Robotics & Automation News

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factory automation

Dürr implementing a CO2-efficient paint shop with cross-plant system integration

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Dürr is building a turnkey paint shop for Volkswagen Autoeuropa while simultaneously implementing a comprehensive software solution. The project combines state-of-the-art application and drying technologies designed to maximise CO2 reduction, along with an innovative SCADA integration that unifies three separate paint shops in a single system.

In 2024, a total of 236,100 vehicles – an average of 955 per day rolled off the production line at Volkswagen Autoeuropa. The factory in the Portuguese town of Palmela is currently preparing for future model launches with the addition of a new paint shop and advanced process optimisation software. [Read more…] about Dürr implementing a CO2-efficient paint shop with cross-plant system integration

Agibot reaches new milestone as its 15,000th humanoid robot rolls off production line

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Agibot, a global leader in embodied AI and robotics, has announced that its 15,000th robot has officially rolled off the production line.

The milestone unit is the Agibot G2, an industrial-grade embodied task robot designed for industrial and real-world operational scenarios.

Following the rollout of its 5,000th and 10,000th robots, this latest milestone marks another significant step in Agibot’s scaling journey. It reflects the company’s continued progress in moving embodied AI robots from product validation and batch production toward larger-scale delivery and real-world deployment. [Read more…] about Agibot reaches new milestone as its 15,000th humanoid robot rolls off production line

People want robots in warehouses and factories, not hospitals or schools, Hexagon study finds

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New findings from Hexagon’s global Robot Generation study show that both adults and children are open to robots at work, but are setting clear terms for where and how they should be used.

Asked whether they would prefer a human or a robot to handle specific workplace tasks, adults consistently chose robots for physical, repetitive, and hazardous work. 68 percent prefer a robot for lifting and transporting heavy items, 54 percent for carrying and delivering, and 52 percent for monitoring hazards.

Children follow the same pattern with even greater openness, with 69 percent preferring a robot for heavy lifting, and 59 percent for carrying and delivering. [Read more…] about People want robots in warehouses and factories, not hospitals or schools, Hexagon study finds

The Small Component Problem Behind More Reliable Industrial Robots

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Picture an automotive assembly line or a high-speed semiconductor packaging facility. A robotic arm moves with sub-millimeter precision at three hundred cycles a minute, its movements coordinated by machine vision systems, remote I/O blocks, and sensitive microcontrollers. Everything draws power from a shared industrial rail.

Then, a heavy CNC machine on the same grid fires up, causing a momentary voltage spike.

If that spike reaches the robot’s control silicon, the entire cell stops. A maintenance tech is paged, and the manufacturer enters a downtime window that, according to Deloitte data, costs anywhere between $5,000 and $22,000 per hour. [Read more…] about The Small Component Problem Behind More Reliable Industrial Robots

Inside modern supplement manufacturing: How automated filling lines are raising the quality bar

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Automation has redefined supplement manufacturing, with state-of-the-art filling lines now setting higher standards of quality and efficiency. These systems bring advanced technologies, but also introduce new protocols and expectations for quality assurance.

This article explores the ways automated filling lines are raising the bar for supplement manufacturing, highlighting breakthroughs, best practices, and critical controls in today’s competitive marketplace.

The rise of automation in supplement manufacturing has fundamentally transformed how products are made, packaged, and evaluated for quality. [Read more…] about Inside modern supplement manufacturing: How automated filling lines are raising the quality bar

Interview with MTC’s Mike Wilson: ‘Automation is not optional if the UK wants to rebuild manufacturing’

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Readers not old enough to remember what are often referred to as the “Thatcher years” may not appreciate how dramatically the UK’s economy changed during the 1980s.

Like some other Western economies, particularly the US, the UK increasingly shifted its focus toward services, finance, retail, and consumer spending, while manufacturing became a smaller part of the national economy.

Before Margaret Thatcher became prime minister in 1979, manufacturing accounted for roughly 30 percent of UK national income and employed around 6.8 million people. [Read more…] about Interview with MTC’s Mike Wilson: ‘Automation is not optional if the UK wants to rebuild manufacturing’

The Shift from One-Size-Fits-All to Bespoke Systems

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For anyone who has been running a business for years, they know that they were told that standard solutions were the smartest path forward!

Is this the truth, though? Businesses are told to buy the same software that everyone else is using, along with following the same processes, and make sure to fit their operations into a predetermined mold.

On the surface, this approach appears to be practical, easy to manage, and affordable. However, we must remember that industries are continuously evolving and customer expectations are continuously growing. What this means is that there is no one-size-fits-all solution. [Read more…] about The Shift from One-Size-Fits-All to Bespoke Systems

The Hidden Lifecycle Challenge Behind Industrial Automation Growth

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Automation is Driving New Infrastructure Demands

Factories and shipping centers keep changing fast, driven by new ways of making things smarter.

Staying ahead now depends on tools that boost production, cut mistakes, and less waste, while moving goods more smoothly.

Yet here’s the twist, robots, artificial intelligence, and machines running themselves need better brains than before. [Read more…] about The Hidden Lifecycle Challenge Behind Industrial Automation Growth

The Role of RF Connectors in Robotic Vision, Sensor Communication, and Automated Inspection Systems

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Robotic vision and automated inspection love to dress up as software victories. Fast GPUs. Smart models. Slick dashboards. None of that survives a dirty physical signal path. A camera can’t “compute” its way past a noisy clock.

A sensor can’t “average” its way out of an interface that loosens after ten thousand tiny vibrations. This is where RF connectors stop being accessories and start being governing parts. They decide what reaches the processor, when it arrives, and how cleanly it arrives.

In factories that run through the night, connectors don’t just connect. They decide whether the inspection tells the truth or sells a comforting lie. [Read more…] about The Role of RF Connectors in Robotic Vision, Sensor Communication, and Automated Inspection Systems

Nvidia launches AI factory manager blueprint for autonomous manufacturing

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Nvidia has unveiled a new software blueprint designed to give manufacturers a centralized AI system capable of monitoring, coordinating, and optimizing factory operations in real time.

Announced at GTC Taipei during Computex, the Nvidia Factory Operations Blueprint (FOX) is a reference design for building what the company describes as an autonomous factory manager agent. The system is designed to connect machine data, quality systems, work instructions, robot fleets, and operational alerts into a single AI-driven decision layer.

The blueprint allows manufacturers to build factory manager agents capable of orchestrating specialized AI systems responsible for quality control, material transport, process compliance, worker safety, and equipment monitoring. [Read more…] about Nvidia launches AI factory manager blueprint for autonomous manufacturing