Articles and News

The new company combines U.S.-based Perception Robotics, Hungary-based OptoForce, and Denmark-based On Robot to become OnRobot, which aims to drive innovation for robotic end-of-arm tooling. OnRobot's headquarters will be located in Denmark under Iversen’s management, and the three entities will continue their individual operations and development as well.

By Robin Whitehead, Boulting Technology Many systems that have been retrofitted for compatibility with the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) are not well protected. This article explains the top considerations to ensure cybersecurity when retrofitting a system.

Within this connected digital ecosystem, information is gathered directly from elevators and escalators via smart sensor technology. Data is then sent to the cloud where it's aggregated and analyzed, and delivered to customers and Otis' dedicated service teams, all in real-time.

At Safety 2018, Steve Ludwig, program manager at Rockwell Automation, will present “Four Ways Safety Engineers Can Help Mitigate Security-Related Safety Risks.”

Participants in the May 24, 11AM EDT webinar will learn about the structure and content of the international IEC 62443 control systems cybersecurity standards and the related ISASecure conformity assessment program.

The latest joint effort resulted in an advanced automation and industrial networking lab for undergraduate courses. The multi-workstation area includes Phoenix Contact’s IEC 61131 programming software, PC Worx, along with visualization software, 802.11 wireless, PROFINET networking, and distributed safety I/O.

By Bill Lydon, Editor, Automation.com At Hannover Messe 2018, it was clear that many in the computing industry are focused on implementing a holistic cyber security approach, encompassing the entire architecture including cloud, enterprise, and edge devices. This article will explore some of these efforts and explain how they are shaping the future of cybersecurity in industrial automation.

By Jonathan Wilkins, EU Automation Collaborative robots, commonly known as cobots, make up just three per cent of all robot sales worldwide. However, awareness of their benefits for manufacturers is increasing and it’s expected that, by 2025, the sales of cobots will have jumped to 34 per cent of all robot sales.

The team will provide training and exSILentia tools, as well as other functional safety lifecycle services such as SIL Assignment, Verification, etc.

Onboard, 44 zones of heating are being controlled by a monitoring system supplied by Siemens, who also supplied the servos and other motion control components for this machine.

By Chris Johnson, SMB Bearings Behind the drawn factory doors of facilities across Europe, humans are working safely alongside a new kind of colleague; one that is stronger, faster and more efficient than ever before: collaborative robots. This article explains how to choose the right bearing for this new automation application.

By Siegfried Müller, MB Connect Line Nowadays it‘s difficult to imagine that a new appliance will be developed without a safety risk analysis, or by using safety elements without corresponding certifications. In fact, standards and norms regulate how security components have to be designed and deployed. Within information technology, such regulations don‘t exist yet.

Starting in April, DENSO’s R&D satellite will begin collaborating with local startups to pioneer new technologies. DENSO will tap into Israel’s technology strengths to develop more technologies, both internally and through collaborative research with local companies and universities.

By Ashley Little, DO Supply, Inc. Rather than working in a caged off area, cobots are designed to collaborate with human workers and enhance the production teams’ capabilities rather than replace them.

Funded by a €1.8 million grant from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme, the project will develop a miniature, trustworthy collision detection sensor system that could drastically improve the safety of autonomous vehicles.

By John Mitchell, CP Automation European manufacturers are estimated to spend over €400 Billion every year on maintenance activities. This article discusses the issues that stop manufacturers cutting costs and improving productivity – the essence of lean manufacturing.

By Jonathan Wilkins, EU Automation For manufacturers, a world without unplanned downtime would be the perfect utopia. The question is, is abolishing unplanned downtime a far-fetched dream, or is it closer than we think? This article shares a vision for a downtime free age.

The combination of Siemens industrial experience and Secure-NOK’s technology is intended to offer a flexible solution for infrastructure in industries such as Power Utilities, Oil &Gas installations, Transportation Systems and others with a growing need to protect against cyber threats.

The CMS Certification Committee will offer a pilot examination for the industry's first Level-One Certification for coordinate measuring machines (CMM) operators. The Coordinate Metrology Society will also offer a pilot assessment for a CMS Level-Two Certification program for 3D Scanner users during their upcoming conference.

At the ARC Industry Forum which was held in Orlando, Florida, from February 12 – 15, HIMA presented its comprehensive functional safety concept which offers security by expanding the scope from the safety instrumented system to its security-relevant environment.