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Novarc Technologies to showcase ‘world’s first collaborative welding robot’ at FabTech

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Novarc Technologies, a Vancouver-based robotics company specializing in the design and commercialization of collaborative robots for industrial applications, says it will be introducing “the world’s first welding collaborative robot” at FabTech.

The company says this is a “groundbreaking step” because, for the pipe welding industry, it demonstrates that robots can enable companies to meet production requirements even where there isn’t a sufficient skilled workforce available.

Novarc says its collaborative robot will be initially available for exclusive demonstration at FabTech, booth #B25100. (A previous Novarc welding system is shown in the picture above.) [Read more…] about Novarc Technologies to showcase ‘world’s first collaborative welding robot’ at FabTech

Smart manufacturing to play central role at China International Industry Fair

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The concept of smart manufacturing is to play a central role at this year’s China Industrial Industry Fair.

Smart manufacturing is a term used to mean any manufacturing system which uses advanced technologies – such as robotics, automation and network connectivity.

Other related terms are Industry 4.0, intelligent manufacturing, and lights-out manufacturing.  [Read more…] about Smart manufacturing to play central role at China International Industry Fair

Chinese manufacturer claims ‘first’ fully automated production line for a type of solar cell

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A Chinese manufacturer called Tongwei has opened a factory which features what is claimed to be the “world’s first” unmanned, fully automated monocrystalline solar cell production line. 

This is according to a report on PV-Tech.org, which says Tongwei is testing the fully automated production system with a view to rolling it out across all its operations.

The company currently has the capacity to produce monocrystalline cell capacity of around 3.4 gigawatts, with an additional 2 GW multicrystalline solar cell capacity.  [Read more…] about Chinese manufacturer claims ‘first’ fully automated production line for a type of solar cell

GE Digital expands industrial internet partnership with Microsoft

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GE Digital has expanded its industrial internet partnership with Microsoft, according to Reuters. 

The two companies had already been working together on further developing GE Digital’s Predix platform.

Manufacturers tend to connect sensors to their machines and then connect the sensors to Predix.  [Read more…] about GE Digital expands industrial internet partnership with Microsoft

Auto companies still moving to Mexico despite Nafta uncertainty

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Mexico used to be an attractive place to invest in building manufacturing facilities. It still is. 

The country of 120 million people is still part of the North American Free Trade Agreement, which makes importing and exporting to the US easier than it would otherwise be.

And even as US President Donald Trump pushes for a renegotiation of Nafta, manufacturing companies are continuing to choose Mexico as an investment location.  [Read more…] about Auto companies still moving to Mexico despite Nafta uncertainty

Fanuc claims its new palletising robot is ‘fastest’ in its class

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Fanuc has unveiled a new palletizing robot which it claims is the fastest in its class. 

Fanuc is believed the be the world’s largest industrial robot manufacturer, and debuted its new robot at Pack Expo a few days ago.

The company says the Fanuc M-410iC/110 is “capable of performing 2040 standard palletizing cycles an hour, making it the fastest palletizing robot in its class”.  [Read more…] about Fanuc claims its new palletising robot is ‘fastest’ in its class

Robots in the cosmetics industry: Complex tasks for sophisticated machines

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Like most business sectors, the cosmetics industry is a growing market for industrial robotics and automation suppliers. 

At the moment, it’s a relatively small market compared to automotive, electronics, and other sectors, but according to a study by Alltake Market Research, unit shipments in the sector will grow more than 20 per cent by 2022.

However, Alltake combines cosmetics and pharmaceutical into one category for its projections.  [Read more…] about Robots in the cosmetics industry: Complex tasks for sophisticated machines

Midea embarks on journey to transform itself into a ‘high-tech industry leader’

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Chinese home appliances giant Midea says it has completed its acquisition of German company Kuka, one of the world’s largest industrial robot manufacturers. 

While the deal prompted some consternation among those who said the German government should stop the takeover, as well as with those people who subsequently demanded the European Union make it more difficult for Chinese companies to buy EU companies, the two companies are now part of the same group.

Technically, Kuka was acquired by Midea’s subsidiary company, Mecca International.  [Read more…] about Midea embarks on journey to transform itself into a ‘high-tech industry leader’

Growing support for open standards for programmable logic controllers

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Support for open standards for programmable logic controllers – which are the computers used in industrial automation systems – has been growing in recent years. 

The organisation partly responsible for the trend, PLCopen, last year released a set of coding guidelines to help standardise PLC programming. These guidelines have been adopted and further developed by a variety of companies.

One of those is software engineering company Itris Automation, which has integrated the guidelines into its automatic static analysis tool PLC Checker.  [Read more…] about Growing support for open standards for programmable logic controllers

Software developer Veo Robotics raises $12 million in funding

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Veo Robotics has raised $12 million in Series A funding led by Lux Capital and Google Ventures, which is now called GV. 

GV’s Andy Wheeler and Lux’s Bilal Zuberi will join the Veo board of directors.

Siemens, through its company Next24, which previously invested in Veo, also participated in the latest funding round.  [Read more…] about Software developer Veo Robotics raises $12 million in funding