factory

Volkswagen initiates system changeover to e-mobility as production of the ID.3 starts

Volkswagen has initiated a system changeover to electric mobility as production of the ID.3 starts in Zwickau

Volkswagen’s electric offensive is picking up speed: This months sees the official start of series production of the ID.3.

The first car in the new generation of electric vehicles (EVs) – a white ID.3 – rolled off the assembly line watched by Federal Chancellor Dr Angela Merkel and Group CEO Dr Herbert Diess.

The Volkswagen Group aims to sell some 22 million EVs worldwide by 2028, helping EVs make the breakthrough to the mainstream. [Read more…] about Volkswagen initiates system changeover to e-mobility as production of the ID.3 starts

Material advancements allow creation of ‘perfect products’

Since the turn of the 17th century, the planet has undergone a huge period of industrialization. Although the manufacturing companies operating today bear little resemblance to the factories of decades past, many of the processes we use today can trace their lineage to those earlier times.

Stated by polyurethane manufacturers, as many industries have increased the demand for manufactured goods, the market has needed to constantly adapt and improve. Material advancements have allowed us to create complex processes that were impossible just a few decades ago.

One material that has become indispensable in manufacturing in recent years is polyurethane. Let’s dive into how urethane has been able to meet these ever-changing demands in the manufacturing industry. [Read more…] about Material advancements allow creation of ‘perfect products’

Factories can save up to 90 per cent in valve monitoring costs with wireless IoT sensors

Factories and plants in industries – such as chemical processing, pulp and paper, water and waste-water treatment, have seen the benefits of remote valve monitoring.

Traditional retrofitted monitoring solutions, however, are costly and slow to deploy for factories with thousands of manual valves of different types.

There is a more cost-effective alternative – factories have evidenced a 90 percent reduction in retrofitting investment, by using industry-grade wireless sensors and Industrial IoT technologies. [Read more…] about Factories can save up to 90 per cent in valve monitoring costs with wireless IoT sensors

Geek+ launches smart factory with ‘robots making robots’

Geek+, a supplier of robotics and AI technologies for warehouses, has launched what it claims is “the world’s first smart factory to use robot arms to make mobile robots”.

Based in Nanjing, the factory uses Geek+’ robots, AI algorithms and other automated solutions to manufacture new Geek+ robots. All of the company’s robots are produced at this factory.

With an increasing demand for customization and limited release products, product cycles are getting shorter and shorter, making flexible production an essential aspect of the manufacturing industry. [Read more…] about Geek+ launches smart factory with ‘robots making robots’

Factories yet to realise full potential of robotics

Download our new white paper, Smart Factory: Material Handing in the Factory of the Future

The way manufacturers set up their production lines hasn’t fundamentally changed much in decades. For example, automakers use a linear assembly line where the bodies of cars are sometimes suspended above a linear production line and moved along slowly as robots or workers perform various tasks all the way along the line.

This method has been the main method of assembly for around a century, but autonomous mobile robots are now challenging this status quo.

Instead of using what could be described as an ground-based or overhead conveyor to move the cars along the assembly line, autonomous mobile robots could carry them along instead. [Read more…] about Factories yet to realise full potential of robotics

Mitsubishi launches new range of industrial computers

Mitsubishi Electric Automation has released a new range of its MELIPC Series industrial-use computers for data computing, edge computing, remote monitoring, and the integration of hardware and software technologies.

The MELIPC Series is targeted towards original equipment manufacturers and end users running general manufacturing applications, and especially those who require a computing and data monitoring solution that takes up a limited amount of space with a small footprint.

Most importantly, MELIPC is designed to enable internet of things on factory floors that have not been introduced to it yet, or improve it where it is already enabled. [Read more…] about Mitsubishi launches new range of industrial computers

SICK showcases new monitoring system for packaging operations

SICK is showcasing a new monitoring system for packaging operations at Pack Expo.

The company describes it as “a revolutionary way to improve packaging processes”, and says it’s part of what it sees as a “smart moonitoring kit”.

Called “4.0 NOW Factory”, the sensor technology and dashboard represents how SICK can provide manufacturers greater visibility to their production processes, making it easier to implement improvements and new innovations. [Read more…] about SICK showcases new monitoring system for packaging operations

Omron, NTT, and Nokia partner to test 5G networks at manufacturing sites

Omron, NTT Docomo, and Nokia have agreed to jointly conduct trials utilizing the fifth-generation mobile communications system in factories and other manufacturing sites.

Through these trials, the three companies will jointly evaluate the usefulness and possibilities of 5G’s high-speed, large-capacity, low-latency, and simultaneous multiple connections with the aim of solving the challenges facing the manufacturing industry and developing communications technology required in manufacturing sites of the future.

In the manufacturing industry, the demand for wireless communications is increasing as efforts aimed at improving productivity through the use of IoT data make progress in dealing with various issues, such as a shortage of skilled workers and high-mix low-volume production. [Read more…] about Omron, NTT, and Nokia partner to test 5G networks at manufacturing sites

ABB starts construction of ‘world’s most advanced’ robotics factory in China

ABB has started construction of its new robotics manufacturing and research facility in China, the world’s largest robotics market.

The facility is expected to open during 2021 and represents a total investment of $150 million.

The new 67,000 sq m factory in Kangqiao, near Shanghai, will feature the latest manufacturing processes, including machine learning, digital and collaborative solutions. [Read more…] about ABB starts construction of ‘world’s most advanced’ robotics factory in China

Ericsson automated smart factory now operational in China

Swedish telecommunications equipment maker Ericsson says September 2019 marks “a major milestone in smart manufacturing capabilities”.

The reason for this is that the $50 million transformation of the company’s existing factory in Nanjing, China, has now reached its conclusion.

The resulting automated factory stands “among the most advanced manufacturing facilities in the industry”, claims Ericsson. [Read more…] about Ericsson automated smart factory now operational in China