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Kuka launches new SCARA robots

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Kuka has launched a new range of SCARA robots. The company says the new KR SCARA jointed-arm robots are “reliable assistants” for industrial production that that excel in applications like in small parts assembly, materials handling and inspection tasks.

In the payload category up to 6 kg, it is hard to find a match for the Kuka SCARA robots, claims the company.

The new KR SCARA horizontal jointed-arm robots from Kuka are ultra-compact and at the same time deliver “maximum cost-effectiveness”. [Read more…] about Kuka launches new SCARA robots

Major order from Korea: Kuka to deliver 185 robots to automotive supplier Seojin Industrial

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Korean automotive supplier Seojin Industrial, which manufactures for Hyundai and Kia, among others, has placed a major order with Kuka: 185 Kuka robots, mainly from the KR Quantec series, will soon be used in Korea for welding and handling tasks.

The Korean company Seojin Industrial is supplementing its decades of experience with the latest technologies and automated production.

Starting next year, the automotive supplier will be using more than 185 Kuka robots at its Hwaseong and Gwangju plants to manufacture car parts for customers such as Hyundai and Kia. [Read more…] about Major order from Korea: Kuka to deliver 185 robots to automotive supplier Seojin Industrial

Kuka showcases new fully automated sealing and damping system at Audi

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Kuka is showcasing a new “fully automated sealing and damping system” that the company has implemented at Audi.

In the automotive industry, it is becoming increasingly important to produce sustainably and efficiently.

As an alternative joining method, adhesive and sealing technology in body-in-white production makes it possible to reliably join a wide variety of materials. [Read more…] about Kuka showcases new fully automated sealing and damping system at Audi

Robotics and Automation News Review: Fanuc and Kuka launch new robots, Pittsburgh ready to go to ‘infinity and beyond’, Foxconn moves operations out of China, and much more…

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Friday 14 August 2020: This is a new, weekly column – to be published every Friday – which rounds up all the most interesting news from the robotics and automation industry in the past seven days, in brief form. 

This Robotics and Automation News Review is also available to view on our YouTube channel.

Comau Robotics says it has created an “innovative, in-line testing and quality control system that optimizes the construction and assembly of batteries”. The company says the MI.RA / Thermography system uses thermal imaging and artificial intelligence to perform non-invasive automated assessment and control of welded joints, to ensure battery integrity and prevent waste.

Kuka Robotics has launched a new compact industrial robot. The company says its new KR 4 Agilus is “a hot candidate for first place in the small robotics charts from October onwards”.

Fanuc Robotics has launched a new “extremely compact” robot which it claims has the “best precision in its class”. The new M-10iD/16S robot is the most compact model of the M-10iD series, says Fanuc, adding that it combines the best features of its two predecessors, M-10iA/10MS and M-10iA/12S.

Hyundai Robotics has signed an agreement with Korea’s Asan Medical Center and KT for joint development and commercialization of smart hospital solutions on June 30th. The company is planning to prepare for the post-corona era with a smart hospital solution for infection management by ICT-based digital transformation.

Techman Robot, a manufacturer of collaborative robots, says it has adopted proactive steps against the new coronavirus. Techman Robot says it checks the health of its employees on a daily bases and collects global virus information. It also implementing prevention measures. The company maintains business communications online and is frequently in touch with all overseas offices, global distributors, partners, and customers.

HRG International Institute of Research and Innovation has unveiled a new floor cleaning robot, the SW10. The company says it is exclusively designed for floor cleaning tasks in commercial and industrial environments. The robot is combined with sweeping, mopping and vacuum cleaning functions and its work can maintain 2,000 square meters per hour.

Denso has established the Pittsburgh Innovation Lab, a new US research and development center designed to strengthen open innovation and enhance technology development that enables automated driving.

FedEx has installed industrial robotic arms to do what is considered the “most difficult” job to automate in a sorting facility in Memphis, USA. The logistics giant has integrated Yaskawa robots and software from Plus One Robotics into a robotic system that performs a task which involves picking up parcels or envelopes from a tray and placing them on a conveyor.

Foxconn, Apple’s main contract manufacturing partner, has moved a significant portion of its operations outside of China. The company has already moved an additional 5 percent of its operations to countries other than China, bring it up to 30 percent, compared with 25 percent last year.

Pittsburgh local authorities say they are looking to “infinity and beyond” after NASA awarded a local company, Astrobotic Technology, a $200 million contract to build and send the first-ever US robotic rover to the Moon by 2023.

Kuka launches new compact industrial robot

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Kuka has launched a new compact industrial robot. The company says its new KR 4 Agilus is “a hot candidate for first place in the small robotics charts from October onwards”. (See video below.)

Kuka says the compact robot is optimally designed for robot-based automation in electronics manufacturing and for handling tasks in other industries.

The company adds that the KR 4 Agilus offers “virtually unlimited potential for small robots in the electronics industry”. [Read more…] about Kuka launches new compact industrial robot

Recent Breakthrough May Enable the Automated Laboratory of the Future

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Over the past several months, the world has been dealing with the first major global pandemic in more than a generation.

It has disrupted economies far and wide, cost hundreds of thousands of lives, and laid bare many of the weaknesses of the global medical industry.

One of those weaknesses has been the difficulty that multiple countries have faced in scaling up laboratory capacity to meet the demand for PCR testing created by the crisis. [Read more…] about Recent Breakthrough May Enable the Automated Laboratory of the Future

Kuka launches new robot controller that is ‘smaller and requires less energy’

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Kuka has launched a new robot controller which it says requires less energy than its predecessor and is at the same time “significantly more compact”.

The KR C5 and the corresponding KR C5 micro robot controller are designed for small robots and are described as “future-compatible hardware” which feature “smart software”.

Kuka says the controllers “slot seamlessly into existing IT and cloud environments” and will gradually support all current applications – while offering considerably more possibilities and even better results. [Read more…] about Kuka launches new robot controller that is ‘smaller and requires less energy’

Kuka launches new robotic cell with pre-configured applications

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Kuka has launched a new robotic cell with pre-configured applications, or “packages”, as the company calls them.

The Kuka “cell4_production” systems are described as flexible production cells for automated processes.

The company says they feature highly flexible, modular in design, digitally networked and are “immediately ready for use”. [Read more…] about Kuka launches new robotic cell with pre-configured applications

Kuka supplies Webasto with production equipment for assembly of battery systems

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Kuka is supplying a robotic system for the assembly of battery systems for a company called Webasto.

Kuka says the automotive industry is resolutely driving forward in the development of electromobility.

Webasto, a supplier of systems to the automotive industry, is also entering the field of battery systems production. [Read more…] about Kuka supplies Webasto with production equipment for assembly of battery systems

Kuka milling robot used to manufacture film props

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Whether it is in series like Stranger Things or in blockbusters like Men in Black: International, filmmakers continuously need creative and high quality props.

To make these, a company called Robocarv, from the UK, is now using automation made in Germany – and have a Kuka milling robot manufacture the props.

The Kuka robot mills the props from blocks of plastic. (See video below.) [Read more…] about Kuka milling robot used to manufacture film props