At the recent Hannover Fair industrial trade show in Hannover, Germany, more than 130,000 attendees from across the globe came together to experience the latest technology and products over the five day event. Visitors to the huge Microsoft booth were able to explore four key areas for the future of manufacturing: empowering a connected workforce,…
Mitsubishi Electric Automation releases CNC Oscillation Cutting function
Mitsubishi Electric Automation announces the upgrade option of Vibration Cutting Control (VCC) through hardware to its M8 Series CNC as a solution to eliminate chip strands while machining difficult-to-cut material, such as stainless steel, at faster cutting speeds. Machine tool and Automotive industries alike often experience delays and defects in processes due to long strands…
Boeing signs exclusive distribution agreement with Ontic
Boeing announced a distributor agreement with Ontic to support the Staverton product line. The agreement identifies Boeing Distribution (formerly Aviall) as the exclusive distributor of approximately 600 actuation and control products on a range of civil and military aircraft platforms. “We are excited to reach an agreement with Ontic to once again offer these products…
How real-time data can increase uptime
Today in automation, predictive and preventive maintenance are constantly in the conversation. While the ideas may be clear, the implementation and advantages are not. Is this a fad that will fizzle out soon? By Gerry Paci, Marketing Manager — Material Handling ⋅ Pepperl+Fuchs For many years in the material handling industry, warehouse operators have strived…
SLAM technology improves AMR autonomy
Dynamic warehouses seek robots that can adapt to change with minimal human intervention. With localization and mapping software, AMRs can build facility maps, orient themselves, detect differences, and share changes with their fleet for uninterrupted and safer operations. When people were building warehouses 10 or 15 years ago in the U.S., few considered employing robots…
Consumer-product production and distribution top automation drivers
For the annual Design World Trends issue, dozens of industry experts shared their insights. Here is additional information from some of those experts on the design, manufacture, and distribution of consumer products. Especially since COVID, the manufacture and distribution of home appliances, consumer electronics, and have evolved with advanced automation technologies. MEET THE EXPERTS Abdullah […]
Beckhoff USA posts $134 M revenue in 2022, continues relentless growth trajectory
Beckhoff Automation LLC generated impressive results in 2022, growing revenue to $134 million in the U.S., a remarkable increase of 33.4% over the previous year. Beckhoff’s strategic growth goes beyond the impressive sales figures – it crossed over into company footprint expansions and growing the U.S. team to 218 employees. President Kevin Barker attributes the…
The latest technologies for agriculture and off-highway automation
With the rise of smart farming in agriculture, equipment manufacturers face the challenge of maximizing machine uptime in harsh and extreme environments. Companies are leveraging different types of motion systems to improve reliability in their designs, with technology evolving alongside farming practices. Such systems take advantage of advancements across automation more generally, which includes robotics,…
15 industry experts on relentless semiconductor woes — and fixes
Semiconductor products were more affected than any other by COVID-induced supply-chain issues felt around the world. International political tensions have only prolonged and exacerbated the problem. By Lisa Eitel | Executive editor Every modern gadget, vehicle, smart device, and appliance is peppered over with semiconductors galore — offering that singular function of processing power that…
Keeping pace with growing industry, Pack Expo ’23 show will be most comprehensive
In keeping with industry growth, Pack Expo Las Vegas 2023 (Sept. 11-13; Las Vegas Convention Center) is on pace to be the largest, most comprehensive edition of this trade show since its inception. As the premier destination to explore cutting-edge packaging and processing solutions, Pack Expo Las Vegas will include more than 2,000 suppliers, as…
Plug product and press help manufacturer reduce scrap and warranty claims
An automobile’s automatic transmission case is a very complex casting that includes a sophisticated valve body with many channels and passages. These features must be precisely connected to perform the necessary control functions. However, it’s not always possible to cast all interconnections. Some case features necessitate drilling through the casting’s outer shell (and one or…
Siemens Digital Industries Software on sustainable product design
By Eryn Devola — Vice President of Sustainability for Siemens Digital Industries Design has always been a balance of performance, cost, and quality. But these metrics do not take the full, lifetime environmental impact of a product into account. Sustainability must be added to ensure every impact of a product is addressed in even the…
More flexibility and usability for mobile robotics with locator
With Bosch Rexroth’s Rokit Locator software, mobile robots can independently determine their position. Users no longer need expert knowledge or additional infrastructure to commission a mobile robot. Locator allows mobile robots to determine their position and orientation in any environment, simplifying the automation of intralogistics tasks in industry and trade. Locator is compatible with various…
Drones take the night shift for improved inventory tracking
Gone are the days when inventory inaccuracy is just part of doing business. As new technology is increasingly affordable and pervasive, more third-party logistics (3PL) companies embrace innovation to improve their competitive advantage. Inventory accuracy is one of the most important KPIs for any 3PL or warehouse. The higher the accuracy, the faster orders can…
From trend to trade: how automation evolves out of necessity
What was unthinkable in the past has become commonplace in modern warehouses. Robots and scalable automation are now must-haves for thriving during market fluctuations. Warehouse automation has been around a lot longer in the U.S. than people may assume. Though today we think of autonomous robots and software-driven machines operating continuously in human-free environments, automation…
Banner Engineering takes the gold in 2022 LEAP Awards Industrial Automation category
The winners of the 2022 LEAP Awards (Leadership in Engineering Achievement Program) were announced earlier this week in a digital ceremony, with products across 14 categories, including Industrial Automation. Critical to LEAP’s success is the involvement of the engineering community. The Design World editorial team assembled a top-notch independent judging panel, comprised of a cross-section…
CoroMill MF80 for high-performance automotive face and shoulder milling
Metal-cutting company Sandvik Coromant is expanding its milling offering with the new CoroMill MF80 for automotive milling applications in ISO K and ISO P materials in close to 90° operations with fixture constraints. Based on a technology platform like the existing CoroMill 345, this new milling concept offers a 40% lighter cutter body with shim…
Moog and Komatsu to demonstrate fully electric wheel loader at Bauma
Moog Inc. announced that it has collaborated with Komatsu to build a fully electric compact wheel loader machine. The companies will demonstrate the connected and automation-ready, zero-emission, battery-powered machine at bauma 2022 from October 24 – 30 in the Komatsu demo area (FM.713/1). Moog’s intelligent machine electrification system includes an electric traction motor, lift, tilt…
Bosch Rexroth expands factory automation capabilities for North America
Bosch Rexroth is planning to expand its operations and will move its linear and assembly technology manufacturing facility to a new location in Charlotte. The company has held operations in Charlotte, NC for over 30 years, with the past 26 years at its current location in Steele Creek. Since experiencing significant growth in its factory automation…
Bosch Rexroth to demonstrate streamlined assembly automation at the Assembly Show
In booth #505, experience how Bosch Rexroth takes your assembly operations from start to finish with its complete portfolio of automation solutions. Start your journey towards a streamlined factory automation experience with Bosch Rexroth’s linear technology eTools portfolio, which makes it easier for users to plan, design and order Bosch Rexroth Linear Motion systems required…
Sifting clear audio from background noise
Powerful statistical techniques can discern a desired audio signal from a jumble of inputs. Dave Betts • AudioTelligence Most of us live and work in the midst of noise. We have become used to contending with the sounds of other people talking, music playing, the TV blaring, traffic roaring… Our brains are pretty amazing at…
Top 12 design considerations for power-off brakes
The proliferation of new applications for power-off brakes demands fresh design approaches leveraging leading brake manufacturers’ accumulated design experience. Key to optimizing designs for life, cost, and performance is early collaboration with the brake manufacturer. By Brian Mather • Ogura Industrial Corp. Machine designers in the motion-control industry recognize power-off brakes by the following terms: […]
3D-MID –minimized sensing high-tech within the patient
What would our world look like in 1D or 2D? Well, 3D is our natural human visual reality and it is impossible to imagine life without it. In recent years, 3D has also become more and more a reality in modern high tech. How do designers and engineers in medical device technology use this new…
ITT expands portfolio with acquisition of Clippard cylinder product line
ITT Inc. has announced it acquired Clippard Instrument Laboratories’ product lines of durable, low maintenance, and cost-competitive interchangeable pneumatic cylinders. The product lines include stainless steel, brass and aluminum cylinders and volume tanks. These industry-leading components will expand ITT’s Compact Automation product offering of air cylinders, linear and rotary actuators used in applications such as robotics,…
Connectors added to automotive LED lighting portfolio
Heilind Electronics introduces TE’s ERNI MiniBridge and MaxiBridge connectors. These rugged solutions combine highly compact designs with high current carrying capacity, making them an ideal choice for automotive LED lighting systems. TE’s ERNI MaxiBridge (2.54 mm pitch) and MiniBridge (1.27 mm pitch) cable connector families feature compact as well as electrically and mechanically sophisticated designs, […]