Robotics & Automation News

Market trends and business perspectives

automatic

ZF wins multi-billion-euro order for 8-speed automatic transmission

by

ZF Friedrichshafen has received a customer order with a double-digit billion euro value for its enhanced 8-speed automatic transmission. The business is planned to run over a period of several years.

The latest version of ZF’s 8-speed transmission – a technology which has been production since 2009 – has been improved by integrating an electric drive. This also includes a hybrid variant.

The new transmission generation will start series production in 2022 at ZF’s plant in Saarbrücken, the lead production facility for ZF’s automatic passenger car transmissions.

[Read more…] about ZF wins multi-billion-euro order for 8-speed automatic transmission

Alstom to develop a driving simulator for Barcelona Metro

by

Alstom is to develop an S9000 train driving simulator for lines 9 and 10 of the Barcelona Metro, currently the only driverless lines in operation in Spain.

The solution will consist of a training system that incorporates the latest simulation technologies for routes, conditions and obstacles.

The simulator will create realistic scenarios employing virtual reality technology commonly used by video games developers.

[Read more…] about Alstom to develop a driving simulator for Barcelona Metro

ZF wins major order for new automatic transmission

by

ZF Friedrichshafen AG has received a double-digit billion-euro order from BMW AG for its enhanced 8-speed automatic transmission.

The latest version of ZF’s 8-speed transmission has been improved by integrating an electric drive. This also includes a hybrid variant.

The new transmission generation will start series production in 2022 at ZF’s plant in Saarbrücken, the lead production facility for ZF’s automatic passenger car transmissions.

[Read more…] about ZF wins major order for new automatic transmission

Universal Robots certifies ATI’s new automated tool changer

by

ATI Industrial Automation’s QC-11 Automatic Tool Changer, a component of many robotic applications, is now certified to work seamlessly with collaborative robots from Universal Robots.

It joins more than 150 products in the UR+ portfolio featuring plug-and-play solutions for UR cobots.

The QC-11 enables automatic exchange of robotic end-effectors without any manual intervention.

[Read more…] about Universal Robots certifies ATI’s new automated tool changer

Smart tool dispenser systems finding their way into industrial settings

by

Thomas Dicks, head of e-business and marketing at Lerbs
Thomas Dicks, head of e-business and marketing at Lerbs

Smart automatic vending machines are becoming increasingly widely used in industrial settings, according to Bedrunka+Hirth. 

The German company supplies what it calls “intelligent consumable and tool dispensers” which have hi-tech features such as ID card and PIN code verification access management.

B+H says the machine knows exactly who is allowed to receive a measuring device and when it must be calibrated. It logs the number of times when a milling cutter was taken out and knows when the stock is running out.  [Read more…] about Smart tool dispenser systems finding their way into industrial settings

KernPack signs exclusive distribution deal with robotics experts Skilled Group

by

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

‘Innovative’ Škoda factory introduces human-robot collaboration with Kuka LBR iiwa

by

Škoda Auto, Matador Group and Kuka have come together in the town of Vrchlabí, Czech Republic, for what they say is “a manufacturing initiative without borders or fences”.

The project is being undertaken in an automobile factory which produces direct-shift-gearbox automatic transmissions.

There, an industrial robot does what industrial robots do best: grow productivity, reduce costs and improve output quality.  [Read more…] about ‘Innovative’ Škoda factory introduces human-robot collaboration with Kuka LBR iiwa

A different way to think about autonomous technology

by

By Megan Nichols, editor of SchooledByScience.com

Autonomous cars are the wave of the future, with more models released every year. These cars typically feature either a full auto pilot or driver assistance systems designed to make the ride safer and smoother.

Most of the technology we think of as autonomous or self-driving is already implemented in new cars as advanced driver assistance systems. These systems, like cruise control, lane sensing, blind spot alerts and more are all pieces of the self-driving car puzzle, found in most new car models.

For example, the basic concept of cruise control is not a new one. Ralph Teetor filed the first patent for a cruise control device in 1948, and it was installed on its first model just 10 years later. Today, adaptive cruise control (ACC) systems installed in newer cars take the basic idea introduced more than half a century ago and add features like automatic speed adjustment based on the location of other cars on the road.  [Read more…] about A different way to think about autonomous technology

InnoTrans 2016 prepares for record number of exhibitors

by

tgv

This year’s InnoTrans event is set to be the biggest in its 11-year history, with record numbers of companies booked to showcase their transport solutions. 

InnoTrans claims it is the world’s leading international trade fair for transport technology, and this year almost 3,000 exhibitors are preparing their stalls for the 100,000 trade visitors the organisers are predicting will attend.

InnoTrans is a favourite with train companies, particularly as they look to upgrade their rail networks using automation  technology as did Norway, and because there is increasing interest in and talk of intelligent transport systems.

And this year the French are particularly enthusiastic about the event.

Famed for the TGV – Train à Grande Vitesse – high-speed rail service, the French legion readying themselves to go to the event boast that the French are “at the forefront of the rail industry not only in France but all over the world”.  [Read more…] about InnoTrans 2016 prepares for record number of exhibitors

Toyota boss says autonomous technology is a paradigm shift – like going from building looms to constructing cars

by

toyota akio toyoda

Toyota president Akio Toyoda has drawn a parallel between the changes happening in the company now to what happened when Toyota first came into existence.

Toyoda was speaking at a press conference to present the automaker’s financial results. He acknowledged the “many lessons that we learned” through the company’s partnerships with Subaru, BMW and Mazda.

The partnerships were part of the reason for Toyota adopting a new organisational structure. It was also a factor in the company’s decision to establish the Toyota Research Laboratory.  [Read more…] about Toyota boss says autonomous technology is a paradigm shift – like going from building looms to constructing cars