotive robotic painting system

Siemens selects Blue Software for proofing and artwork annotation in its product lifecycle management software

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Blue Software, a provider of design collaboration software, says its proofing and artwork annotation technology is now available as “advanced proofing” in the Siemens Teamcenter portfolio.

Siemens claims its Teamcenter is the world’s most widely used digital lifecycle management software.

Anyway, it’s part of Siemens’ product lifecycle management software business. A list of popular PLMs can be found here.  [Read more…] about Siemens selects Blue Software for proofing and artwork annotation in its product lifecycle management software

Lufthansa Technik unveils robot that can scan and fix a plane’s outer layer tiles

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Lufthansa Technik has demonstrated a robot which can scan the outer later of aeroplanes and work at odd angles to help with any necessary maintenance and repair jobs. 

Lufthansa Technik generally fixes planes for its parent company Lufthansa, one of the world’s largest airlines, and undertakes work for a variety of aerospace companies.

The new robot is part of the Caire project – short for Composite Adaptable Inspection and Repair – which includes airline industry companies such as Airbus and Lufthansa Technik. [Read more…] about Lufthansa Technik unveils robot that can scan and fix a plane’s outer layer tiles

Nvidia reveals new computing platform for ‘fully autonomous robotaxis’

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Nvidia has revealed a new computing platform which it says is being used by more than 25 companies to develop “fully autonomous robotaxis”. 

The new Nvidia Drive PX Pegasus is said to be the world’s first artificial intelligence computer designed to drive fully autonomous robotic taxis.

Experts say autonomous robotic taxis are the next step for globally popular ride-sharing apps such as Uber and many others.  [Read more…] about Nvidia reveals new computing platform for ‘fully autonomous robotaxis’

Samsung releases limited edition robotic vacuum cleaner that looks like Darth Vader

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Would you want Darth Vader to vacuum your house? 

Samsung has released a limited edition of its robotic vacuum cleaner which looks like the dark lord from the Star Wars movies.

So if you want the evil one to terrify you while cleaning your home, you can buy one now from Samsung’s website for $799.  [Read more…] about Samsung releases limited edition robotic vacuum cleaner that looks like Darth Vader