Robotics & Automation News

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Bosch to build gigantic semiconductor production plant in Germany

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bosch_waferfab-reutlingen 111

German industrial giant Bosch is building a massive semiconductor production plant which would represent the single largest investment in the company’s 130-year history. 

The high-tech facility, to be located in Dresden, would employ around 700 staff working on 300-millimeter semiconductor chips which Bosch says has growing applications in the automotive market, smart cities and on the industrial internet, all strong markets for Bosch.

The construction of the high-tech factory is to be completed by the end of 2019, says Bosch, and production is expected to begin at the end of 2021 after a start-up phase. Overall, the investment volume for the site is estimated to be around $1.1 billion.  [Read more…] about Bosch to build gigantic semiconductor production plant in Germany

German industrial orders increase

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siemens robotic electronics factory

DW.com: Orders for German industrial goods have increased sharply, according to a report on the Deutsche Welle website. 

Domestic demand incrased 6.7 per cent while foreign orders were up 3.9 per cent.

The higher demand for capital goods contrasts with business morale in Germany, which DW.com says fell in January.

Siemens offers its employees free charging for their electric vehicles

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siemens ev charging point

Free “refuelling” at up to 100 Siemens locations in Germany, with charging stations “internationally linked”

Beginning in 2017, Siemens employees at as many as 100 of the company’s locations in Germany can “fill up” their electric vehicles free of charge. This will apply not only to all-electric vehicles but also to plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.

For this service, Siemens will use its existing network of charging stations, which it is expanding with normal and high-speed charging stations.

To reduce their carbon footprint, the charging points will supply electricity only from renewable energy sources. The electricity and the use of the charging stations are likely to be free for the duration of 2017.  [Read more…] about Siemens offers its employees free charging for their electric vehicles

Electric cars: Germany to ban petrol engines from 2030

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The Jaguar C-X75 supercar, a concept plug-in hybrid electric vehicle. Picture courtesy of Autocar.co.uk

Some say the traditional petrol-driven internal combustion engine is on the way out. 

It would seem inevitable, given that the alternative – the electric engine – is less harmful to the environment at the point of use.

The implications of the rise of the electric engine for the global oil business is beyond the scope of this article, but oil will probably continue to be important going forward because of its role in powering so many other sectors of industry.

But as far as the demands on the oil industry that road-going vehicles will make, it seems there is a definite downward trend emerging.

Perhaps the most significant recent development is the German government’s decision to ban the combustion engine effective 2030.  [Read more…] about Electric cars: Germany to ban petrol engines from 2030

Baumer invests in a new development and logistics center

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baumer sensors facility

The sensor specialist Baumer is investing in its future with a new building in Stockach on Lake Constance, near to Constance, in southern Germany.

A new high-tech center for research and development and production is being built at the Stockach-Bodman-Ludwigshafen site, in addition to a central logistics center for Europe.

The investment volume is approximately €30 million. In doing so, the international family-owned company is intensifying its sustainable and long-term development of the Baumer Group.  [Read more…] about Baumer invests in a new development and logistics center

German robots win football competition

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robot football

A well-trained team of robots from Germany has won the robot equivalent of the World Cup. 

The event, officially called the Stanford Platform competition, pits teams of five Nao robots – originally developed by Aldebaran – against each other in a knockout tournament.

And as with many human World Cups, the robot tournament was won by a team from Germany, ironically called B-Human.

Full report at Telegraph.co.uk

German Chancellor Angela Merkel looking for a ‘good solution’ in response to Chinese bid for Kuka Robots

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chancellor anglea merkel
Chancellor Angela Merkel says she does not see why there cannot be a German solution to the Chinese takeover of Kuka Robots

Chancellor Angela Merkel is reported by Reuters news agency as saying she is looking for a “good solution” in response to the Chinese takeover bid for Kuka, one of the biggest industrial robot manufacturers in the world.

Midea, a Chinese producer of household appliances, recently offered $5 billion to take over Kuka, and the robot-maker’s chairman, Dr Till Reuter, has already said the bid “can support our strategy”.

However, Dr Reuter’s apparently positive vibes has many in Germany seething and looking for a counter-offer which will keep Kuka under German control.  [Read more…] about German Chancellor Angela Merkel looking for a ‘good solution’ in response to Chinese bid for Kuka Robots

Exclusive: Cemtrex extends its electronic tentacles into new markets

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Saagar Govil, CEO of Cemtrex
Saagar Govil, CEO of Cemtrex. Picture: Newsday.com

Exclusive interview with Saagar Govil, chairman and CEO of Cemtrex

A lot’s happened since this website was introduced to Cemtrex a few weeks ago. The company’s been on a gigantic spending spree, buying up companies and restructuring its business for new markets as though it were in a hurry to get somewhere fast.

Where that somewhere is may be deduced from the acquisitions Cemtrex has made and the types of products and services in which the acquired companies specialise.

Last month, Cemtrex purchased an obscure German company called The Target, an electronics manufacturer which supplies top-level automakers.

Then, earlier this month, Cemtrex bought up and is synergising its operations with another German electronics manufacturer, Periscope. Not to be confused with Periscope the video streaming app, the Periscope Cemtrex bought is another supplier to major automotive companies.

It doesn’t take a genius to figure out what Cemtrex has its heart set on – the market for electronics used in autonomous vehicles.  [Read more…] about Exclusive: Cemtrex extends its electronic tentacles into new markets

Rethink Robotics signs up 10 new partners in eight months

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Rethink Robotics’ Baxter and Sawyer collaborative robots
Rethink Robotics’ Baxter and Sawyer collaborative robots

Rethink Robotics says it has reached partnership agreements with 10 separate companies in seven different countries in the past eight months.

Rethink, which makes collaborative robots it gives human names like “Baxter” and “Sawyer”, recently arranged inaugural global channel partner summit in Boston which was attended by more than 30 of its partner companies.

The companies discussed market trends in the rapidly growing collaborative robotics industry at the summit, which was the first meet of its kind for the group. [Read more…] about Rethink Robotics signs up 10 new partners in eight months

Stäubli to showcase new robots at Automatica

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A range of Stäubli robots
A range of Stäubli robots

Stäubli is to launch a new range of products at the Automatica event, which takes place in Munich, Germany towards the end of June.

In an exclusive interview with Robotics and Automation News, Paul Deady, Stäubli’s US automotive segment manager, says the new products are the company’s response to the growing interest in collaborative robots.

Deady says: “At the Automatica show, we will be commercially launching our CS9 robot controller and TX2 robot models.

“They’re our answer to the collaborative robots phase, and they comply with industry standards on safety and performance. They’re also compatible with the internet of things.”  [Read more…] about Stäubli to showcase new robots at Automatica