Factory Automation
IFR Report: Korea hits record 300,000 industrial robots
Within five years, the country has doubled its number of industrial robots. Following Japan and China, the country ranked third in 2018. But the dynamics of robot installations has decreased in recent years and for 2019 a continued decrease is expected.
ARC Advisory Group Report: ABB leads DCS market for 20th consecutive year
According to the report, ABB’s presence in many end-user industries was a major factor in this success. The DCS market saw its main growth in oil & gas, chemicals and refining, where also ABB has a strong footprint.
NUM announces opening of Indian office
NUM AG has opened a branch in Bangalore in November 2019. With this expansion in Asia, the international company with headquarters in Teufen, Switzerland, intends to reinforce its position in the field of CNC controls.
Valcor Engineering announces solar energy effort to enhance environmental protection
Their most recent endeavor involves the installation of 2,194 solar panels on the building’s recently replaced roof.
Microchip Technology announces Early Access Program for PolarFire system-on-chip field programmable gate array
The platform offers the a hardened real-time, Linux capable, RISC-V-based microprocessor subsystem on the mid-range PolarFire FPGA family, bringing class-leading low power consumption, thermal efficiency and defense grade security to embedded systems.
exida announces Honeywell's ControlEdge PLC as winner of 2019 Exida Cyber Award
The ControlEdge Safety PLC was chosen as the winner in the Embedded Device category due to many problem-solving capabilities while demonstrating security and resilience.
B&R and ABB announce integration of robotics and automation solutions
With the ability to offer machine flexibility and precision, merging robotics with machine control into one unified architecture will enable manufacturers to embrace the trend of mass customization and optimize their lot size one processes.
Sager Electronics announces UL508A certification of Power Solutions Center in Texas
UL 508A certification is an industrial control panel directive certifying an assembly meets the standards of electrical inspection.
ST Robotics providing hands-on robotics training to university students
More than 30 other educational institutions have benefited from ST Robotics’ systems. These include: MIT, Cambridge University, Ecole Nationale Supérieure d'Architecture de Lyon, Newcastle University Australia, National Autonomous University of Mexico, University of Antwerp, St Andrews University, and Queens University Belfast, and the University of Waterloo.
Genius Garage announces slot car STEM program in Detroit
Applicants must write a minimum one-page paper as to why they like cars and racing and what they think they will learn from the program that will be meaningful to their lives. Also, why they would be a good person to be accepted into this Genius Garage program.
ABB robots help Bloomingdale's ring in holiday season
Twelve ABB robots are interacting with visitors to Bloomingdale’s holiday celebration at their 59th Street flagship store. ABB’s robots are the main attraction in three of Bloomingdale’s twelve holiday window displays on Lexington and Third Avenues
KraftPowercon Sweden announces acquisition of Marsulex Environmental Technologies Corporation
The acquisition will enable MET to introduce electrical upgrades of Electrostatic Precipitators (ESPs) using KraftPowercon’s technology ‘SmartKraft’ and ‘MicroPulse’ power supplies.
Interact Analysis Report: Motion Control Market to Exceed $15B by 2023
Despite a small decline in 2019 (-3.8%) the report outlines how the market for motion control products will grow strongly, ultimately exceeding $15bn in 2023.
Gowanda Components Group announces acquisition of RCD Components
Terms of the deal were not disclosed but GCG has stated that RCD will maintain its operations in Manchester as well as their support facilities in the Caribbean and Asia. In addition to RCD’s facilities, GCG has seven other manufacturing and design facilities located within the United States.
ODVA announces integration of IO-Link devices into The EtherNet/IP Specification
IO-Link to CIP connectivity works to reduce engineering effort and ease the acquisition of data and information, leading to a connected plant that is better able to meet the demands that IT/OT convergence are bringing to the factory floor. IO-Link devices can now be recognized within EtherNet/IP without the end user having the burden of data conversion.
Emerson to help Danish gas company enhance wellhead pressure monitoring technology
Total E&P Denmark is replacing the existing wellhead platforms with new and elevated topsides. The 13-meter-high jacket extensions and new topsides will be installed on top of the existing jacket structures.
VDMA Report: German robotics and automation sector expects 5 percent downturn in 2019
The reasons for this downturn are a global economy that is losing momentum and saturation effects in important markets. For example, worldwide sales of smartphones are stagnating, which is also having an impact on investment in machinery.
Honeywell to build Integrated Control and Safety System (ICSS) for BP offshore platform off Trinidad and Tobago
As the project’s main automation contractor (MAC), Honeywell will deliver all systems, detailed engineering and lead procurement for the integrated control and safety system. The solution will be based on Honeywell’s flagship control system, the Experion Process Knowledge System (PKS)
Siemens announces launch of Additive Manufacturing (AM) Network
Siemens’ AM Network is designed for enterprises, suppliers and partners that are looking to accelerate the adoption of AM for industrial processes and applications.
Tompkins Robotics announces partnership with Bastian Solutions to expand delivery of t-Sort solution
Through the new partnership, Bastian Solutions will utilize Tompkins Robotics’ t-Sort systems to help its clients optimize warehousing and fulfillment operations across a range of end customer applications and sites.
ABB announces testing completion for subsea power distribution and conversion technology system
For the first time worldwide, energy companies will be able to access a supply of up to 100 megawatts of power, over distances up to 600 kilometers and down to 3,000 meters water depth, at pressures that could shatter a brick.
Honeywell announces development of OneWireless IoT Module for Cisco industrial access points
The Honeywell OneWireless IoT Module will deliver ISA100 Wireless and WirelessHART multi-protocol connectivity, extending the Wi-Fi connectivity delivered via the Cisco Catalyst IW6300 Heavy Duty Series Access Point, the successor to the Cisco Aironet 1552S Outdoor Access Point.
MakerBot announces METHOD Materials Development Program
A growing list of partners starting with Jabil, KIMYA, Polymaker, and Mitsubishi Chemical are working to qualify filament for use with the MakerBot METHOD platform.
Whatfix announces collaboration with Automation Anywhere to enhance robotic process automation platform
Whatfix is collaborating with Automation Anywhere to streamline customer onboarding during trial and post-trial RPA deployments. The relationship between the two companies is also intended to help improve user engagement and internal sales productivity on Salesforce CRM applications.
Syncron announces enhancements Syncron Service Cloud
The enhancements to the Syncron Service Cloud are designed to work to empower manufacturers to optimize their current break-fix after-sales service operations as they simultaneously lay the foundation for the inevitable shift to servitization and delivering products-as-a-service.
Siemens announces agreement to acquire MultiMechanics
The company plans to integrate MultiMechanics into Siemens Digital Industries Software, which will add the ability for customers to create a digital twin of materials by closely integrating materials engineering with part design, performance engineering, and manufacturing through the unique TRUE Multiscale technology for a range of material-driven applications.
Rockwell Automation and PTC announce results of first year of digital transformation partnership
This performance includes a year of achievements spanning customers and use cases, innovations designed to accelerate the integration OT and IT systems, and industry recognition for the two companies’ combined industrial software suite, FactoryTalk InnovationSuite, powered by PTC.
Ansell Limited announces partnership with ProGlove to enhance safety solutions
This cooperation highlights industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) innovation in scaling Ansell PPE and striving to create a safer work environment. Ansell and ProGlove are working for a breakthrough in enterprise safety management by combining smart PPE to address customer frustrations.
Siemens and juwi announce partnership to focus on microgrids in mining
The two companies aim to roll-out and continually develop a microgrid control system that enables the integration of power from renewable energy to a mine’s off-grid power supply.
Teradyne announces completion of acquisition of AutoGuide Mobile Robots
AutoGuide’s products work to deliver deployment andefficiency of industrial and warehouse material-handling operations.
Gulf Bridge International (GBI) and Microsoft partner to accelerate cloud connectivity in the Middle East
The strategic partnership will enable organisations to gain faster access to the Microsoft Azure Cloud, with the goal of high performance, security and compliance to better transform their business operations.
Festo announces distribution agreement with Magswitch
Magswitch offers single sided gripping systems featuring true on-and-off magnetic technology that can simplify complete automation systems in OEM assembled lines in such applications as robotic welding, pick-and-place, and body-in-white.
ScaleMatrix announces launch of DDC to provide control cabinet solutions
The DDC cabinet technology is a closed loop liquid-air hybrid cooling system which works to provide environmental conditions and energy efficiency, along with biometric security and rapid-deployment capabilities, for the computing hardware needed to support computing workloads.
Zebra Technologies to help United States Postal Service (USPS) enhance mobility
The USPS will start deploying 300,000 TC77 mobile devices to scan, track and trace packages across its carrier network as its Mobile Delivery Device in the first half of 2020.
Madison College students win Industrial Robotics Competition at Wisconsin Manufacturing and Technology Show
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 announces winners of Year in Infrastructure 2019 Awards
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.
New Scale Robotics partners with Fuzehub Innovation Fund to award manufacturing grant to Finger Lakes Community College
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).
Bentley Systems announces digital cities intiatives
Digital twin cloud services provide an intuitive and immersive 4D environment converging digital context and digital components with digital chronology for “evergreen” infrastructure digital twins over asset lifecycles. For infrastructure professionals, BIM and GIS are effectively advanced through 4D digital twins.
EUnited Robotics elects Wilfried Eberhardt as Chairman
Wilfried Eberhardt succeeds Walter Zulauf, Director of Technology, Güdel Group AG, whose three-year term had ended. Walter Zulauf will continue his contributions to the board and was elected as Vice Chairman.
EtherCAT Technology Group announces support for EtherCAT G
EtherCAT G was introduced by Beckhoff Automation in 2018 as an extension of the EtherCAT standard. Beckhoff recently presented the gigabit technology addition to the ETG, and after thorough review, the organization’s Technical Committee accepted it. Right now, the ETG is working to add EtherCAT G to the corresponding technology specifications.
