Articles and News

In an era of historically high prices for metals and energy, manufacturers are feeling the pinch. To ease the effect of increasing costs of these products, industry is taking a close look at ways of keeping energy and material expenses in line. Investing in robotics for material removal can be part of a mix of strategies to keep costs down by more efficiently using materials, time and energy.

This is the second mine hoist system that ABB will deliver for the new main haulage level at Malmberget.

His experience includes financial, leadership, and general business management positions within AECOM, Motorola, British Steel and Marconi Underwater Weapons.

Enviro checkweighers and bench scales are NTEP Class III certified, having met the National Conference on Weights & Measures’ standards.

Workholding equipment shipments within the U.S. by the 38 companies participating in the AWT statistical report totaled $42.6 million while exports amounted to $7.4 million.

March U.S. manufacturing technology consumption totaled $258.00 million, up 49.5% from the total of $172.59 million reported for March 2009.

The reduction in 2009 was a direct result of a downturn in the global economy that resulted in dramatically lower manufacturing activity, including machine tool sales into the manufacturing industry.

KNAPP will license and integrate Kollmorgen’s NDC Suite technology in warehouse applications for automated order-picking and automating standard forklifts.

Axium will supply mixed load palletizing solutions based on ABB Robotics in North America.

Since its inception in 2000, Automation.com has grown to become the leading online publisher of automation-related news, information and resources. Each month, the site attracts more than 115,000 automation professionals from around the world.

This valuable resource—the top purchasing guide in the automation field—is available to ISA’s members from a link on the ISA homepage.

By Brent Evanger, Banner Engineering Many engineers use machine vision equipment in quality control inspection processes. To attain accurate results from these inspections, however, the user must ensure sufficient lighting.

Automation expenditures in the food and beverage industry are expected to reach $6 billion by 2013.

January U.S. manufacturing technology consumption totaled $130.96 million, down 40.3% from December but up 26.2% from the total of $103.77 million reported for January 2009.

One element contributing to the price erosion is that controllers are rapidly becoming an automation commodity in some sectors.

Flexpoint Sensor Systems will develop a “nip sensor” to measure actual contact (interfacial) pressure and distribution between two mating or impacting surfaces.

The guide provides an overview of applications that can benefit from electric actuation, and non-commercial information on the benefits of converting manual, hydraulic or pneumatic applications to electromechanical motion.

AMT says U.S. manufacturing technology consumption was up in December but down 60% from 2008.

Saia Burgess, a manufacturer of motion control solutions, replaced stockroom shelving with four KardexRemstar horizontal carousels, pick-to-light technology and FastPic inventory management software.

By Jim McMahon, Dematic Capable of building mixed-case pallets from an inventory of over 10,000 SKUs, the latest evolution in Automated Mixed-Case Palletizing represents an advance in case palletizing.