Robotics & Automation News

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Changing of the Guard: MES or Not?

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By Karan Talati, First Resonance

Innovation and operational changes are essential to maintaining your competitive edge in any industry. This is no different for manufacturing. Times are changing, and today’s manufacturers are re-evaluating their production processes.

Machine efficiency is necessary. It is important to the bottom line but doesn’t drive innovation. MES has been the go-to solution for manufacturers for decades, but it has lagged behind modern challenges facing today’s manufacturers.

Visionary entrepreneurs, startups, and incumbent companies with a new generation of engineers are looking to transform products of the physical world. To that, they need flexible and iterative workflows – not static efficiency measurements. Organizations across industries are rethinking legacy tools’ role in their operations. [Read more…] about Changing of the Guard: MES or Not?

Liminal launches automated system for battery inspection in manufacturing

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Liminal, a specialist in electric vehicle battery manufacturing intelligence, has launched its EchoStat platform, a fully-automated commercial-ready manufacturing inspection solution based on ultrasound and machine learning.

Scheduled to be fully operational in 2023, this in-process inspection innovation is a groundbreaking, critical advancement toward helping EV battery manufacturers achieve the accelerated production ramp rates and cost reduction required to catalyze EV adoption at scale.

EchoStat’s core technology has been validated across 50 different cell types by six EV OEMs and seven cell manufacturers.

Anders Thor, director of communications at Northvolt, says: “We see potential in the automated EchoStat platform, enabling in-process control of saturation quality and prediction of cell performance and cycle life. The in-line inspection solution provides opportunities to improve manufacturing efficiency, saving resource, cost and time.” [Read more…] about Liminal launches automated system for battery inspection in manufacturing

Increased Productivity With Palletizing Automation

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In recent decades, the field of robotics and the development of artificial intelligence has grown to unimaginable proportions. Today, robotic services, automatic counting and record-keeping systems, and other gadgets are increasingly seen in the workplace. 

While such technology is just beginning its journey in everyday life, it has long occupied its niche in manufacturing. Thanks to their many advantages, more and more robots are appearing in the workplace. Why do we trust them so much and is it profitable? [Read more…] about Increased Productivity With Palletizing Automation

Unigel installs first industrial-scale green hydrogen production site in Brazil using ThyssenKrupp technology

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Unigel has built the first industrial-scale green hydrogen plant in Brazil.

The company, which is one of the largest chemical companies in Latin America and the largest manufacturer of nitrogen fertilizers in Brazil, has invested a total of $120 million in the development of the production site for green hydrogen.

In the first phase of the project, Unigel installed three 20 MW standard electrolyzers from ThyssenKrupp Nucera, adding up to a total capacity of 60 MW. The plant will feed one of the largest green ammonia plants by capacity when it starts its production. [Read more…] about Unigel installs first industrial-scale green hydrogen production site in Brazil using ThyssenKrupp technology

Airbus to expand robotic usage at Rochefort logistics site

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Airbus, the world’s largest airplane manufacturer, is expanding its usage of robotic solutions at its Rochefort, France logistics facility.

Airbus expects to be manufacturing a staggering 1,000 aircraft a year by 2025, which would significantly increase its requirements for parts picking in its warehouses.

Airbus’ partners at the Rochefort warehouse are Blondel Group and Scallog. Specifically, logistics company Blondel manages the warehouse and has installed Scallog robotic systems to accelerate operations. [Read more…] about Airbus to expand robotic usage at Rochefort logistics site

Acieta unveils new collaborative robotic system for welding

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Acieta has unveiled a new collaborative robotic system for welding. The company says the new “FastARC” cobot can pay back customers’ investment “in as little as six months”.

Acieta says that “everyone is struggling to hire and retain good laborers, especially those with welding skills”. But when the position is unfilled, a welding system sits idle and doesn’t make a profit.

Companies simply cannot afford to wait for the next skilled welder to walk through the door. The labor pool is dwindling and there’s fierce competition to attract those individuals. [Read more…] about Acieta unveils new collaborative robotic system for welding

Volvo Group to establish battery production plant in Sweden

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The Volvo Group has initiated the process to establish a large-scale production plant for battery cells in Sweden.

The company says the initiative is designed to meet “the growing demand for battery electric heavy-duty vehicles and machines”.

Martin Lundstedt, president and CEO of the Volvo Group, says: “We aim to lead the transition to a decarbonized transport system and have the long-term ambition to offer our customers solutions that are 100 percent fossil free. [Read more…] about Volvo Group to establish battery production plant in Sweden

Kuka receives ‘record orders’ in first six months of year

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Kuka, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of industrial robots, says it has achieved “record orders” in the first six months of 2022.

At €2,545.4 million, the value of Kuka Group’s orders received in the first half of the year was 34.8 percent higher than in the previous year, and sales revenues increased by 13.5 percent to around €1.7 billion.

In addition, Kuka improved earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) to €48.6 million (H1/21: €33.8 million). The EBIT margin increased to 2.8 percent in the first half-year 2022. [Read more…] about Kuka receives ‘record orders’ in first six months of year

From battery cell production to the installation of electric motors

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Reliable processes for electromobility with automation solutions from Festo

The number of vehicles with electric powertrains is growing globally by more than 40 percent each year. At the same time, the manufacturing processes for the electrified powertrain are changing.

While the classic manufacturing process for cars with internal combustion engines was predominantly based on semi-automatic production methods, both battery cells and electric motors are increasingly produced fully automatically.

As a leading manufacturer of automation technology, Festo has the right solutions for this process along the entire value chain, from battery cell production to the assembly of electric motors. [Read more…] about From battery cell production to the installation of electric motors

15 benefits to using Automation in High-Pressure Die Casting

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Die casting is a process that has been used for many years to create products from metal using die casting mould. It is often used when there is a need for mass production of parts, as it can be done quickly and relatively cheaply.

In recent years, however, die casting has begun to be replaced by a new process called Automation in High-Pressure Die Casting. [Read more…] about 15 benefits to using Automation in High-Pressure Die Casting