Editor’s note: The following column by Evan Hammersley, warehouse automation and robotics product manager for NITCO, is part of Modern’s Other Voices column, a series featuring ideas, opinions and insights from end-users, analysts, systems integrators and OEMs. Click here to learn about submitting a column for consideration. As robotics and automation continue to grow in popularity, innovative warehouse automation trends are steadily being implemented in warehouses and distribution centers around the world. This new industry phenomenon is optimizing efficiencies and workflows across all areas of operations, and many managers are reporting a return on their investments in as little as…
America Makes announces that Gold-level member JuggerBot 3D, a Youngstown Business Incubator (YBI) portfolio company, hosted a special screening of the NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) video, Rethinking Manufacturing, that aired on Monday, August 19 at 4:30 p.m. at YBI’s “Tech Block Building Five.” The Rethinking Manufacturing video features two Youngstown natives and promising engineers, America Makes Project Engineer Ashley Totin and JuggerBot 3D co-founder and president Zac Divencenzo, and their journey to find their career paths in the wake of the economic decline of their hometown. Once a thriving steel town, the collapse of the industry in…
Epson Robots, a leading SCARA robot manufacturer in the world, announced the AutomateElite Authorized System Integrator Program as part of the Epson Advantage Partner Program. The authorized system integrators are hand-selected by Epson based on automation experience, technical competency, and Epson Robots portfolio expertise. The new program will help them grow their business through sales of Epson Robots and makes it easier for customers to find the best system integrators for their automation projects. Epson authorized system integrators will have access to a variety of tools, including prioritized pre-and post-sales support, training, marketing materials, technical support and more. “We are…
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CoreTech System Co., Ltd. (Moldex3D) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Wittmann Battenfeld, a global manufacturer and supplier of plastics processing equipment on July 5, to collaborate on new innovations in liquid silicone rubber (LSR) injection molding. The MoU was signed on behalf of Moldex3D by Dr. Rong-Yeu Chang, CEO and on behalf of Wittmann Battenfeld by David Chen, President of Wittmann Battenfeld Taiwan. The MoU is aimed at bringing together both parties’ extensive knowledge and technical expertise to advance the role of simulation in LSR injection molding. As part of the partnership, Moldex3D has acquired LSR injection…
SparkFun Electronics announces the release of the JetBot AI Kit powered by the NVIDIA Jetson Nano and the Course Materials Kit for “Getting Started with AI on the Jetson Nano” from NVIDIA’s Deep Learning Institute. SparkFun’s version of the JetBot merges the machine learning capabilities of the NVIDIA Jetson Nano with the vast SparkFun ecosystem of sensors and accessories. Packaged as a ready-to-assemble robotics platform, the SparkFun JetBot Kit requires no additional components or 3D printing to get started, just assemble the robot, boot up the Jetson Nano and start using the JetBot immediately. The Jetson Nano Developer Kit offers…
Since the close of the 2019 Automate show, more than 250 exhibitors have booked more than 150,000 square feet of exhibit space for Automate 2021. This is the largest early sign-up in the history of the event, which dates back to 1977, and the first since the show’s move to its new home in Detroit, Mich. Automate will run May 17-20, 2021, at Cobo Center in Detroit, and is projected to feature more than 500 exhibiting companies. More than 20,000 attendees are expected from small, medium, and large companies in every industry looking to successfully deploy automation. Exhibit space is…
Markforged announces UK-based automotive manufacturing company Dunlop Systems and Components used Markforged 3D printer solutions to produce custom tooling for its facility, reportedly saving tens of thousands of dollars, the companies report. Since purchasing the printer, the division has seen an increase in tools available, lead times cut, and a decrease in costs, the companies report. Onyx and continuous carbon fiber have provided strong, lightweight parts that can be easily printed on the team’s Markforged desktop printer, according to the companies. Dunlop reportedly plans to replace all their tooling with 3D printed Onyx parts. “There are parts we would not…
Hurco has taken the workhorse VMXi Series of performance CNC machines and launched its newest iteration that features a direct drive spindle. The new VMXDi Series includes the VMX24Di (travels 24x20x24-in.), VMX30Di (travels 30x20x24-in.), and the VMX42Di (travels 42x24x24-in.). The VMXi series is known for its performance whether customers are running batch production or die/mold work, the company reports. With the new direct drive spindle, the VMXDi series has a better surface finish, quieter spindle and less head growth, the company adds. It also includes a 15,000-rpm spindle, improved chip-to-chip time (2000 rpm, 12-in. Z-travel in 4 seconds), faster spindle…
Makerbot is building on its vision for industrial-grade desktop 3D printing with the METHOD X, what it dubs a manufacturing workstation architected for the production of end-use parts, manufacturing tools, and functional prototypes. The new desktop 3D printer’s ability to print in real ABS material in a 100°C build chamber using Stratasys SR-30 soluable supports allows dimensional accuracy and precision typically associated with higher-grade and more expensive industrial 3D printers, Makerbot officials said. Specifically, they claim METHOD X can print parts that are up to 26% more rigid and up to 12% stronger than modified ABS formulations used on most…
The exhibit pre-selection for the new Robotics & Automation Solution Center at ProMat 2021 attracted 51 exhibitors who selected 35,700 square feet of exhibit space. The pre-selection was held July 24 and was the first opportunity for exhibitors to secure exhibit space in this new Solution Center at ProMat 2021. The ProMat 2021 Robotics & Automation Solution Center will be the epicenter for supply chain professionals from around the globe to find the leading solutions providers in this fast and dynamic sector of the material handling and logistics industry. From AS/RS and G2P to AGVs and AGCs to autonomous mobile…
Fortify, a Boston-based additive manufacturing start-up and pioneer in digital composite manufacturing (DCM), announced it has closed a $10M Series A funding led by Accel with additional participation from Neotribe, Prelude Ventures and Mainspring Capital Partners. The funding will support the launch of Fortify’s Discovery Partner Program and the growth of the Fortify team. This follows a previous seed round this year of $2.5M. Fortify’s “Fluxprint” technology combines magnetics and digital light processing (DLP) 3D printing to produce composite parts with optimized mechanical properties. This is achieved by precisely orienting reinforcement fibers throughout the parts. Founded on research in composite…