Where Innovation Meets Imagination
A senior executive at industrial giant Omron foresees a time in which cars virtually build themselves in factories. (See interview below.)
Bruno Adam, director of Omron’s mobile robot business director in Europe, says that in the future, factories will operate completely differently.
The current process sees car bodies moved along a linear, straight production line where different robots and people work on their assembly.
[Read more…] about Omron robotics boss envisages cars building themselvesZF Friedrichshafen AG has received a double-digit billion-euro order from BMW AG for its enhanced 8-speed automatic transmission.
The latest version of ZF’s 8-speed transmission has been improved by integrating an electric drive. This also includes a hybrid variant.
The new transmission generation will start series production in 2022 at ZF’s plant in Saarbrücken, the lead production facility for ZF’s automatic passenger car transmissions.
[Read more…] about ZF wins major order for new automatic transmissionMagna held two grand opening ceremonies last month in China, for new factories in Changsha and Shanghai.
The new plant in Changsha, a joint venture with GAC subsidiary GAC Component Co., Ltd. (GAC Component), began production of composite liftgates for a global automaker’s crossover vehicle in late 2018.
Last month, Magna’s plant in Shanghai started production on active aerodynamic grille shutters for an American brand producing multiple vehicle platforms for the China market.
[Read more…] about Magna celebrates growing footprint in China with two grand opening eventsSick, the sensor specialist, has been named a Top 50 Robotics Company by the Robotics Business Review.
The RBR50 is an annual list of the 50 most innovative and transformative robotics companies that have achieved commercial success in the past year.
Sick provides sensor technology for a number of robotics applications, including navigation for mobile platforms. [Read more…] about Sensors supplier Sick selected as Top 50 robotics company
The Mercedes-Benz of electric vehicles is ready for launch. The EQC is produced at the company’s Bremen plant and can be ordered now.
The first EQC will roll off the production line at the company’s plant in Bremen. There it is being produced on the same line as the C-Class Saloon and Estate as well as the GLC and GLC Coupé.
Production of vehicles with various drive systems can be adapted variably and efficiently in line with market demand. This approach ensures the best use of capacity at the plant.
[Read more…] about Electrified Mercedes EQC goes into productionVolkswagen is planning to move into the battery cell manufacturing market with an investment of €1 billion in a new production facility in Europe.
The automotive giant will set up the battery cell production facility in the Lower Saxony region of its native Germany.
The company is working with the local government to choose a suitable location for the factory complex, and is likely to partner with businesses from relevant sectors.
[Read more…] about Volkswagen to invest €1 billion in new battery cell production facilityThe “NextGenAM” project, what began as a vision in May 2017, has now reached a successful conclusion.
The aim was to develop a digitalised next-generation manufacturing line to produce aluminium components for the automotive and aerospace sectors significantly more cost-effectively than is currently possible.
The successful outcome was that, in terms of the overall production process, manufacturing costs could be reduced by up to 50 percent compared with existing 3D printing systems.
[Read more…] about NextGenAM 3D printing pilot successfully completedThe current robotics limelight tends to focus on the ability of new innovations to automate tasks, but a less publicized development is taking place whereby passive exoskeletons have been slowly deployed and adopted to help augment the capability of human workers.
Exoskeleton popularization through passive suits will provide a base for increased resources for powered suits, which will eventually provide significant augmentative capability to the industrial workforce.
By 2028, global Exoskeleton revenues will reach $5 billion with hundreds of thousands of active exoskeletons being deployed, according to ABI Research. The research consultancy’s findings are on its report, Exoskeletons for Industrial Use Cases.
[Read more…] about Exoskeleton market projected to grow to $6 billionFujitsu Limited has announced that, working with RIKEN, it has completed the design of Post-K, the successor to the K supercomputer.
The Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) is aiming to start the public service of Post-K around 2021 or 2022.
Fujitsu has now concluded an official contract with RIKEN to manufacture, ship, and install hardware for Post-K.
[Read more…] about Fujitsu begins production of post-K supercomputerFirestone Building Products, a subsidiary of Bridgestone Americas, has opened its first greenfield plant in Heinsberg, Germany.
The facility, which broke ground in March 2017, employs a workforce of approximately twenty and is located in the Dremmen District of Heinsberg, Germany.
The new facility represents an opportunity to supplement Firestone insulation production in North America in order to meet the growing demand for complete roofing solutions in a global market.
[Read more…] about Firestone unit opens first facility in Germany
