Robotics & Automation News

Market trends and business perspectives

company

Fanuc plans to double Michigan campus to accommodate ‘automation demand’

by Leave a Comment

Fanuc, the world’s largest manufacturer of industrial robots, has launched a West Campus expansion that will push its operational space in Oakland County, Michigan to nearly two million square feet.

The construction will include a 655,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility to house manufacturing, engineering and R&D projects.

This investment in Michigan’s growing manufacturing area includes the purchase of 67 acres of land as well as the site of the former Thomas M. Cooley Law School Campus, which will provide future growth in the education of the next generation of robotics and automation workers. [Read more…] about Fanuc plans to double Michigan campus to accommodate ‘automation demand’

Stäubli Robotics and Quantum Surgical partner to develop robotic platform for cancer surgery

by Leave a Comment

Stäubli Robotics and Quantum Surgical, an innovative surgical robotic company, is developing an innovative solution, a combination of powerful software and robotic platform for minimally invasive therapies in liver cancer.

This strategic partnership aims to combine this “savoir-faire” to strengthen the role of robotics in minimally invasive cancer treatments and to build a “world leader”, according to the companies.

A memorandum of understanding has been signed by the two parties. [Read more…] about Stäubli Robotics and Quantum Surgical partner to develop robotic platform for cancer surgery

Ottonomy closes $3.3 million seed funding round

by Leave a Comment

Ottonomy has closed its seed funding round of $3.3 million, bringing its total funding to date to $4.9 million.

The funding is planned to support the scale of Ottobots for fully autonomous airport, retail and restaurant deliveries with its robots.

The funding round is led by Pi Ventures who back deep tech startups. Connetic Ventures and Branded Hospitality Ventures and the Founder & CEO of Addverb Technologies, Sangeet Kumar, also joined this round; making the group a dynamic mix from retail, food and robotics industry investors for Ottonomy’s seed round. [Read more…] about Ottonomy closes $3.3 million seed funding round

Nachi-Fujikoshi launches new ‘high-speed, high-precision’ robot series

by Leave a Comment

Japanese industrial robot giant Nachi-Fujikoshi has launched what it describes as a series of “high-speed, high-precision robots”.

The company says it developed the new robots “in response to customer demands for higher precision, further improving productivity, and miniaturizing electrical and electronic components”.

The three new robots are the MZ07F and MZ07LF with higher speed and precision MZ07. [Read more…] about Nachi-Fujikoshi launches new ‘high-speed, high-precision’ robot series

Mitsubishi Electric to build new factory in India

by Leave a Comment

Mitsubishi Electric says it will invest approximately 3.1 billion yen ($22.3 million) in its subsidiary Mitsubishi Electric India to establish a new factory in India.

Expected to start operations in December 2023, the new factory will manufacture inverters and other factory automation control system products, expanding the company’s capabilities to meet the growing demand in India.

The rapidly growing Indian market is expanding at an annual rate of about 8% mainly in industries such as automobiles, food & beverage, pharmaceuticals, data centers, and textiles, with further market expansion expected in the future. [Read more…] about Mitsubishi Electric to build new factory in India

Yaskawa completes new plant for manufacturing mounting boards and electronic units in China

by Leave a Comment

Yaskawa Electric, parent company of Yaskawa Mechatronics, one of the world’s largest industrial robot makers, has completed a new plant in Changzhou City, Jiangsu Province, in China.

The facility has already begun the mass production of mounting boards for servo amplifiers and AC drives as well as electronic units for robot control panels used in its production bases in China.

Yaskawa says that, in China, economic activities are currently “stagnant” because of Covid-19 but demand for factory automation at production sites is increasing due to labor shortages caused by the low birth rate and ageing population, rising labor costs, and the risk of coronavirus spreading. [Read more…] about Yaskawa completes new plant for manufacturing mounting boards and electronic units in China

Autonomous aviation company Xwing expands its air cargo operations to 400 weekly flights

by Leave a Comment

Autonomous aviation company Xwing is marking what it describes as “significant milestones”, including the expansion of its commercial cargo operations under FAA CFR Part 135 Air Carrier certificate, the addition of FAA CFR Part 145 certificates and “rapid company growth”.

Over the last 12 months, Xwing has more than tripled its team to 180 employees.

Xwing has completed the acquisition of Martinaire Aviation, a Texas-based FAR Part 135 air cargo carrier with over 40 years of experience throughout the United States. [Read more…] about Autonomous aviation company Xwing expands its air cargo operations to 400 weekly flights

Universal Robots reports revenue of $83 million in Q2

by Leave a Comment

Universal Robots, the Danish collaborative robot maker, has reported Q2 revenue of $83 million, describing it as “robust growth” for the company.

Kim Povlsen, president of Universal Robots, says: “In headline terms, second quarter revenue is up 8 percent on the same period last year but in local Danish currency the company has seen growth of 22 percent for Q2.”

Povlsen adds that, measured this way, Universal Robots has seen growth of 30 percent across the first two quarters of 2022 compared to the first half of 2021. [Read more…] about Universal Robots reports revenue of $83 million in Q2

RC Mowers expands dealer network with addition of West Coast equipment company

by Leave a Comment

RC Mowers, a manufacturer of remote-operated robotic mowers, has added another West Coast dealership to its expanding network with the onboarding of Cal-Line Equipment in California.

Tim Kubista, vice president of sales and marketing for RC Mowers, says: “Cal-Line has had a fantastic reputation as a top-notch equipment sales and service provider for nearly 40 years.

“While they’re primarily known for the sale and rental of large tree-clearing equipment, their strong standing in the landscaping community makes them a welcome addition to the RC Mowers family.” [Read more…] about RC Mowers expands dealer network with addition of West Coast equipment company

Small-batch medical shop triples production with robotics

by Leave a Comment

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