Robotics & Automation News

Market trends and business perspectives

aerospace

Boeing partners with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries on cost-reduction initiative for 787 production

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Boeing and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries have reached an agreement to strengthen collaboration in ways that will enhance both companies’ competitiveness.

The agreement includes efforts to reduce costs in MHI production of wings for the 787 Dreamliner and joint studies of advanced aerostructure technologies for future-generation commercial aircraft.

MHI manufactures 787 composite wings at its factory in Nagoya, in Japan. The agreement aims to enable sales by pursuing increased efficiency in MHI’s production system and its supply chain through lean production methods, automation and other activities.  [Read more…] about Boeing partners with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries on cost-reduction initiative for 787 production

Boeing and Dassault Systèmes extend design and product lifecycle management partnership

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The world’s largest aerospace company, Boeing, has decided to extend its use of Dassault Systèmes applications to include more software from the 3DExperience platform for its design, manufacturing operations management, and product lifecycle management.

Boeing will expand its deployment of Dassault Systèmes’ products across its commercial aviation, space and defense programs.

This decision follows a competitive process that included the rigorous analysis of technical and functional capabilities, cost and business benefits across the value chain.  [Read more…] about Boeing and Dassault Systèmes extend design and product lifecycle management partnership

Thailand prioritises robotics, aerospace, and auto industries as it looks to increase competitiveness

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Pictures from BMW’s factory in Thailand

Managing an economy today is not easy. But managing it for tomorrow? Now that’s a real challenge. It’s one that the government in Thailand is tackling head on, with a raft of new policies aimed at future-proofing its workforce and industry, particularly in the automotive, robotics, and aerospace sectors.

The measures, known collectively as Thailand 4.0, are centered on incentivizing foreign direct investment and nurturing innovation for 10 key future-focused industries.

The goal is to foster an ecosystem that promotes emerging technology, innovation, and creativity within each of these sectors.  [Read more…] about Thailand prioritises robotics, aerospace, and auto industries as it looks to increase competitiveness

New Russian plane looking for room in global market dominated by Boeing and Airbus

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An MS-21 medium-range passenger plane, produced by Irkut Corporation, takes off in Irkutsk, Russia, May 28, 2017. Courtesy of Irkut / via Reuters

By Tim Hepher, Reuters

Russia’s new jetliner, which conducted its maiden flight on Sunday, may have a hard time challenging the sales duopoly of Boeing and Airbus, but it does point the way to radical changes in how they could be building jets in the future.

The MS-21, a new single aisle airliner produced by Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation, and its associate company Irkut, is the first passenger plane borne aloft by lightweight carbon-composite wings built without a costly pressurised oven called an autoclave.

The manufacturing process provides a test for a technology already being assessed by Western rivals, who are looking for cheaper and faster ways to build some of their aircraft with composites, according to aerospace executives and suppliers.  [Read more…] about New Russian plane looking for room in global market dominated by Boeing and Airbus

Aerospace industry places unique demands on holemaking technology

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Boeing_Factory

Plan ahead to get tooling that can handle today’s new materials, say Nate Craine and Greg Torres, of Allied Machine & Engineering

The aerospace industry is bigger than ever. As more and more people rely on air transport, the Airbus Global Market Forecast predicts the need for 33,000 new passenger and freighter aircraft in the next 20 years.

Between recent space endeavors and increasing air traffic, fabricators are constantly faced with new problems to solve.

In aerospace, the parts needed are often unique or newly designed and the deadlines are tight. With materials constantly changing, fabricators must be able to create new ways of safely and effectively drilling through them in as short a time as possible.  [Read more…] about Aerospace industry places unique demands on holemaking technology

This time, it’s rocket science: Harmonic Drive gears used in space rover project

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Space rover
Harmonic Drive’s strain wave gears are used on spacecraft

Graham Mackrell, managing director of precision gearing specialist Harmonic Drive UK, explains why its strain wave gears have been the top choice in space for over 40 years

Anything that goes into space is seen as the pinnacle of human creation. Astronauts are highly trained and are at the peak of physical fitness, space shuttles are crafted by large teams of expert engineers and all the technology used is so high-tech it’s as if it belongs to science fiction.

Many decades ago, the first Harmonic Drive gears were sent into space during the Apollo 15 mission. Even from the beginnings of the space race, the expectations for the technology used were high.

The equipment used in space had to be reliable, compact and lightweight and given the increasing demands on equipment in today’s space missions, it must also now be highly accurate with zero backlash and have high torque capacity.

When aerospace engineers were recently designing a new space rover, they looked to Harmonic Drive gears for reliability. Due to the obvious difficulties of performing repairs in space, a high mean time between equipment failures is a high priority. [Read more…] about This time, it’s rocket science: Harmonic Drive gears used in space rover project

Rolls-Royce to open new research facility in US

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Rolls-Royce will house an R&D group for its jet engine component research in a 40,000-square-foot facility in the Purdue Research Park Aerospace District in West Lafayette, Indiana. (Purdue Research Park image)

Rolls-Royce is to open a new research and development centre in the US. The company formally received the keys to the 55,000-square-foot facility in the Purdue Research Park Aerospace District in West Lafayette. 

Purdue Research Foundation and Rolls-Royce are scheduled to celebrate the building’s opening late March.

David Waggoner, head of programs, customer and operations, control systems in North America for Rolls-Royce, says: “This facility is a great opportunity for us to create something unique to North America but also unique to Indiana, and allow us to strengthen our partnership with Purdue.  [Read more…] about Rolls-Royce to open new research facility in US

Kuka sells its ‘North American’ aviation division to Advanced Integration Technology

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advanced integration technology

Kuka is selling at least part of its aerospace division to Advanced Integration Technology. 

Kuka, which is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of industrial robotics and automation technology, says the aerospace division it is selling to AIT is called “Systems Aerospace North America”.

However, the Kuka website which relates to its aerospace business is called KukaAero.com, and that says “Kuka Systems Aerospace Group is the largest division of Kuka”– no mention of “North America”.  [Read more…] about Kuka sells its ‘North American’ aviation division to Advanced Integration Technology

Additive manufacturing or 3D printing? What’s the difference?

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“Additive manufacturing” is increasingly used interchangeably with “3D printing”, so they essentially mean the same thing. The only difference seems to be that “3D printing” is used more by maker communities – hobbyists and inventors – and still retains some sort of novelty value, whereas “additive manufacturing” – despite being the newer term – is more likely to be preferred in industry circles, perhaps because it has the sound of an established technology. 

But it’s not really an “established” technology in the sense that it’s only been around for a relatively short time.

According to 3DPrintingIndustry.com, it was only in 2007 that a 3D printer was available for less than $10,000 – from a company called 3D Systems, which is today one of the most well-known providers of the technology.

The most advanced 3D printers still cost quite a lot of money, especially those used by high-end manufacturers, but there are good-quality, entry-level machines available today for as little as a few hundred dollars.  [Read more…] about Additive manufacturing or 3D printing? What’s the difference?

Data in demand: Pressure Design flying high with automated hydraulics partnership

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The aerospace industry is hungry for tons and tons of data on everything that happens, and Pressure Design has the systems to feed it 

Traceability, data logging and graphical displays are in high demand in the modern hydraulics environment.

As customers’ requirements become more complex, the hydraulic control experts at machine builder Pressure Design focus on increasing their automated solutions offering, with the support of Copa-Data’s HMI/SCADA software, zenon.

Pressure Design offer a bespoke, fully inclusive service, satisfying all fluid power requirements, from the factory floor to the HMI. The company serves the hydraulic requirements of a wide range of primary and secondary manufacturing facilities.  [Read more…] about Data in demand: Pressure Design flying high with automated hydraulics partnership