Robotics & Automation News

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materials

Kingetics makes ‘big innovations’ in footwear-exoskeleton-robotic ambulation science

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By Dakota Grossman, writer, and Dr Steven King, managing member, Kingetics

Kingetics, a small veteran owned startup company has developed and tested new technology that has shown significant improvements in protecting our soldiers as well as improving the gait of mechanical walking systems.

Load carriage and high impact forces on the lower limbs are often cited as leading causes of musculoskeletal injuries. Injury rates during military training range from 1 per cent to 16 per cent, and up to 30 per cent in elite  infantry  units.

Data from Podiatry Arena shows that there are about 32,000 broken bones per year during military combat, costing the US Department of Defense an estimated $240,000,000 in medical expenses.
 [Read more…] about Kingetics makes ‘big innovations’ in footwear-exoskeleton-robotic ambulation science

MakerBot adds specialty materials for functional 3D printing prototypes

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MakerBot, a 3D printing company and subsidiary of Stratasys, has expanded the materials portfolio for its “Method” 3D printer with two new materials – PC-ABS and PC-ABS FR.

The addition of these new materials brings the number of MakerBot materials for Method to 10, underscoring the company’s efforts to deliver a wider range of industrial-grade solutions to open more additive manufacturing applications for engineers.

PC-ABS (polycarbonate-acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) has high heat resistant properties and high tensile strength, which make it optimal for use across automotive, rail, and electronics industries. [Read more…] about MakerBot adds specialty materials for functional 3D printing prototypes

HOOPS Exchange 2020 ramps up support for manufacturing as a service

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Tech Soft 3D, a provider of software development toolkits to engineering software companies, has released HOOPS Exchange 2020.

The company describes it as “the industry’s fastest and most accurate CAD data access and reuse technology for manufacturing and architecture, engineering and construction workflows”.

Tech Soft adds that HOOPS Exchange 2020 continues to improve support for manufacturing as a service applications. [Read more…] about HOOPS Exchange 2020 ramps up support for manufacturing as a service

Showcasing the future of nonwoven materials

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Visitors and exhibitors will gather at Index 20, the world’s leading nonwovens exhibition, in Geneva from 31st March to 3rd April 2020, to participate in the industry’s largest platform for cutting-edge nonwoven technologies.

Non-woven fabric is a fabric-like material made from staple fibre and long fibres, bonded together by chemical, mechanical, heat or solvent treatment. The term is used in the textile manufacturing industry to denote fabrics, such as felt, which are neither woven nor knitted. The applications of nonwovens are many and varied, and include many in the automotive industry.

Over the course of four days of the Index event, more than 13,500 visitors and over 750 exhibitors representing around 100 countries will gather to meet like-minded professionals as well as take part in industry workshops, seminars, and networking events. [Read more…] about Showcasing the future of nonwoven materials

Severstal invests in robotics to automate advanced composites manufacturing with Airborne

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Severstal, one of the world’s largest vertically integrated steel and mining companies, has invested in Dutch company Airborne, a developer of robotic and digital automation platforms for the production of composite parts and products with integrated composites.

Severstal joins other investors in this investment round, including Pangaea Ventures, the leading advanced materials venture capital fund, and SABIC, the world’s third largest diversified chemical company.

Airborne has developed and brought to market a unique set of digital technologies that increase the efficiency of carbon fiber composite production by automating the production process. [Read more…] about Severstal invests in robotics to automate advanced composites manufacturing with Airborne

Iowa scientists create nanoscale sensors to ‘better see how high pressure affects materials’

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Scientists at Iowa State University have developed new nanoscale technology to image and measure more of the stresses and strains on materials under high pressures.

As the researchers reported in the journal Science, that matters because, “Pressure alters the physical, chemical and electronic properties of matter.”

Understanding those changes could lead to new materials or new phases of matter for use in all kinds of technologies and applications, said Valery Levitas, a paper co-author and Anson Marston Distinguished Professor in Engineering at Iowa State University, the Vance Coffman Faculty Chair and professor in aerospace engineering. [Read more…] about Iowa scientists create nanoscale sensors to ‘better see how high pressure affects materials’

Automation increases productivity in materials science by 384 times, say researchers

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An automated method of conducting materials science research can increase productivity by 384 times when compared to a human, according to researchers. 

The robot-plus-software system also makes it easier for people who are not expert researchers or scientists to create new materials.

A Rutgers-led team of engineers has developed an automated way to produce polymers, making it much easier to create advanced materials aimed at improving human health. [Read more…] about Automation increases productivity in materials science by 384 times, say researchers

Essentium research shows industrial-scale 3D printing moving into mainstream manufacturing

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Essentium, a leading innovator in industrial additive manufacturing, has released the first in a series of findings from independent global research on the current and future use of industrial 3D printing.

The study reveals a significant increase in the use of large-scale additive manufacturing (AM).

The number of manufacturers using 3D printing for full-scale production has doubled compared to last year (40 per cent in 2019; 21 per cent in 2018). [Read more…] about Essentium research shows industrial-scale 3D printing moving into mainstream manufacturing

Researchers create new metallic material for flexible soft robots

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Researchers at the National University of Singapore have created a new metallic material which they say is suitable for flexible soft robots. (See video below.)

NUS Assistant Professor Chen Po-Yen (main picture, right) and doctoral student Yang Haitao and their team say the new material is also suitable for “origami robots”.

Origami robots are described as “state-of-the-art soft and flexible robots” that are being tested for use in various applications including drug delivery in human bodies, search and rescue missions in disaster environments and humanoid robotic arms. [Read more…] about Researchers create new metallic material for flexible soft robots

BMW bids to shape the future of battery cell technology

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The BMW Group is building on its leading position in the world of electric mobility and has pooled its many years of experience with battery cells and extensive knowledge in the field in a new Competence Centre.

The purpose of the facility in Munich is to advance battery cell technology and carefully dissect the production processes.

Oliver Zipse, chairman of the board of management of BMW, says: “The new Battery Cell Competence Centre puts us in an enviable position. [Read more…] about BMW bids to shape the future of battery cell technology