Editors’ Picks



Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 3.99
…floor-based storage. In this setup, products are stored in plastic crates, stacked directly on the warehouse floor. Gantry robots can access any SKU, at any time, from overhead, eliminating the need for expensive racking or shelving systems. Myth 4: Automated systems are difficult to learn and maintain With any automation project, it’s true that warehouse managers and staff need to prepare for change. This includes learning how to operate, maintain, and supervise their automation system. The good news is that upskilling efforts don’t need to be a big challenge. Companies should select an automation provider that not only supplies technology,…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 3.69
…with its low-cost automation line at Automate. The motion plastics supplier openly listed the prices for all its robots, components, and preassembled workcells. Combinations of different robots were also noteworthy. FANUC showed an order-fulfillment workcell designed by applications engineer Stacy Harimoto that combined the company's robot arms with 3D vision, scanners, and Locus mobile robots. Another theme was the ongoing convergence between industrial robot arms and their lighter cobot cousins. Thanks to sensors and programming, some bigger robots will now slow down when a person approaches. Larger cobots are finding use in palletizing and surface finishing. “Our cobot has dual…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 7.87
…America included electrical/electronics (+28%), metal and machinery (-9%), and plastic and chemical products (-4%). They each represented a 9% market share of industrial robot installations in 2022. North American industrial robot sales rebounded after the COVID-19 pandemic. Click on image to enlarge. Source: IFR Automate will return The IFR released its North American robotics report during Automate, which the Association for Advancing Automation (A3) claimed is “the largest robotics and industrial automation trade show in North America.” A3 last week reported that North American robot orders declined in the first quarter of 2023. Automate will return in 2024 and then…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 7.99
…Motors implemented a material handling workflow to transport Rehrig's plastic bins and totes. At the Florida facility, the totes move down the conveyor and are labeled with a unique barcode,” OTTO said in a statement. “A FANUC robotic arm stacks the totes onto a pallet, and once the pallet is full, an OTTO 1500 with a lift attachment arrives at the front-of-line station,” the company added. “OTTO picks up the pallet and drives the totes to the end-of-line station where the pallet is stretch wrapped. The process continues as each pallet is completed at the front-of-line station.” The company is…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 8.38
…2023, non-automotive orders in consumer goods, semiconductor and electronics, plastics and rubber, life sciences/pharmaceutical/biomedical, metals, and others purchased 3,519 robots, down 42% over Q1 2022. “While inflation and a slowing U.S. economy may have taken a slight toll on robot orders overall, automotive companies continue to accelerate their purchases as they make the transition to manufacturing electric vehicles,” stated Jeff Burnstein, president of A3, in a press release. “Non-automotive companies are typically newer to automation and may be waiting to invest more until they’ve tested recent deployments or see the economy begin to recover,” he added. “They also might be…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 8.40
…and Europe, AMP claimed that its technology can reclaim plastics, paper, and metals from municipal collection. The company said its systems can also retrieve valuable commodities from electronic scrap, materials from construction and demolition debris, and feedstocks from organic material. AMP recently unveiled the AMP Cortex-C compact sortation system along with an integrated, standalone facility offering for waste management companies. These developments follow the launch of AMP Vortex to handle film contamination and improve recovery of film and flexible packaging. The company said it AI platform identified nearly 75 billion objects in 2022 alone. In addition to developing systems to…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 8.48
…a live demonstration of its CRB15000 GoFa cobot for plastic additive manufacturing. The “absolute accuracy” robot wil be equipped with an MDAC1 end-of-arm tool (EOAT), the flagship smaller-format plastic filament extruder from Massive Dimension. This display will use the 3D Printing PowerPack for ABB's RobotStudio simulation and offline programming software. The entire system offers enhanced integration capabilities and is ideal for small-scale collaborative robot applications, ABB asserted. The Dual-Arm YuMi collaborative robotic printed circuitboad (PCB) assembly cell will show how automation can accurately populate PCBs with through hold technology (THT) components. Cobots provide a viable option for low- to medium-volume…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 8.48
…metal industry with 308 units (-9%), the rubber and plastics industry with 246 units (+27%), and the electrical/electronics industry with 215 units (+98%). Operational stock of robots, in thousands, in India in 2021. Click on image to enlarge. Source: IFR India's potential 'impressive,' says IFR The long-term potential of robotics in India becomes clearer when compared to China, said the IFR. India´s robot density in the automotive industry, which is the number of industrial robots per 10,000 employees, reached 148 robots in 2021. China's robot density hit 131 units in 2010 and skyrocketed to 772 units in 2021, according to…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 12.73
…across North America, Asia, and Europe, AMP's technology recovers plastics, paper, and metals from municipal collection. The company said it also recovers valuable commodities from electronic scrap, materials from construction and demolition debris, and feedstocks from organic material. AMP Cortex-C a compact sortation system AMP Cortex-C is a compact version of AMP’s AI-guided robot that adapts to space constraints and brings the company’s technology to more facilities. AMP said that Cortex-C's small-footprint and ease of installation are designed to provide MRFs and plastic reclamation facilities (PRFs) with a consistent, reliable sortation system for locations that are tight, hard to staff,…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 13.99
…e-chain cable carriers, the Cologne, Germany-based company makes motion plastics that do not require grease, eliminating a source of pollution in machinery such as excavators. With about 110 staffers across two booths at the trade show, igus showed off its materials science expertise, the latest artificial intelligence plus augmented and virtual reality (AR and VR), and its growing automation prowess to prospective customers and junkets of international journalists. ReBeL cobot built for affordability The ReBeL collaborative robot is 100% built by igus, noted Felix Brockmeyer, CEO of Rumford, R.I.-based igus Inc. The light cobot has a modular design and is…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 17.44
…award from igus GmbH for its innovative use of plastic bearings in an assembly that applies liquid fertilizer. J&M Manufacturing won the Gold award for its use of igus bearings in its Para-Linkage coulter. The Fort Recovery, Ohio-based company uses them in its J&M NitroGro nitrogen applicators. The bearings withstand the corrosive environment, require no lubrication, and save time by eliminating the need to apply grease to the applicator, said igus. The biennial manus awards, which igus launched in 2003, honor manufacturers for their applications that demonstrate technical, economic, and ecological efficiency, as well as the developer’s creativity. Judges reviewed…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 12.19
The global leader in motion plastics, igus®, is stepping up the pace of Low Cost Automation and making entry into automation easier and more affordable than ever before. The interaction of inexpensive hardware and digital innovation puts the future of automation within reach. The Hannover Messe is always an important meeting place for the latest developments in the industry. This year, igus will introduce digital products and automation solutions that help companies improve their products and cut costs. A few igus innovations on display at Hannover Messe 2023 will be the ReBeLmini, a cobot for $5,725, the RBTXperience software for…