Robotics & Automation News

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industrial engineering

AWR standardizes CNC machine tending with OnRobot electric grippers to speed changeovers

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In the fast-paced world of high-mix, low-volume manufacturing, the ability to pivot between different part sizes is the difference between profitability and stagnation.

For many years, machine shops have been tethered to pneumatic systems that, while functional, lacked the intelligence and adaptability required for modern automation.

Automation Within Reach (AWR, formerly Gosiger Automation), a specialist in accessible CNC automation, recognized that to truly empower their customers, they needed to move beyond the mechanical limitations of the past. [Read more…] about AWR standardizes CNC machine tending with OnRobot electric grippers to speed changeovers

Fanuc-powered robotic cell automates one of furniture manufacturing’s toughest jobs

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A Canadian furniture manufacturer has automated a traditionally labor-intensive upholstery process using a robotic work cell built around a Fanuc M-710iC industrial robot.

Developed by Fanuc Authorized System Integrator Dvolu, the automated upholstery cell performs a series of tasks that have historically required skilled human workers, including fabric stretching, stapling, trimming, and palletizing chair seat linings.

The project highlights how robotics is increasingly moving beyond traditional manufacturing applications such as welding, machine tending, and material handling into tasks that require a greater degree of dexterity and adaptability. [Read more…] about Fanuc-powered robotic cell automates one of furniture manufacturing’s toughest jobs

Why Optical Metrology is Replacing Tactile Measurement for Complex Component Validation Source

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Manufacturers validating complex components have long relied on tactile measurement, but a meaningful shift is underway as optical metrology earns its place alongside and, in many contexts, ahead of traditional methods.

The reasons are practical: non-contact measurement eliminates the risk of surface deformation, measurement speed improves dramatically, and the volume of usable surface data captured in a single pass far exceeds what point-based probing can deliver.

A coordinate measuring machine, or CMM, builds its dimensional picture one contact point at a time. That approach works well for straightforward geometries, but it struggles when components are fragile, organically shaped, or subject to tight validation cycles where throughput matters. [Read more…] about Why Optical Metrology is Replacing Tactile Measurement for Complex Component Validation Source

Connector Pin Processing: End-Face Finish and Burr Control

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High-precision connector pins fail in the field for reasons a standard diameter check won’t catch.

The parting-off face – that circular cross-section left after the cutoff operation – is where burrs form first, where Ra values quietly climb out of spec, and where poor deburring technology choices create field returns nobody traces back to the machining lot.

Solving section surface finish problems starts with understanding why the end face behaves so differently from the turned barrel – and which deburring approaches are actually suited to the pin geometry. [Read more…] about Connector Pin Processing: End-Face Finish and Burr Control

Application engineering for assembly systems is quietly becoming manufacturing’s biggest competitive edge

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Manufacturing isn’t just about machines anymore. Now, success relies on engineering those machines well, keeping them connected and adjusting them to match what’s actually happening on the factory floor.

Application engineering for assembly systems is pushing this change, especially as factories aim for higher output while cutting errors.

Companies like Atlas Copco are all in, using advanced core technologies to help manufacturers build smarter, more flexible and more sustainable production lines. [Read more…] about Application engineering for assembly systems is quietly becoming manufacturing’s biggest competitive edge

Nagel strengthens factory automation strategy through Stäubli Robotics partnership

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Engineering company Nagel has become an authorized partner of Stäubli Robotics.

With the designation as an “Authorized Partner” of robotics specialist Stäubli, Nagel Technologies reinforces its consistent strategy toward automation and intelli gent manufacturing.

The companies say that, for industrial users, this means one thing above all: “even more powerful, flexible, and fully integrated solutions from a single source”. [Read more…] about Nagel strengthens factory automation strategy through Stäubli Robotics partnership

Dürr launches new robots with optimized arm geometry for painting tasks

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With the EcoRP4, Dürr is introducing a new generation of robots used to paint car bodies. The compact painting robot features an asymmetric architecture that improves access to the body for the applicator, enabling it to reliably reach even hard-to-access interior areas.

Its reduced number of components also lowers maintenance requirements and operational costs, especially benefiting car manufacturers with high production volumes.

Since 1998, Dürr has shipped almost 20,000 painting robots from the Ecopaint robotic family worldwide. The latest addition to the family, the EcoRP4, has been developed as the successor to the six-axis EcoRP E/L x33iC robot, and is specifically designed for painting lines that handle high volumes and standardised applications. [Read more…] about Dürr launches new robots with optimized arm geometry for painting tasks

Virginia Tech opens new center to ‘shape the future of advanced manufacturing’

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For years, Virginia Tech has forged its place as a powerhouse in advanced manufacturing research. With the launch of Virginia Tech Made: The Center for Advanced Manufacturing, the university welds its mission to shape the future of the field with its commitment to train the workforce to lead it.

Housed within the Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science, Virginia Tech Made will cultivate cross-campus collaborations, expand partnerships with industry and government, and train manufacturing professionals based on the university’s expertise in advanced materials, manufacturing technologies, computational design, data analytics, and digital infrastructure.

As faculty affiliated with the center advance state-of-the-art technology, they’ll focus on workforce development and outreach as key components of the center’s mission. [Read more…] about Virginia Tech opens new center to ‘shape the future of advanced manufacturing’