Robotics & Automation News

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New large ABB robots ‘increase speed and flexibility’ in electric vehicle battery production

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ABB is adding two new robot product lines to its portfolio of large robots for complex manufacturing applications.

ABB says the new robots deliver “enhanced speed, accuracy, flexibility, and a more robust design”, including integrated process cabling, adding that the ABB IRB 5710 and 5720 robots deliver “increased productivity and enhanced performance with higher uptime for applications” including electric vehicle manufacture, foundry, forging, rubber, plastics, and metal fabrication.

Available in eight variants, the IRB 5710 and IRB 5720 present a choice of options for payloads from 70 kg to 180 kg and reaches from 2.3 m to 3 m. [Read more…] about New large ABB robots ‘increase speed and flexibility’ in electric vehicle battery production

Matthews International to open facility to refurbishment calender rolls for battery production

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Matthews International says it expects to open its state-of-the-art service facility for the refurbishment of calender rolls for lithium-ion battery electrode production in June 2022 in San Antonio, Texas.

This facility, part of Matthews’ Saueressig Engineering and Energy division, supports the growth of its North American energy business, serving the rapidly growing renewable energy market.

Joe Bartolacci, president and CEO, says: “We are very excited about the start-up of our San Antonio facility, designed to apply our published patents for use of dry electrodes in the production and reconditioning of lithium-ion batteries and multiple roll calenders (MRCs). [Read more…] about Matthews International to open facility to refurbishment calender rolls for battery production

Tennant introduces lithium-ion technology to its autonomous floor cleaning machines

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Tennant Company, a manufacturer of robotic floor cleaners, has introduced lithium-ion technology to its portfolio of autonomous floor cleaning machines, including the T380AMR, T7AMR, and T16AMR.

This new advanced battery technology provides added benefits to customers across the world in the cleaning industry.

Tennant Company and partner Brain Corp, a leader in the robotics market, have engineered a portfolio of autonomous floor scrubbers and together they have deployed over 5,400 robotic scrubbers, representing the world’s largest fleet of autonomous floor scrubbers. [Read more…] about Tennant introduces lithium-ion technology to its autonomous floor cleaning machines

How to Detect and Remove Keyloggers on Your Phone

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Software and hardware devices designed for covert monitoring of the phone users’ activities have recently received the widest distribution.

Monitoring software products and hardware devices are of particular danger. They can be secretly (usually remotely) installed without the knowledge of the automated system’s owner (security administrator) or a particular phone’s owner.

A keylogger app for iPhone is a program that covertly records data about the keys tapped by the phone user. As a rule, keyloggers do not just record the codes of the entered keys – they, as it were, tie the keyboard information to the existing window and input component. [Read more…] about How to Detect and Remove Keyloggers on Your Phone

ABB unveils new large robots for material handling in EV battery production

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ABB is adding two new robot ranges to its portfolio of large robots for complex manufacturing applications.

Delivering “enhanced speed, accuracy, flexibility, and a more robust design including integrated process cabling”, ABB’s IRB 5710 and 5720 robots deliver increased productivity and enhanced performance with higher uptime for applications including electric vehicle (EV) manufacture, foundry, forging, rubber, plastics, and metal fabrication.

Available in eight variants, the IRB 5710 and IRB 5720 present a choice of options for payloads from 70 kg to 180 kg and reaches from 2.3 m to 3 m. [Read more…] about ABB unveils new large robots for material handling in EV battery production

Festo ‘investing heavily’ in automating electric vehicle battery production

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Manufacturing automation specialist Festo says it is “investing heavily” in automating the production of batteries for electric vehicles.

Festo says the trend towards electrification has led the company to pour in almost three-quarters of all its investment money into electrification initiatives.

Basically, there are many “gigafactories” and other types of battery manufacturing facilities being planned and built – and Festo is involved in developing manufacturing systems for a good number of them. [Read more…] about Festo ‘investing heavily’ in automating electric vehicle battery production

ABB to deliver ‘multiple’ robotic systems to large vehicle maker Scania’s highly automated battery assembly plant

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ABB has entered into an agreement with Scania, one of world’s largest truck and bus manufacturers, to provide “a comprehensive range of robotic solutions” for Scania’s new highly automated battery assembly plant in Sweden.

The new facility will be a key milestone on Scania’s journey towards the electrification of heavy vehicles. Scania will invest more than SEK 1 billion ($108 million) in the facility over several years and the new Södertälje plant is expected to be fully operational by 2023.

Joerg Reger, managing director of ABB Robotics’ automotive business line, says: “We are delighted to work with one of our longest-standing clients to help deliver their electrification roadmap. [Read more…] about ABB to deliver ‘multiple’ robotic systems to large vehicle maker Scania’s highly automated battery assembly plant

Mercedes partners with ProLogium to develop next-generation solid-state battery cells for electric vehicles

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Mercedes-Benz and ProLogium, a developer of solid-state batteries, have signed a technology cooperation agreement to develop next-generation battery cells.

The first Mercedes-Benz test vehicles equipped with solid-state batteries co-developed with ProLogium are expected to be introduced in the coming years.

The companies also agreed on milestones that would enable integration of the solid-state battery technology into a range of passenger vehicles in the second half of the decade. [Read more…] about Mercedes partners with ProLogium to develop next-generation solid-state battery cells for electric vehicles

General Motors to invest $7 billion in Michigan facilities to ramp up electric vehicle production to 1 million units

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General Motors says it will invest more than $7 billion in four Michigan manufacturing sites, creating 4,000 new jobs and retaining 1,000, and significantly increasing battery cell and electric truck manufacturing capacity.

This is the single largest investment announcement in GM history. The investment includes construction of a new Ultium Cells battery cell plant in Lansing and the conversion of GM’s assembly plant in Orion Township, Michigan for production of the Chevrolet Silverado EV and the electric GMC Sierra, GM’s second assembly plant scheduled to build full-size electric pickups.

Mary Barra, GM chair and CEO, says: “We are taking the next step in our continuous work to establish GM’s EV leadership by making investments in our vertically integrated battery production in the US, and our North American EV production capacity. [Read more…] about General Motors to invest $7 billion in Michigan facilities to ramp up electric vehicle production to 1 million units

Interview: Energy Systems Network CEO Paul Mitchell talks about the future of cars and Indy Autonomous Challenge

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It’s been a while since we wrote up an interview, mainly because they take a long time to transcribe and edit into a readable article. And we’re not yet a large enough website to devote time to doing that because there are many other stories that would have to wait while we’re busy doing that.

However, the subject of electric vehicles and EV charging networks are important technologies that literally millions of people have been reading about on this website, and we think they will find this interview interesting.

The interview is with Paul Mitchell, president and CEO of Energy Systems Network, a US-based nonprofit which could be described as a kind of public-private partnership with the aim of discovering and commercialising technologies that provide a platform for the continued healthy growth of the entire clean-energy future of moving machines – cars and other road-going vehicles in particular, but possibly even marine vessels and other types of craft such as drones and maybe even planes. [Read more…] about Interview: Energy Systems Network CEO Paul Mitchell talks about the future of cars and Indy Autonomous Challenge