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Unigel installs first industrial-scale green hydrogen production site in Brazil using ThyssenKrupp technology

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Unigel has built the first industrial-scale green hydrogen plant in Brazil.

The company, which is one of the largest chemical companies in Latin America and the largest manufacturer of nitrogen fertilizers in Brazil, has invested a total of $120 million in the development of the production site for green hydrogen.

In the first phase of the project, Unigel installed three 20 MW standard electrolyzers from ThyssenKrupp Nucera, adding up to a total capacity of 60 MW. The plant will feed one of the largest green ammonia plants by capacity when it starts its production. [Read more…] about Unigel installs first industrial-scale green hydrogen production site in Brazil using ThyssenKrupp technology

Dobot introduces expanded lineup of non-contact cobots

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Collaborative robot manufacturer Dobot and its US-based master distributor DB Cobots have unveiled the addition of its 3 kg and 10 kg collaborative robots to the existing 5 kg version of the Safe Skin model previously available.

This expanded lineup will enable more industries and companies to use cobots with the safest technology available in their automation, says the company.

Dobot’s standard line of Industrial Cobots are inherently safe by stopping when the arm makes contact with an object. [Read more…] about Dobot introduces expanded lineup of non-contact cobots

Volvo Group to establish battery production plant in Sweden

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The Volvo Group has initiated the process to establish a large-scale production plant for battery cells in Sweden.

The company says the initiative is designed to meet “the growing demand for battery electric heavy-duty vehicles and machines”.

Martin Lundstedt, president and CEO of the Volvo Group, says: “We aim to lead the transition to a decarbonized transport system and have the long-term ambition to offer our customers solutions that are 100 percent fossil free. [Read more…] about Volvo Group to establish battery production plant in Sweden

Sumitomo develops robot that climbs steel walls

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Japanese industrial giant Sumitomo Heavy Industries says it has developed a “novel robot capable of traveling over curved steel walls by magnetic adhesion”.

The achievement is part of a robot development project at Sumitomo’s Technology Research Center, aiming to automate various manufacturing tasks at industrial sites. The development was achieved under Challenge Program 1, launched in 2018.

Wheeled robots with magnetic adhesion are well known in manufacturing and maintenance of large steel structures like ships and industrial facilities. Most conventional wall climbing robots are designed for flat surfaces. [Read more…] about Sumitomo develops robot that climbs steel walls

SICK and Aeva partner to bring 4D LiDAR to industrial sensing applications

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Aeva, a leader in next-generation sensing and perception systems, and SICK announced a strategic multi-year collaboration to bring Aeva’s Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) 4D LiDAR to a variety of industrial sensing applications including long-range sensing, starting with Aeries II.

Dr Niels Syassen, member of the board responsible for technology and digitization at SICK, says: “We are pleased to partner with Aeva and work closely together to bring its FMCW technology to high performance industrial sensing applications.

“We are convinced that their unique approach to FMCW technology, which includes instant velocity detection and long-range performance, will provide new opportunities for us and our customers in a variety of industrial sensing applications where traditional time of flight LiDAR technologies are challenged.” [Read more…] about SICK and Aeva partner to bring 4D LiDAR to industrial sensing applications

Nachi-Fujikoshi launches new ‘high-speed, high-precision’ robot series

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Japanese industrial robot giant Nachi-Fujikoshi has launched what it describes as a series of “high-speed, high-precision robots”.

The company says it developed the new robots “in response to customer demands for higher precision, further improving productivity, and miniaturizing electrical and electronic components”.

The three new robots are the MZ07F and MZ07LF with higher speed and precision MZ07. [Read more…] about Nachi-Fujikoshi launches new ‘high-speed, high-precision’ robot series

Yaskawa completes new plant for manufacturing mounting boards and electronic units in China

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Yaskawa Electric, parent company of Yaskawa Mechatronics, one of the world’s largest industrial robot makers, has completed a new plant in Changzhou City, Jiangsu Province, in China.

The facility has already begun the mass production of mounting boards for servo amplifiers and AC drives as well as electronic units for robot control panels used in its production bases in China.

Yaskawa says that, in China, economic activities are currently “stagnant” because of Covid-19 but demand for factory automation at production sites is increasing due to labor shortages caused by the low birth rate and ageing population, rising labor costs, and the risk of coronavirus spreading. [Read more…] about Yaskawa completes new plant for manufacturing mounting boards and electronic units in China

ABB and SKF increase collaboration on industrial automation

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Industrial automation giant ABB and SKF, one of the world’s largest suppliers of bearings, have agreed a partnership to explore the possibilities for a collaboration in the automation of manufacturing processes.

The agreement was signed at ABB’s Robotics Experience Center in Västerås, Sweden, by ABB CEO Björn Rosengren and SKF CEO Rickard Gustafson.

Following the successful delivery of a number of projects in SKF’s global manufacturing network, including in Gothenburg, where a fleet of industrial robots from ABB are installed in the bearing manufacturer’s state-of-the-art factory, the two companies are now taking the next step in their collaboration. [Read more…] about ABB and SKF increase collaboration on industrial automation

Veo Robotics named in CB Insights’ advanced manufacturing top 50

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Business research website CB Insights has named Veo Robotics, the Waltham-based industrial automation company building sensing and intelligence for robots to collaborate with humans safely, to its first-annual Advanced Manufacturing 50 ranking, showcasing the 50 most promising private advanced manufacturing companies in the world.

Founded by Patrick Sobalvarro, Clara Vu, and Scott Denenberg, Veo has pioneered the creation of software and hardware that allow for fluid, efficient, and flexible production lines within manufacturing facilities.

Also making the list within the robotics and collaborative robots category were Rokae, Novarc Technologies, Linkwiz, Exotic, and Locus Robotics. [Read more…] about Veo Robotics named in CB Insights’ advanced manufacturing top 50

ForwardX Robotics partners with Qualcomm to develop new autonomous mobile robots

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ForwardX Robotics, a manufacturer of autonomous mobile robots for warehouses, is partnering with chipmaking giant Qualcomm to develop new robots.

The two companies showcased the results of their collaboration at the recent Hannover Messe event in Germany, where ForwardX and Qualcomm jointly gave demonstrations.

Qualcomm showcased its Robotics RB5 Platform with the ForwardX Flex AMR on display. The robotics platform supports 5G connectivity, AI and machine learning, superior computing, and intelligent sensing capabilities. [Read more…] about ForwardX Robotics partners with Qualcomm to develop new autonomous mobile robots