Robotics & Automation News

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Volkswagen enters global electric vehicle battery business

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Volkswagen has broken ground for its first battery production factory in Salzgitter, Germany last week in the presence of Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

Production will start in 2025. With immediate effect, responsibility for global battery business is to be held by the newly created company “PowerCo”. In addition to cell production, the new company will be responsible for activities along the entire battery value chain.

Up to 2030, PowerCo is to invest more than €20 billion together with partners in the development of the business area, to generate annual sales in excess of €20 billion and to employ up to 20,000 people in Europe alone. [Read more…] about Volkswagen enters global electric vehicle battery business

Small-batch medical shop triples production with robotics

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Figuring out how to meet rising production demand can be deceptive. On the surface, it’s a simple math problem. If you have one machine on the floor and it makes eight parts per day, and you need to produce 16 parts per day, just add another machine, right?

Meeting demand in a consistent, cost-effective manner is a bit more complicated. Sometimes, it takes a little more due diligence to uncover the best way to increase throughput or meet rising demand.

The operations group at Ultradent Products, a leading developer and manufacturer of high- tech dental materials and devices, faced such a problem. In 2017, the company sought to increase production of its industry-leading Valo curing light, used by dental clinicians to cure dental composites, sealants, and various other chemistries. [Read more…] about Small-batch medical shop triples production with robotics

Comau to automate production of hydrogen fuel cells and electrolyzers for ‘multiple clients’

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Comau says it is working with “multiple clients in different parts of the world” to automate the production of fuel cells and electrolyzers.

By leveraging its knowledge and expertise in electrification and renewable energies, Comau is helping facilitate the creation of reliable, zero-emission power.

It is doing so by developing a proprietary solutions portfolio to automate key process steps, including cell preparation and stacking, leak testing and more, as part of its commitment to lowering the price point of fuel cell and electrolyzer manufacturing. [Read more…] about Comau to automate production of hydrogen fuel cells and electrolyzers for ‘multiple clients’

ABB’s unveils new robotic machining cell and software

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ABB has launched its OmniVance Machining Cell and Machining Software solutions, bringing greater flexibility and simplicity to a range of applications including sanding, polishing, cutting, and surface finishing.

Part of ABB’s new OmniVance portfolio of standardized application cells, the new Machining Cell is the first to market that can perform up to eight different applications in one cell, while its intuitive Machining Software simplifies programming and reduces set-up time by up to 92 percent.

Marc Segura, ABB’s robotics division president, says: “The OmniVance Machining Cell and Machining Software are our latest innovations in ABB’s growing robotics portfolio to make automation more accessible, flexible and faster. [Read more…] about ABB’s unveils new robotic machining cell and software

Hydroplane highlights its hydrogen fuel cell powerplant development

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Los Angeles-based Hydroplane is participating in the 2022 European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (EBACE2022) May 23-25, 2022, where it will showcase its work toward a modular hydrogen fuel cell powerplant for aviation and mobile energy storage.

Hydroplane’s large 9m x 9m booth is located in EBACE’s Innovation Zone in the company of the most pioneering future aviation technologies.

Hydroplane CEO Dr Anita Sengupta will also participate in EBACE’s Newsmakers Luncheon on May 23 from 12 to 1.30 pm. She is serving on the “Sustainability – A Flight Plan for the Future” panel, which highlights visionaries making inroads in tomorrow’s sustainable aviation fuels and offsetting solutions. [Read more…] about Hydroplane highlights its hydrogen fuel cell powerplant development

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

Kuka releases new version of its robot simulation software

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Automation specialist Kuka has released the new version of its smart simulation software, Kuka.Sim 4.0. (See video below.)

Kuka.Sim 4.0 enables details and sequences of robot applications to be “realistically simulated” even before start-up and then transferred 100 percent to the real controller.

The Kuka.Sim simulation software brings robot applications to life – even before the real system is put into operation. [Read more…] about Kuka releases new version of its robot simulation software

Acieta unveils ‘versatile robot’ for repetitive and dangerous work on press brakes

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Acieta, an industrial automation specialist and a Fanuc integrator, has unveiled a “versatile robot” for repetitive and dangerous work on press brakes.

Operating press brakes is a potentially dangerous part of metal part fabrication. To produce more parts of higher-quality without adding risk to workers, Acieta introduces the new FastBEND press brake tending robotic cell.

The versatile FastBEND robotic solution can be integrated with new or existing press brakes and may be outfitted for bin, pallet and conveyor outputs to process a wide variety of formed parts. As a pre-engineered system, the FastBEND is ready for delivery as soon as twelve weeks. [Read more…] about Acieta unveils ‘versatile robot’ for repetitive and dangerous work on press brakes

ABB RobotStudio now enables reduction of robotic cell footprint by 25 per cent

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ABB says its RobotStudio offline programming and simulation software has been upgraded with a new virtual robot braking distance function designed to create an exact simulation of the real-world stopping distance of a robot.

Enabling the robot’s braking distance to be accurately calculated, the function overcomes the need to add safety margins into cell designs, enabling space savings of up to 25 per cent.

Predicting exactly where a robot will stop depends on a range of variables including speed, payload and the robot’s own inertia. These factors, individually or combined, can result in the robot coming to a halt outside of its safety zone, sometimes by several meters. [Read more…] about ABB RobotStudio now enables reduction of robotic cell footprint by 25 per cent

GM and LG invest $2.3 billion in second battery manufacturing plant in US

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Ultium Cells, a joint venture of LG Energy Solution and General Motors, is planning to make a “more than $2.3 billion investment” to build its second battery cell manufacturing plant in the United States. The facility will be located in Spring Hill, Tennessee.

Ultium Cells will build the new plant on land leased from GM. The new battery cell plant will create 1,300 new jobs. Construction on the approximately 2.8 million-square-foot facility will begin immediately, and the plant is scheduled to open in late 2023. Once operational, the facility will supply battery cells to GM’s Spring Hill assembly plant.

Mary Barra, GM chairman and CEO, says: “The addition of our second all-new Ultium battery cell plant in the US with our joint venture partner LG Energy Solution is another major step in our transition to an all-electric future. [Read more…] about GM and LG invest $2.3 billion in second battery manufacturing plant in US