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factory automation

The Real Workhorses of Industrial Automation

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Industrial automation is the unsung engine behind modern manufacturing, construction, and production.

While flashy AI headlines and futuristic robotics often steal attention, the real day-to-day productivity gains stem from rugged, proven technologies that quietly perform millions of operations per second across countless industries.

These are the workhorses: steel welding systems, precision cutters, high-speed assembly lines, automated painting rigs, and advanced material handling solutions. [Read more…] about The Real Workhorses of Industrial Automation

Sunrise Robotics emerges from stealth with $8.5 million funding

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Sunrise Robotics, a company that says it’s “augmenting humanity through intelligent robotics”, is emerging from stealth with $8.5 million in funding led by Plural.

Tapestry, Seedcamp, Tiny.vc and Prototype Capital also participated. The investment will fuel the expansion of its European-wide team and enhance AI capabilities as the company scales production of the initial fleet of Sunrise intelligent robotic cells, bringing critical manufacturing capacity back to the continent. [Read more…] about Sunrise Robotics emerges from stealth with $8.5 million funding

Siemens technology enables Hirano to maximize quality and performance in battery manufacturing

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Siemens and Hirano Tecseed, a Japanese machine builder, are partnering to transform battery manufacturing processes.

The collaboration focuses on the standardization and digitalization of battery coating machines to optimize coating processes, reduce waste and enhance product quality and operator performance.

The battery market is rapidly expanding due to the global shift toward sustainable energy, and especially with the growing importance of electric vehicles and utility-scale energy storage. [Read more…] about Siemens technology enables Hirano to maximize quality and performance in battery manufacturing

MIT scientists develop new system to enable robots to solve manipulation problems in seconds

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By Adam Zewe, MIT News

Researchers have developed an algorithm that lets a robot ‘think ahead’ and consider thousands of potential motion plans simultaneously.

Ready for that long-awaited summer vacation? First, you’ll need to pack all items required for your trip into a suitcase, making sure everything fits securely without crushing anything fragile.

Because humans possess strong visual and geometric reasoning skills, this is usually a straightforward problem, even if it may take a bit of finagling to squeeze everything in.

To a robot, though, it is an extremely complex planning challenge that requires thinking simultaneously about many actions, constraints, and mechanical capabilities. Finding an effective solution could take the robot a very long time – if it can even come up with one. [Read more…] about MIT scientists develop new system to enable robots to solve manipulation problems in seconds

Chery Auto installs 98 robots from ForwardX into its final assembly workshop

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Building on its successful collaboration at the Super One Factory, Chery Automobile, one of China’s largest brands in the automobile industry, has again partnered with ForwardX Robotics, a vision-based AMR provider, to install 98 autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) at its Kaifeng Factory’s final automobile assembly workshop.

The deployment supports Chery Automobile’s broader vision of fully automated automotive manufacturing and digital transformation in the smart mobility era. [Read more…] about Chery Auto installs 98 robots from ForwardX into its final assembly workshop

Comau designs and builds ‘cutting-edge’ automation technology for Li Auto factory

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Industrial robotics specialist Comau has designed and developed what it describes as a “cutting-edge automation technology” for Li Auto’s next-generation range extender line, allowing the Chinese electric vehicle maker to reach an annual production capacity of up to 400,000 units.

(A range extender for an electric vehicle is a secondary power source, typically a small internal combustion engine, that acts as a generator to charge the EV’s main battery when it’s running low.)

The full-value-chain solution, which includes concept design, system simulation, assembly, and commissioning, highlights Comau’s ability to support the dynamic demands of the fast-growing electric vehicle (EV) market with innovative, high-performance manufacturing systems and enabling technologies.

The integrated automation solution, which covers the interior assembly line, exterior assembly line, cylinder head line, and piston-connecting rod line, has significantly enhanced reliability, operational efficiency and flexibility. [Read more…] about Comau designs and builds ‘cutting-edge’ automation technology for Li Auto factory

Schneider Electric expands its Lexium industrial robot range

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Schneider Electric has expanded its Lexium line of industrial robots, showcasing new systems designed to enhance flexibility, speed, and precision on manufacturing lines.

Unveiled at the Automate 2025 trade show in Detroit, the updated Lexium portfolio now includes a compact, high-speed SCARA robot for pick-and-place tasks, an extended Lexium Cobot range with an 18 kg payload option, and the MC12 Multi Carrier system for dynamic object handling.

These robots are designed for seamless integration into unified industrial control environments, enabling real-time synchronization, collaborative data flows, and ultra-precise motion. [Read more…] about Schneider Electric expands its Lexium industrial robot range

Automate 2025: North America’s biggest industrial automation event

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Automate 2025 – which starts Monday – is North America’s largest robotics and automation event, a key meeting point for professionals in this rapidly evolving field.

Since its beginnings in 1976 as the first “Robots Show”, it has grown and adapted, becoming Automate in 2011 after merging with other industry events. Recognizing the increasing importance of automation, Automate became an annual standalone event in 2022.

The goal of Automate 2025 is to showcase the latest advancements across various industries. The event features an extensive exhibition with over 800 exhibitors presenting their newest robotics and automation technologies. [Read more…] about Automate 2025: North America’s biggest industrial automation event

The quiet race to build America’s first fully automated factory

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In anonymous industrial parks across the United States, a new kind of race is quietly under way – one that could redefine the future of American manufacturing.

Major companies and ambitious startups are investing billions in a dream once thought decades away: the fully automated, human-free factory.

Driven by rising labor costs, supply chain nationalism, and the accelerating power of AI and robotics, organizations like Tesla, Foxconn, and a growing list of automation startups are pushing toward a once-unimaginable goal – factories that run 24/7 with little or no human presence. [Read more…] about The quiet race to build America’s first fully automated factory

Top 20 industrial software suppliers: There’s an app for that

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As the manufacturing sector transforms under the weight of digitalisation, software has become just as critical as machines on the factory floor.

Industrial companies are increasingly reshaping themselves as software-driven organizations, not only offering physical products but also integrated digital solutions that optimize everything from design and planning to execution and maintenance.

This trend is far from new, but it is accelerating at an unprecedented pace. The growing reliance on software platforms such as PLM, MES, SCADA, ERP, and factory automation systems is fueling the evolution of smart factories and the wider Industry 4.0 movement. [Read more…] about Top 20 industrial software suppliers: There’s an app for that