Articles and News

The contest tested robotic programming knowledge by challenging students to complete a set of tasks on a FANUC education robot in three hours. The objective included program planning, end of arm tool selection, robot programming and teamwork. A panel of experts judged the 23 teams on their ability to complete the assignment, efficiency, teamwork and robotics knowledge.

Bentley Systems acknowledged 18 Year in Infrastructure Awards winners and nine Special Recognition Awards winners at a ceremony and gala on October 24 at the conclusion of the Year in Infrastructure 2019 Conference in Singapore.

Finger Lakes Community College (FLCC) has been awarded a $50,000 manufacturing grant from the FuzeHub Innovation Fund to support its work with New Scale Robotics, accelerating development of New Scale’s precision measurement and gripping tools for a range of collaborative robots (cobots).

By Thomas R. Cutler Only when a small manufacturer has a grasp on operation elements can the promise of lean manufacturing and continuous process improvement be realized

The tool also offers cost analysis, insights on cyber insurance limits and deductibles, and an estimated incident costs calculator that helps organizations better understand how to protect themselves against current and emerging cyber threats.

While many manufacturers are aware of the benefits of digitalization, it can be difficult to figure out where to begin, in order to reap those benefits. EPICOR has put together an architecture for companies, particularly small and medium manufacturers, to implement Industry 4.0, and Internet of Things conceptsy.

Corning will use Verizon’s 5G technology to test how 5G can enhance functions such as factory automation and quality assurance in one of a fiber optic cable manufacturing facility.

By Bill Lydon, Automation.com The foundations of the automation industry are being reshaped by the flood of ideas, software, and products driven by Industry 4.0 and digitalization of manufacturing and process industries. Machine builders many finally start to benefit from the leveraging of open standard control software.

The data illustrates that IoT/ICS networks and unmanaged devices are soft targets for adversaries. Some of the top findings noted that these networks have outdated operating systems (71 percent of sites), use unencrypted passwords (64 percent) and lack automatic antivirus updates (66 percent).

The MachineMetrics IIoT Partner Ecysostem is powering a range of services and enabling complete end-to-end solutions and continuous value creation for both discrete manufacturing customers and participating partners, and includes a number of companies like Amazon Web Services, Hurco, Tsugami, SECO Tools, Saint Gobain, and McKinsey and Company

By Jonathan Wilkins, EU Automation Automated guided vehicles (AGVs) have been an industry staple since 1953. However, their reliance on environmental markers and the fact they follow a pre-determined route, means AGVs are best suited to structured environments in the absence of humans. This article discusses the rise of mobile robots and what challenges need to be faced for their uptake.

Teradyne will acquire privately held AutoGuide for $165 million; $58 million net of cash acquired plus $107 million, if certain performance targets are met extending potentially through 2022. The acquisition is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2019, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approval.

By Mark Howard, EU Automation Additive manufacturing (AM) is drastically altering a range of industries, from manufacturing to the medical sector. But what are the limitations of the technology? This article shares some insights behind the manufacturing and legal issues surrounding additive manufacturing.

By Darcy Simonis, ABB While Bitcoin itself has divided many and attracted criticism, the technology that it is built upon, the blockchain, has garnered significant interest due to its promise of immutable digital record-keeping. This article explains why the emerging technology stores the key to greater traceability and reduced food wastage.

Trimantec’s Engineered Solutions and Electromechanical Manufacturing groups underwent the validation process and were awarded the ISO 9001:2015 QMS certification based on the following scope: design, manufacturing, fabrication, and assembly of electromechanical and machined components.

The 28,000sqm factory, announced in June, will produce 5G and Advanced Antenna System radios to boost network capacity and coverage to meet the demand for rapid 5G deployments in North America.

The partnership will result in the delivery of an Enterprise Asset Management and Predictive Maintenance system that provides industrial organizations with tools to assess, manage and optimize their industrial assets and maintenance processes using Industry 4.0 best practices. The collaboration began in 2018 as part of the Manufacturing Technology Centre’s Factory in a Box project.

Operations research concepts are well-known in the field of project management and are evident in Gantt charts and critical path method organization and planning.

By Mark Howard, EU Automation Surpassing all expectations, the Federal Reserve announced a rise in the US manufacturing production index of 0.5 per cent in August 2019. This article discusses the potential long term upswing of US manufacturing and how to achieve it.

By Frank Kenney, Cleo By taking a proactive approach to EDI integration and ecommerce, and by moving EDI processes to the cloud, manufacturers can more easily navigate the winding pathway towards automating operations while also innovating for brand differentiation and reducing order fulfillment costs.