Robotics & Automation News

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Innovative sensors are empowering the smart factory robot, says AMS

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ams Industrial-Robotics

By Mark Donovan

The next industrial revolution is arriving on a shore near you. It’s called Industry 4.0, and like its three predecessors, it’s about to bring sweeping changes to manufacturing that will globally affect everyone.

Industry 4.0, and the resulting manufacturing changes that are coming with it, have spawned a new type of production plant called the smart factory.

Central to the smart factory is the prolific use of autonomous and collaborative robots that work symbiotically with each other and alongside human beings to yield a more productive and efficient manufacturing plant.  [Read more…] about Innovative sensors are empowering the smart factory robot, says AMS

Epson boss says company’s advanced sensor could change the way industrial robots are used

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Minoru-Usui-the-Global-President-of-Japanese-Company-Seiko-Epson-Corporation

Seiko Epson president Minoru Usui says sensor technology the company has developed could change the way robots are used. 

In an interview with Reuters, Usui says he wants the company to increase its robot sales worldwide by more than five times what they are now.

And the Micro Piezo force sensor could help to achieve at least some of that growth.

Currently, Epson Robots is one of the top 10 industrial robot makers in the world, according to a list compiled by RoboticsAndAutomationNews.com. The company is placed ninth, with 55,000 industrial robots installed worldwide.  [Read more…] about Epson boss says company’s advanced sensor could change the way industrial robots are used

Case study: A task for two collaborative robots

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Vision-guided collaborative robots deliver fast return on investment in production of firehose valves

Task Force Tips, a manufacturer of firefighting equipment, wanted to promote and maximize their personnel tending machining cells into more complex tasks while keeping spindle time up and product quality consistent.

The Indiana-based manufacturer has now installed four collaborative Universal Robots delivering savings resulting in a return on their investment in only 34 days.

CEO of Task Force Tips, Stewart McMillan, still remembers his father looking up at him with pen in hand asking, “Are you sure about this?”, when the family-owned company bought their first CNC machine 40 years ago.
  [Read more…] about Case study: A task for two collaborative robots

Actuators to improve weld quality and reduce costs

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actuators in industry
Picture credit: Asinha.co.in

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According to progressiveautomations.com, which is a website that explains more about actuators, it is evident that there are several ways that actuators improve weld quality and reduce costs.

An actuator is a type of motor that is responsible for moving and controlling a mechanism or system. It is operated by a source of energy – typically, electric current, hydraulic fluid pressure, or pneumatic pressure – and converts that energy into motion.

Electric resistance welding actuators when welding opens their tips just enough to move to the next position which results in time-saving, so more welding is done using the same amount of energy, saving time and reducing costs and producing high quality.  [Read more…] about Actuators to improve weld quality and reduce costs

Robotiq launches new FT 300 force torque sensor

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Robotiq has launched its newest Force Torque Sensor: the FT 300, which the company says brings “a sense of touch to your robot”.

The Force Torque Sensor FT 300 has plug and play integration on all Universal Robots, making automation of high-precision tasks such as product testing, assembly and precise part insertion easy and fast to set up.

The Force Torque Sensor FT 300 is specially designed for Universal Robots. The easy integration includes a smooth mechanical fit, integration and programming. This new Sensor will open up a whole range of force sensitive applications that will be fast and easy to automate, says the company. [Read more…] about Robotiq launches new FT 300 force torque sensor