Robotics & Automation News

Where Innovation Meets Imagination

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Comau expands Jeep manufacturing lines in Brazil

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Comau has expanded the end-to-end body manufacturing lines at one of the most modern car manufacturing plants in the Brazilian state of Pernambuco to produce the new 7-seat Jeep Commander SUV.

Comau has been tasked with increasing the flexibility of 14 complex lines to handle 4 different vehicle models in a completely random production flow.

The increased flexibility also extends to model-specific assembly, welding and quality inspection operations based on available inputs. [Read more…] about Comau expands Jeep manufacturing lines in Brazil

Spending on semiconductor fabrication equipment expected to reach record $107 billion in 2022

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Global fab equipment spending for front-end facilities is expected to jump 18 percent year-over-year to an all-time high of $107 billion in 2022, marking a third consecutive year of growth following a 42 percent surge in 2021, according to a report by industry association SEMI.

Ajit Manocha, president and CEO of SEMI, says: “Crossing the $100 billion mark in spending on global fab equipment for the first time is a historic ​milestone for the semiconductor industry.

“This ​significant achievement is a tribute to the relentless drive to add and upgrade capacity to address a diverse range of markets and emerging applications, solidifying expectations for long-term industry growth to enable electronics for the digital world.” [Read more…] about Spending on semiconductor fabrication equipment expected to reach record $107 billion in 2022

Adapting Robotic Production Lines for a Titanium-Focused Economy

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With the post-pandemic recovery well on its way, the new jobs market has placed a clear focus on hygiene.

According to CNBC, 66 percent of workers want cleaner, even sterile, working conditions, and that’s independent of their industry. Creating the tools and surfaces required to meet this demand will fall on factories and robotic, or automated, machining.

In turn, this will require innovation to work with materials that are conducive to that sterile environment – which poses a challenge to manufacturers and their robotic factory lines. [Read more…] about Adapting Robotic Production Lines for a Titanium-Focused Economy

Hexagon unveils automated platform to accelerate autonomous robotic quality assurance

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Hexagon’s Manufacturing Intelligence division, which supplies smart manufacturing technologies to giants from Volkswagen to Boeing, has unveiled its HxGN Robotic Automation, which it describes as a “pioneering robotic programming and control software” that enables non-specialist quality professionals to program industrial robots to perform fully automated quality inspection.

The platform enables manufacturers to equip greenfield factories or retrofit existing production lines with state-of-the-art autonomous optical inspection cells, accelerating time to market by eliminating historic bottlenecks while providing more complete data direct from the production line as products are made.

HxGN says its robotic automation enables manufacturers to accelerate adoption of Industry 4.0 by intelligently devising optimal inspection routines in a single step; a task that would typically demand significant time and attention from both a metrology and robotics professional. [Read more…] about Hexagon unveils automated platform to accelerate autonomous robotic quality assurance

ABB launches new SCARA robot range for ‘faster, high precision assembly’

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ABB is expanding its range of SCARA robots with the launch of the IRB 920T.

The company says the machine is designed to meet the requirements of the electronics industry for high-speed production in increasingly complex manufacturing processes.

The IRB 920T provides “the highest levels of speed, accuracy and repeatability for assembly, picking and handling tasks”, says ABB. [Read more…] about ABB launches new SCARA robot range for ‘faster, high precision assembly’

Robot Applications in Auto Manufacturing

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Robots have been used in automotive assembly lines for over 50 years. And now, automakers are using robotics in even more processes.

Why robots? They are efficient and dependable in production lines. They also bring supply chain automation to the automotive industry and make it one of the largest users of robots. [Read more…] about Robot Applications in Auto Manufacturing

Universal Robots develops interface for Siemens engineering portal

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Universal Robots, the world’s largest collaborative robots manufacturer, has developed an interface for the engineering portal of Siemens, one of the world’s largest industrial technology companies.

The companies say that integrating Universal Robots’ collaborative robots into complex machines and manufacturing environments will soon be a process machine builders and systems integrators can “seamlessly handle” through the Siemens Totally Integrated Automation (TIA) portal.

The UR collaborative robots will become part of the Simatic Robot Library within Siemens’ TIA environment through an interpreter interface planned to be completed within the fourth quarter of 2021. [Read more…] about Universal Robots develops interface for Siemens engineering portal

OLA to install ABB robotics and automation solutions at its mega-factory for electric scooters

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Ola, India’s largest mobility platform and one of the world’s largest ride-hailing companies, has selected ABB as one of its key partners for robotics and automation solutions for its mega-factory in India that will roll out the Ola electric scooter.

Ola’s scooter mega-factory, billed to be the world’s largest scooter manufacturing plant, is expected to be ready and operational in the coming months.

The facility is also expected to be the country’s most automated, with about 5,000 robots and automated guided vehicles in use once the factory is fully operational to its full capacity. [Read more…] about OLA to install ABB robotics and automation solutions at its mega-factory for electric scooters

Trees and power lines

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Trees are an important part of our lives; they add aesthetic value to the surrounding environment, improve air and water quality, reduce soil erosion, and provide shade during the scorching summer months.

Likewise, power lines serve the machinery and equipment we interact with every day, adding luxury and efficacy to our lives.

While these two provide amazing benefits, when trees and power lines are in close proximity to roads, they become a potential hazard to motorists and can cause extreme vehicle damages and bodily injuries if they fall over or motorists accidentally run into them.

Read on to find out how to stay safe while driving on roads with trees and power lines. [Read more…] about Trees and power lines

Comau robots ‘proud’ to have built new Fiat 500

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Comau Robotics says it is “proud” to have participated in the production of the New 500, the latest version of the Fiat 500, first unveiled in 1957 and today one of the most popular cars ever to have been released.

Comau says it has provided its parent company Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and the Fiat brand with advanced automation solutions and its know-how in the development of “innovative industrial processes” to produce FCA’s first fully electric vehicle, a “Made in Turin” product.

The path started symbolically in July 2019 with the installation of the first Comau robot, which initiated the production line of the new full-electric model inside FCA’s historic Mirafiori plant. [Read more…] about Comau robots ‘proud’ to have built new Fiat 500