Automation, Controls and Technology News
Asia Leads in Industrial Robot Adoption. Why Do Europe and the U.S. Lag Behind?
Robots are key tools for boosting productivity and living standards. To date, most robot adoption has occurred in manufacturing, where robots are designed to perform a wide variety of manual tasks more efficiently and consistently than humans. But with continued innovation, robot use is spreading to many other sectors, from agriculture to logistics and hospitality.
What Boston Dynamics' Rolling "Handle" Robot Really Means
For internet-goers, Boston Dynamics is that company that uploads insane videos of the humanoid Atlas robot doing backflips, of four-legged SpotMini opening doors and fighting off stick-wielding men, and as of last week, of a Segway-on-mescaline called Handle jetting around picking up and stacking boxes with a vacuum arm. For journalists and industry watchers, however, Boston Dynamics is that company that almost never talks about where all of this work is ultimately headed.
Felixprinters: Accelerating Industrial Product Development With FFF 3D Printing
3D Printing/Additive Manufacturing
This week 3D Printing Industry was invited to Veldhoven, the Netherlands, to visit FELIXprinters, an FDM/FFF 3D printer manufacturer who recently ventured into large-format additive manufacturing with the Pro L and XL.
An inside look at an IIoT-powered smart factory
As someone who’s spent his whole career working in offices, not factories, I had very little idea what a modern “smart factory” powered by the industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) might look like. That’s why I was so interested in Tempo Automation’s new 42,000-square-foot facility in San Francisco’s trendy Design District.
Industrial Robot Sales Broke Records in 2018
Industrial robot sales saw record highs in 2018, especially when looking at orders from nonautomotive companies, according to the latest numbers from the Robotics Industries Association. Overall, 35,880 robots were shipped last year, a 7 percent increase over 2017. A total of 16,702 robots were shipped to nonautomotive companies, an increase of 41 percent over 2017 levels. Shipments to the automotive industry slowed, with only 19,178 units shipped to North American automotive OEM and tier supplier customers in 2018. This was 12 percent lower than the 21,732 units shipped in 2017. Overall, the automotive industry accounted for only 53 percent of total robot...