Robotics & Automation News

Market trends and business perspectives

metal

Design brief: 3D printed casting of 3-foot long robot arm

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By Alkaios Bournias Varotsis, product marketing manager, nTopology

3D printed sand casting molds and cores are changing the way high-performance, large metal parts are manufactured today.

Additive manufacturing is enabling modern foundries to produce complex metal parts in rapid lead times.

This article explains the benefits of coupling advanced design tools with 3D printed sand molds using, as an example, the redesign and manufacture of a 3-foot long robotic arm. [Read more…] about Design brief: 3D printed casting of 3-foot long robot arm

Tau invents wire that doubles the power of electric motors and raises €10.25 million

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A startup company called Tau, which specializes in materials science and automotive electrification, says it has delivered a prototype wire that enables electric motors to double their power output without changing their size. 

The technology could mean that electric vehicles and machines of all kinds can keep going for longer on a single charge, and go faster.

Coinciding with the milestone of delivering prototype winding wire to the automotive industry, Tau also concluded its Series A financing round with additional funding from Finindus, a Belgium-based investment company financed by ArcelorMittal and the Flemish Region, and a top-up by German specialty chemicals company Altana. The total raised is said to be €10.25 million. [Read more…] about Tau invents wire that doubles the power of electric motors and raises €10.25 million

What is Steel Fabrication: Uses, Purpose, and Benefits

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Steel fabrication is a process that helps turn the raw metal into an item or product that can be used in assembly lines, homes, construction, and other places. This process requires skilled technicians who can ensure minimum to no errors to eliminate or reduce wastage.

Steel fabrication involves various techniques. Some basic ones are machining, welding, cutting, drilling, coating, and bending to turn the material into predefined customer shapes and sizes.

In machining, technicians use drills, lathes, and mills to remove unwanted materials and model the metal into the required shape and size. In trimming, processes like flame, water jet, or plasma cutting are used to slice steel into dimensions that are easy to work with. [Read more…] about What is Steel Fabrication: Uses, Purpose, and Benefits

Piab adds new size to its ‘bellows’ end-effector range

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Piab has further broadened its already extensive range of what are called “end-effectors” – basically the “hands” for robotic arms. 

Piab has extended its line of bellows flat friction suction cups to include a cup measuring 80 mm in diameter.

With this 80 mm cup, the company says it will fill the gap in its “highly competitive” range of DuraFlex friction cups. The new size BFFT80P-2 is available with 10 standard friction suction cup fittings. [Read more…] about Piab adds new size to its ‘bellows’ end-effector range

Robotic 3D metal printing startup MX3D raises €2.25 million in new funding

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Innovative robotic 3D metal printing company MX3D has raised €2.25 million to scale up and launch its M1 Metal Additive Manufacturing System.

DOEN Participaties, PDENH and the Netherlands Enterprise Agency took part in the investment round in MX3D, which is based in Holland and is famous for building a 3D printed bridge across a canal.

The funds will be used to launch the M1, a complete robotic metal AM system, including a welding robot, software and control system to 3D print metal parts in-house. [Read more…] about Robotic 3D metal printing startup MX3D raises €2.25 million in new funding

Celanese suggests replacing metal parts in robots with polymers

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Choosing materials is one of the most important decisions when designing and building a machine such as a robot, particularly one that moves around, like an autonomous warehouse robot or an automated guided vehicle. 

Most of the machines this website features in its articles and advertising use metals for the vast majority of their components. Even the outer casing on most industrial robots tends to be a metal such as iron or steel.

However, according to an expert at Celanese, one of the largest materials companies in the world, the vast majority of components and parts that are currently made out of metal can actually be replaced with polymers or thermoplastics. [Read more…] about Celanese suggests replacing metal parts in robots with polymers

OnRobot launches advanced new magnetic gripper for robots

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OnRobot has launched the MG10, which it describes as “a versatile, high-performance, easy to use magnetic gripper” for material handling, assembly and machine tending applications in manufacturing, automotive and aerospace environments.

Fully compatible with all major robot brands through OnRobot’s One System Solution, the MG10 offers unique adjustable force and grip detection features that provide users with unprecedented levels of control.

Standard magnetic grippers only provide simple on/off functionality. To adjust the force applied, users have to add rubber ‘feet’ to create space between the magnet and the part. [Read more…] about OnRobot launches advanced new magnetic gripper for robots

Okuma unveils machining center that forms and finishes metal parts in ‘one setup’

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Okuma has unveiled a new machining center that it says can form and finishes large metal parts and components in one setup.

The company says its MCR-S double column machining center “combines cutting-edge technology and process improvements to reduce cycle time by 25 percent”.

Okuma is one of the largest manufacturers of CNC machine tools, and says its MCR-S roughs and finishes press dies in one setup and is designed for heavy duty machining of process-intensive press dies. [Read more…] about Okuma unveils machining center that forms and finishes metal parts in ‘one setup’

Robotic versus manual plasma cutting

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Plasma cutters are very powerful machines that have the ability to cut through metal. Some of them are powerful enough to go through very thick pieces. In fact, they can go through them like a knife through butter.

Plasma cutters are an essential piece of equipment for some welders. In fact, it does the complete opposite of a welding machine. Instead of fusing pieces of metal together, a plasma cutter is used to tear it apart.

During some point of work, it is necessary to cut through some pieces that you don’t need or when you are trying to shape something together. [Read more…] about Robotic versus manual plasma cutting

nTopology and Oak Ridge National Laboratory partner to develop additive manufacturing technologies

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nTopology has entered into a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement with Oak Ridge National Laboratory to advance the capabilities of additive manufacturing through integrated software toolkits and embed ORNL expertise into nTop software.

The plan is for these capabilities to be made available commercially to the broader advanced-manufacturing market.

The collaboration incorporates foundational nTopology software with ORNL-developed machine control capabilities on large-scale polymer additive manufacturing systems. [Read more…] about nTopology and Oak Ridge National Laboratory partner to develop additive manufacturing technologies

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