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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

SSL selected to partner with Darpa to develop satellite servicing business

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ssl darpa_rsgs_lrg

Space Systems Loral, a leading provider of innovative satellites and spacecraft systems, today announced it has been selected by the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to develop the capability to service and maintain spacecraft and other infrastructure in the geostationary arc.

Darpa’s Robotic Servicing of Geosynchronous Satellites program is expected to be the foundation of a new business for SSL that will serve both commercial and government operators with repair, upgrade, relocation, and refueling of on-orbit assets.

Howard Lance, chief executive officer, SSL MDA Holdings, says: “This will be SSL’s first spacecraft contract with the Department of Defense in recent years and it is the third time that we have been selected by the US government for a major program in just two months, following our recent selections for Nasa’s Restore-L and Psyche missions.

“It clearly demonstrates the success of our strategy to bring the benefits of our commercial business to a broader audience and to grow our business with US government work.”  [Read more…] about SSL selected to partner with Darpa to develop satellite servicing business

Nvidia launches new board for robotics development

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Company says its IoT platform for manufacturing, industrial, retail will be made possible by Nvidia’s artificially intelligent-powered Jetson 

Nvidia has unveiled the Nvidia Jetson TX2, a credit card-sized platform that it says delivers AI computing at the edge – opening the door to “powerfully intelligent” factory robots, commercial drones and smart cameras for AI cities. 

Jetson TX2 offers twice the performance of its predecessor, or it can run at more than twice the power efficiency, while drawing less than 7.5 watts of power. This allows Jetson TX2 to run larger, deeper neural networks on edge devices.

The result: smarter devices with higher accuracy and faster response times for tasks like image classification, navigation and speech recognition. [Read more…] about Nvidia launches new board for robotics development

KernPack signs exclusive distribution deal with robotics experts Skilled Group

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kernpack industrial robot small

Signs exclusive distribution deal with robotics and laser guided vehicle specialist Skilled Group

KernPack, a distributor of specialist packaging machinery and solutions, has signed an exclusive UK and Ireland distribution deal with Skilled Group, enabling it to sell the company’s complete range of robotic palletising systems and automatic guided vehicles.

Part of KernPack’s strategy to widen its capabilities, by adding end-of-line warehouse automation to its packaging and mailing solutions, the deal also takes the company into the warehouse and logistics market.

Designed for automated warehousing and truck loading, Skilled Group’s products are already used around the world by Bridgestone, Coca-Cola, Nestlè, Kraft, Unilever and Johnson & Johnson in installations costing up to €10m.

The company’s wide range of robotic equipment includes articulated robotic arms, gantry and SCARA robots for the automatic palletising of products or pallet handling and automatic guided vehicles, or AGVs, for any situation where a traditional forklift truck is used.  [Read more…] about KernPack signs exclusive distribution deal with robotics experts Skilled Group

ATI to showcase wide range of new products and solutions at Automate 2017

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ATI_QC-46_Robotic_Tool_Changer

The 2017 Automate Show and Conference takes place at Chicago’s McCormick Place April 3-6, and is a biennial event boasting the largest showcase of solutions-based automation technologies in North America.

Companies from around the globe will represent a wide variety of industries ranging from automotive manufacturing to telecommunications.

Whether you are researching automation technology, seeking to grow your customer base, or exploring new automation solutions, Automate 2017 makes it possible.

One of the companies which plans to make a big show at the Automate Show this year is ATI.  [Read more…] about ATI to showcase wide range of new products and solutions at Automate 2017

Volkswagen launches its first autonomous and electric concept car

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Volkswagen’s new concept autonomous and electric car, Sedric
Volkswagen’s new concept autonomous and electric car, Sedric

Volkswagen has unveiled what it says is its first autonomous concept car, describing it as a “comfortable lounge on wheels”. 

The company claims to be the first automobile manufacturer to present an integrated mobility concept for mobility of the future in road traffic, including a concept car developed from scratch for autonomous driving.

Volkswagen says “Sedric”, the name of the new self-driving car, provides an insight into the future of individual mobility that can be used by everyone, but which can be geared to personal needs.

Volkswagen says Sedric highlights the major importance of fully automated driving in the future strategy of the company.  [Read more…] about Volkswagen launches its first autonomous and electric concept car

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