Robotics
Driving quality inspection automation in a post pandemic world
Quality drives success, and this holds true for PCBA manufacturers - large companies producing for their own products, as well as contract manufacturers working for a variety of customers. While until now high quality assurance has been the province of human skilled supervision, constraints on workforce availability and the need to avoid social proximity on the production line are imposing new challenges in an already very competitive industry. T...
Pick, purchase and program your first industrial robot
Robots aren’t always given a favourable representation in pop culture. In Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), homicidal supercomputer HAL 9000 demonstrates how a robot could conspire against its human colleagues. Thankfully, industrial robots aren’t quite as menacing. Here, Nigel Smith, Managing Director of TM Robotics, gives advice to manufacturers to make their first robotic investment.
Simens Hyve cobot makes impact on the cosmetics industry
Although figures show that the UK is behind much of Europe in the adoption of this key digital technology, Middlesbrough-based Applied Scientific Technologies believes there is huge potential for collaborative industrial robots, a movement being driven by the evolution of Industry 4.0 and sister initiatives such as Laboratory 4.0. The company recently deployed its first prototype Siemens-enabled modular robot, the Hyve, into the cosmetics in...
Lux establishes framework for selecting robotics vendors
Businesses are increasingly using robotics across a wide variety of industries, but many companies still fail to understand what’s currently possible with today’s technology or which vendors can provide the solutions they need. In its new report, ‘Building Robotics Solutions’, Lux Research has created a framework for selecting robotics vendors based on the key capabilities and level of customisation required.
Bolstering COVID-19 testing with Cobots
As nationwide lockdown measures begin to ease, we are still seeing virus hotspots emerging in places such as Leicester, shifting the focus to local lockdowns. Whilst the global search for a vaccine continues, a robust testing apparatus remains the most effective measure against spreading COVID-19. Here, Mark Gray, Sales Manager UK&I, Universal Robots explains the role of cobots.
The fastest growing sector of robotic surgery
IDTechEx reports that the robotic surgery market will reach over $12bn by 2030. Within this industry, catheter navigation is an emerging, but lesser-known application, that is rapidly gaining traction. IDTechEx's findings are detailed in the recently published report 'Innovations in Robotic Surgery 2020-2030: Technologies, Players & Markets'.
Underground drones help maintain power supplies
We’re getting used to seeing them fly high in the sky, and now high-tech drones are also delving deep underground to help maintain power supplies. UK Power Networks, which runs power supplies for 8.3 million homes and businesses across London the East and South East, has invested in cutting-edge ‘inspectors’ in collaboration with global energy and water knowledge enterprise Enzen.
Fully automatic rotary table system
Seica has announced a new video online, showcasing the new Compact RT Next Series, a fully automatic Rotary Table based system, suitable for medium/high volume production. The COMPACT RT, 450mm wide, has been designed to provide immediate in-line robot integration to reduce the impact of DUT LOADING/UNLOADING times.
Robots provide opportunities for the COVID-19 restart
Even before the coronavirus pandemic, the manufacturing industry in Germany was highly automated according to figures from the International Federation of Robotics and ranked third in robot density worldwide behind Singapore and South Korea. This trend is likely to continue after the COVID-19 crisis.
AI-powered agricultural robots: a revolution in ultra-precision?
The developments in agricultural robots, machine vision, and AI will drive a deep and far-reaching transformation of the way farming is carried out. Yes, today the fleet sizes and the total area covered by new robots are still vanishingly small compared to the global agricultural industry. However, this should not lull the players into a false sense of security because the ground is slowly but surely shifting. Robotics and AI are enabling a revol...