All posts by RoboticsTomorrow.com Articles, Stories and Products

They move like snakes and reach places that are too narrow or dangerous for humans. The robust robotic arms of the Tokyo-based company HiBot take inspection, maintenance and repair to new levels.

As proved in 2020, manufacturing, distribution, and warehousing organizations that adapt quickly to evolving conditions survive and thrive. Now, planning for Black Swan events has become a top consideration for global supply chain companies.

New developments in robotics — including smart robotics, collaborative automation, and similar technology — may be essential for processors handling these modern challenges.

“Robotics-as-a-service” is a model in which customers purchase automation on an “as-needed” basis. This could be monthly pricing or usage-based pricing. Upfront costs are typically negligible or non-existent.

When you sell a robot, the amount of additional required pneumatic components, sensing products, vision inspection systems and machine safety products can cost as much or more than the robot itself. Every robot sold has an exponential economic ripple effect.

Ultrasonic uses energy from microscopic vibrations of a blade to pass easily through the material and offers a more effective solution for cutting cheese and other food products. When paired with automation, ultrasonic technology can deliver precise and accurate cutting.

The 2020 Honeywell Intelligrated Automation Investment Study revealed that e-commerce (66 per cent) grocery, food and beverage (59 per cent) and logistics (55 per cent) industries are most willing to invest more in automation.

Retrofit machines can bring legacy devices into the Internet of Things. Sensors and digital controls provide valuable information and integrate older machines into new, intelligent factory management systems.

Low demand scenarios necessitate a different strategy: tools that can produce more pieces per edge while providing process security. Here, the goal should be fewer production interruptions and the capability to run unmanned production.

Last month, Stäubli introduced 5 new models of tool changers to round out our MPS product line. These new models open up much of the smaller payload robots to using tool changers.

Machine designers are increasingly asked to build systems that take up less space, operate on less power, and run with higher performance. Thankfully motion controls are answering the call with new motors, new sensors, and new architectures.

According to a recent report from the World Economic Forum, 85 million jobs could be lost and displaced by new technologies in the next five years. It’s no surprise that workers, particularly in manufacturing, worry how these developments will affect their jobs.

Conversion from a Neon CL board to an Axion board is quite simple. The connectors are the same, so cabling won’t be an issue. Simple swap out the boards, upgrade the SDK revision to the latest, recompile your code and you are good to go.

While palletizing cartons is a regular automation application, doing so from a cold room that is regularly hosed with water to stay clean is a specific challenge. Motion Controls Robotics overcame these by using vacuum technology from Piab supplied by Neff Grp Dist.

One of the most interesting features of this update to the Robotics program is the added module on autonomous robots. Autonomous robots are one of the fastest-growing sectors in the industry, with an increasing number of commercial and industrial applications.