Robotics & Automation News

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aircraft

Siemens sells electric aircraft-propulsion business to Rolls-Royce

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Siemens and Rolls-Royce have signed an agreement for the sale of Siemens’ eAircraft unit. Through its Vision 2020+ company strategy, Siemens intends to sharpen its portfolio’s focus.

Siemens said the company’s business with electric and hybrid-electric systems for aircraft will have substantially better growth perspectives with new owners closely connected to the aerospace industry.

Closing is subject to the usual conditions and is expected to take place in late 2019. The partners have agreed not to disclose the financial details of the transaction.

[Read more…] about Siemens sells electric aircraft-propulsion business to Rolls-Royce

Hanwha Aerospace acquires US aircraft engine component manufacturer

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Hanwha Aerospace has signed a deal to fully acquire EDAC Technologies, an American aircraft engine component manufacturer. The deal is expected to be worth around USD 300 million, which will be finalised once negotiations are completed.

The Korean company made a preliminary bid for EDAC Technologies in April of 2019 and entered a period of due diligence before making a final offer.

EDAC Technologies is an aircraft engine component manufacturer based in Connecticut, with a workforce of 590 people. It recorded USD 150 million in revenue in 2018.

[Read more…] about Hanwha Aerospace acquires US aircraft engine component manufacturer

Boom Supersonic and Dassault Systèmes partner to advance development of new supersonic plane

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Boom Supersonic is implementing Dassault Systèmes’ 3DExperience platform to accelerate the design and development of Overture, its Mach-2.2 commercial airliner, with an aim to make supersonic travel mainstream and affordable.

Boom Supersonic is using Dassault Systèmes’ “Reinvent the Sky” industry solution experience based on the 3DExperience platform to support product development from concept through manufacturing and certification.

By using this solution, Dassault Systèmes says Boom Supersonic can cut development time of its first prototype in half and improve product quality by reducing program complexity, inefficiency, costs and resources, lowering the barriers to market entry. [Read more…] about Boom Supersonic and Dassault Systèmes partner to advance development of new supersonic plane

Honda Aircraft Company to invest $16 million into expanding US production facility

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Honda Aircraft Company says it plans to expand its global headquarters in Greensboro, North Carolina by investing an additional $15.5 million in a new 82,000-square-foot facility on its 133+ acre campus in Greensboro.

This will bring the company’s total capital investment in its North Carolina facilities to more than $245 million.

Scheduled to break ground in July 2019, the building will house a new wing assembly process for the HondaJet Elite. [Read more…] about Honda Aircraft Company to invest $16 million into expanding US production facility

Lufthansa Technik shows off ‘world’s first’ plane cockpit-testing robot

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Lufthansa Technik has been showing off what it claims is the world’s first airplane cockpit panel testing robot, which it calls “RoCCET”.

RoCCET checks the functionality of LED lights and switches, says Lufthansa Technik, which is part of the Lufthansa Group.

The Robot-based procedure is currently in the integration phase.

[Read more…] about Lufthansa Technik shows off ‘world’s first’ plane cockpit-testing robot

Lilium launches air taxi. Flying cars could take to the skies next

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Flying cars have been around a long time, but only as test vehicles, often engineered and built by tinkerers who may have been seen as somewhat eccentric for even dreaming up such a machine.

But in the past couple of years, these “eccentric tinkerers” have been usurped by corporate bigwigs who maybe see a big market for the technology.

In the most recent development, a German company called Lilium has completed a successful test flight with its all-electric flying car.

[Read more…] about Lilium launches air taxi. Flying cars could take to the skies next

Xyrec painting robot to bring a world of colour to aircraft

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Dutch robot manufacturer Xyrec has successfully demonstrated a breakthrough in aircraft painting technology by printing a large digital image on an Airbus A320 fuselage. The demonstration took place in Hamburg, Germany.

This new and unique solution for decorating aircraft uses inkjet technology for digital printing and ink instead of paint.

The printer will be introduced in Xyrec’s Automated Paint Robot for aircraft, and will be the largest robot in the world, says the company.

[Read more…] about Xyrec painting robot to bring a world of colour to aircraft

First JAL A350-900 rolls out of Airbus paint shop

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The first A350 XWB for Japan Airlines (JAL) has rolled out of the Airbus paint shop in Toulouse, France.

The A350-900 is the first ever Airbus aircraft to be produced directly for JAL and features a special A350 XWB red logo on the fuselage.

The aircraft will now proceed to ground and flight tests, before delivery to JAL in early summer.

[Read more…] about First JAL A350-900 rolls out of Airbus paint shop

UTC begins work on hybrid electric aeroplane

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United Technologies (UTC) has recently launched the advanced projects group within the company, which moves at speed to build and pilot ambitious product and service demonstrators.

The group’s first product demonstrator is a hybrid-electric X-plane under the project name, Project 804.

The number “804” represents the straight-line mileage between the Pratt & Whitney facility in Longueuil, Québec, and the Collins Aerospace facility in Rockford, Illinois.

[Read more…] about UTC begins work on hybrid electric aeroplane

Boeing 737 crash could lead to planes being fitted with thousands of additional sensors

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On the 10th of March this year, a Boeing 737 plane crashed in Ethiopia, killing all 157 on board. 

Investigators have released their early findings into another accident involving a 737 operated by Indonesia’s Lion Air, in October last year, and they suggest the cause was “an erroneous angle-of-attack sensor”.

An angle-of-attack sensor is usually positioned to the side of the plane’s nose and detects oncoming air flow, to which it adjusts and sends back data to the plane’s computer system.  [Read more…] about Boeing 737 crash could lead to planes being fitted with thousands of additional sensors