Robotics & Automation News

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Factory Visit: Investment bankers tour client’s robot-filled machine shop

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Investment and automation specialists John Slater and Jorge Maceyras, of Focus Investment Banking, make a factory visit to a client of theirs, and find that robotics is integral to the operation.

Do you have any robots?

When we posed that somewhat naïve question to the CEO of an extreme high precision machine shop in 2014, we got the response we deserved.

“Look up on the landing.”

There, we saw a hulking industrial robot our client had acquired years before to satisfy his auto industry customer that had a factory full of such behemoths. The unwieldy, difficult to program, creature had no role in the high mix low volume shop and had long been consigned to serve as the firm’s robot museum. [Read more…] about Factory Visit: Investment bankers tour client’s robot-filled machine shop

Robots vs CNCs: What’s better for working metal?

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By David Alatorre, CTO, Rivelin Robotics

The use of metal additive manufacturing has revolutionized the manufacturing industry, allowing for the creation of complex and intricate parts in a faster and more cost-effective manner.

However, essential post processing of these parts introduces time and financial constraints to the overall cost-per-part that can negate the benefits of additive manufacturing altogether. Support removal is the critical first step of post processing metal additive manufacturing parts, and it is a challenging one.

Today, supports are still essential for part fidelity during the manufacturing process, but they must be removed to achieve the required finished product with the intended shape, features and tolerances. [Read more…] about Robots vs CNCs: What’s better for working metal?

Stilride and Adaxis partner to fuse robotics, 3D printing and ‘industrial origami’ into manufacturing

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Stilride, the Swedish startup known for its origami-inspired approach to electromobility design and manufacturing – is joining forces with French-Swedish robotics company Adaxis to introduce 3D printing capabilities to its suite of sustainable manufacturing tech.

Stilride’s technology, called Stilfold, involves the use of robotic arms to fold steel over curves to form light and strong new structures, using minimal component parts.

The technology is currently being used to build the chassis of a sustainable steel electric motorbike called the Sport Utility Scooter One (Sus1, pictured below) which is built using 70 percent fewer components than traditional plastic models. [Read more…] about Stilride and Adaxis partner to fuse robotics, 3D printing and ‘industrial origami’ into manufacturing

Denso increases efficiencies with fleet of MiR250 autonomous mobile robots

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Denso, one of the world’s largest automotive technology suppliers, says it has “increased efficiencies, improved employee morale and ergonomics, and managed a tight labor market” by deploying six MiR250 autonomous mobile robots to transport materials in its 800,000 square foot powertrain component production facility in Athens, Tennessee.

According to a new case study from Mobile Industrial Robots (MiR), Denso has successfully executed more than 500,000 missions since deploying its first MiR robot in 2020, recognizing a return on investment (ROI) in less than a year along with an ongoing need for more AMRs for additional logistics applications.

One of MiR’s largest global customers, Denso has AMRs from MiR running in two other US locations, as well as three facilities in Europe and two in Asia. [Read more…] about Denso increases efficiencies with fleet of MiR250 autonomous mobile robots

Buy and Sell Automation Components with Automa.Net

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Finding the right industrial automation parts and components can be time-consuming, which can lead to losses, especially if the part you’re looking for is an emergency replacement.

Instead of manually searching for suppliers and distributors in search of the parts you need, you can quickly access millions of parts from hundreds of distributors at Automa.Net – what is it exactly? [Read more…] about Buy and Sell Automation Components with Automa.Net

Rivelin Robotics launches software-oriented robotic system at Formnext

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Rivelin Robotics has launched a new software-oriented robotic system it calls “NetShape Robots” at Formnext 2022, the company’s first trade show.

Rivelin says it is “decompressing after a very intense week” at the Frankfurt show.

The startup says “the response was – and continues to be – immense” from the industry, from potential investors and, most importantly, from Rivelin’s existing and potentially new customers. [Read more…] about Rivelin Robotics launches software-oriented robotic system at Formnext

RapidDirect Introduces Automated DfM Feedback Tool Can Help Optimize Your Part Design

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RapidDirect’s automated DfM feedback tool offers quality manufacturability tips for your parts production.

This improved automated DfM tool provides a reliable analysis of your parts design for crucial issues that can affect their manufacturability or attract additional manufacturing costs. Read on to learn about the new DfM feedback tool, how it works, and its advantages. [Read more…] about RapidDirect Introduces Automated DfM Feedback Tool Can Help Optimize Your Part Design

Benefits of Induction Hardening

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Case hardening process used to increase wear resistance, surface hardness and fatigue life through creation of a hardened surface layer while maintaining an unaffected core microstructure.

Induction hardening is used to increase the mechanical properties of ferrous components in a specific area. Typical applications are powertrain, suspension, engine components and stampings.

Induction hardening is excellent at repairing warranty claims / field failures. The primary benefits are improvements in strength, fatigue and wear resistance in a localised area without having to redesign the component. [Read more…] about Benefits of Induction Hardening

CNC Machining: Your Guide to Understanding the Types

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CNC machining is an important process in the manufacturing industry that involves using computers to control automated cutting and milling machines, which carve out parts from large blocks of raw materials like metal, wood, and plastic.

In this article, we’ll discuss CNC precision machining, how it works, and its advantages over other machining methods, such as hand or machine tools. We’ll also cover some advanced uses of CNC machines that aren’t always obvious to first-time users.

Let’s get started. [Read more…] about CNC Machining: Your Guide to Understanding the Types

MIT demonstrates reprogrammable materials that ‘selectively self-assemble’

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By Rachel Gordon, MIT CSAIL

While automated manufacturing is ubiquitous today, it was once a nascent field birthed by inventors such as Oliver Evans, who is credited with creating the first fully automated industrial process, in a flour mill he built and gradually automated in the late 1700s.

The processes for creating automated structures or machines are still very top-down, requiring humans, factories, or robots to do the assembling and making.

However, the way nature does assembly is ubiquitously bottom-up; animals and plants are self-assembled at a cellular level, relying on proteins to self-fold into target geometries that encode all the different functions that keep us ticking. [Read more…] about MIT demonstrates reprogrammable materials that ‘selectively self-assemble’