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On a roll with Cold and Hot Rolling Day 2019

Leaders in the field of steel rolling from across Europe and North America met at the Rolling Day metalworking event in Memphis, Tennessee to unveil the most innovative technology in hot and cold steel rolling available on the market today.

Hosting companies – Atlantic, Fraunhofer IZFP, Gontermann-Peipers, Herkules, IMS Messsysteme, Lechler, Lismar, Quaker Chemical, REBS, Schaeffler, and Steinhoff – spearheaded the event with numerous lectures detailing their newest developments for critical applications in metal production.

Smart industrial engineering ecosystems, inspection technology, coatings and energy-efficient heat treatments were just a few of the topics covered by experts over the course of the two-day conference. [Read more…] about On a roll with Cold and Hot Rolling Day 2019

Vecna Robotics partners with UniCarriers to launch new line of autonomous material handling solutions

Vecna Robotics is teaming up with UniCarriers Americas, a manufacturer of material handling equipment and part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.

The two companies are collaborating on a line of autonomous material handling vehicles for warehouses, distribution centers, and manufacturing environments.

Vecna Robotics is integrating its autonomous navigation technology, learning algorithms, and workflow orchestration software into UCA vehicles turning them into autonomous mobile robots, capable of moving bulk material through dynamic warehouse environments. [Read more…] about Vecna Robotics partners with UniCarriers to launch new line of autonomous material handling solutions

Groupe PSA tests vehicle-to-infrastructure tech in Spanish city

Groupe PSA is testing vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2X) technology for the first time in the Spanish city of Vigo.

The company has been partnering with the Automotive Technology Centre of Galicia on the testing, and the results are intended to help the development of automated vehicle functions.

The aim is to see how well vehicles can communicate with the surrounding infrastructure in a complex urban environment. [Read more…] about Groupe PSA tests vehicle-to-infrastructure tech in Spanish city

Omron robotics boss envisages cars building themselves

A senior executive at industrial giant Omron foresees a time in which cars virtually build themselves in factories. (See interview below.)

Bruno Adam, director of Omron’s mobile robot business director in Europe, says that in the future, factories will operate completely differently.

The current process sees car bodies moved along a linear, straight production line where different robots and people work on their assembly.

[Read more…]

UTC begins work on hybrid electric aeroplane

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.

Baumüller and Lemo to partner on building brand new bag machine

Baumüller, a drive and automation systems manufacturer, has received an order from Lemo Maschinenbau to design a cost-optimized, efficient and sustainable foil bag machine that also affords the manufacturer maximum flexibility and quick commissioning in the production process due to its modular structure.

Baumüller says its engineering specialists were able to meet Lemo’s requirement for modularity and a work cycle increase with the help of a new automation concept.

Among other things, a modern and streamlined drive and control architecture was used for this purpose. This means an integrated fieldbus system, minimum number of devices and a reduced control structure. [Read more…] about Baumüller and Lemo to partner on building brand new bag machine