Robotics & Automation News

Market trends and business perspectives

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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

5 Ways to Improve Productivity in Your Manufacturing Facility

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Manufacturing facilities are among the busiest places regardless of where they’re located or what industry they cater to. Workers move in a calculated manner, and one wrong action might affect their output for the day.

Also, these facilities usually expect a high productivity rate from their staff members. If you’re an employer struggling to achieve this, read on to discover how you can boost your establishment’s efficiency. [Read more…] about 5 Ways to Improve Productivity in Your Manufacturing Facility

Organic wholesaler ‘doubles output’ with AutoStore and Swisslog warehouse automation

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A top wholesaler in the Swiss organic market, Bio Partner, has “doubled its output” following the implementation of innovative robotic logistics from Swisslog at its facility in Aargau, Switzerland, according to the company. 

Bio Partner supplies business customers in the organic specialist trade as well as the rest of the retail and food industry from its location in Seon, in Switzerland.

As a result of the merger with Somona, the warehouse reached its performance and capacity limits, and the wholesaler turned to a local partner with a global footprint to deliver an automated storage system. [Read more…] about Organic wholesaler ‘doubles output’ with AutoStore and Swisslog warehouse automation

Organic products wholesaler doubles output with AutoStore installed by Swisslog

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The leading wholesaler in the Swiss organic products market, Bio Partner, has doubled its output following the implementation of robotic logistics from Swisslog at its facility in Aargau, Switzerland.

Bio Partner supplies business customers in the organic specialist trade as well as the rest of the retail and food industry from its location in Seon.

As a result of the merger with Somona, the warehouse reached its performance and capacity limits, and the wholesaler turned to a local partner with a global footprint to deliver an automated storage system. [Read more…] about Organic products wholesaler doubles output with AutoStore installed by Swisslog

What does the term ‘productivity’ actually mean in economics?

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Here at Robotics and Automation News, we’ve often wondered what factors determine the productivity of a nation or industry, market or economy. There is a reason for this that has to with our website’s editorial subject matter and possibly our survival as a business.

In other words, we would like to expand our editorial coverage, and we would like to monetise. Our website has millions of readers, a significant proportion of whom are business people, so we have a marketable audience.

So far, we have mostly carried niche industrial news. Now, we want to add to that broader, global industry-wide and indeed world economy-wide, perspectives that may affect their growth and success. [Read more…] about What does the term ‘productivity’ actually mean in economics?

Omron launches 237 new factory automation control devices

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Omron has launched the sixth wave of its factory automation control devices built on a common design platform for further innovation in control panel building.

The new products include 237 models in six categories low voltage switch gear: J7KC, J7TC, J7MC, J7KCA and J7KCR series low voltage switching gears (LVSG), S8V-CP series DC electronic circuit protectors, and PTF-XX-PU socket for LY relays with Push-In Plus technology.

With its Value Design products, Omron’s goal is to provide a complete solution to panel builders, while saving space and reducing the workload and total cost of ownership. [Read more…] about Omron launches 237 new factory automation control devices

ABB launches new version of robotic picking software Pickmaster

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ABB has launched the new version of its robotic picking software Pickmaster, which now feature “digital twin technology” to reduce commissioning times. 

The product was introduced today at the China International Industry Fair in Shanghai. It will be on display next week at Pack Expo in Las Vegas at the ABB Robotics booth C-2051.

The company says the system is now capable of achieving picking times that are “15 percent faster”, enabling it to increases output and total line efficiency by 40 percent.

ABB Robotics says PickMaster is the market-leading robotic software for vision-guided random flow picking and packing applications for the digital factory of the future. [Read more…] about ABB launches new version of robotic picking software Pickmaster

Cornell scientists develop new material to give robots more sensitive touch

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A new synthetic material created by a scientist at Cornell University is said to give robots a “softer touch”.

Developed by PhD student Patricia Xu, at Cornell’s Organic Robotics Lab, the “sensory network” – also dubbed “optical lace” – is said to be similar to the human biological nervous system.

The lab’s paper, Optical Lace for Synthetic Afferent Neural Networks, was published in Science Robotics. [Read more…] about Cornell scientists develop new material to give robots more sensitive touch

US manufacturing output reaches ‘all-time high’

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Manufacturing output in the US has reached an “all-time high”, signaling the industry’s strength, according to the National Association of Manufacturers.

For the past two years, manufacturers have been setting new records when it comes to manufacturing output, and through the first quarter of 2019, the industry has continued to reach new heights.

Four out of five manufacturers remain positive about their company’s outlook, according to the National Association of Manufacturers’ latest Outlook Survey, and new Bureau of Economic Analysis data find that manufacturers’ level of output hit an all-time high once again. [Read more…] about US manufacturing output reaches ‘all-time high’

NEDO, Sharp, and Toyota to begin public road trials of electrified vehicles equipped with high-efficiency solar batteries

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NEDO, Sharp Corporation, and Toyota Motor plan to commence public road trials of electrified vehicles equipped with high-efficiency solar batteries later this month.

The trials aim to assess the effectiveness of improvements in cruising range and fuel efficiency of electrified vehicles equipped with high-efficiency solar batteries.

To facilitate the execution of this trial, Sharp modularized its world-class, high-efficiency solar battery cells (conversion efficiency of 34 percent+), previously developed for a NEDO-led project, to create an onboard solar battery panel. [Read more…] about NEDO, Sharp, and Toyota to begin public road trials of electrified vehicles equipped with high-efficiency solar batteries