Automation, Controls and Technology News

Additive Manufacturing: 3D Printer Runs Eight Times Faster Than Others

3D Printing/Additive Manufacturing

Additive Manufacturing: 3D Printer Runs Eight Times Faster Than Others

Screw Extrusion Additive Manufacturing (SEAM) technology from the Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Technology IWU is a high-speed system that is said to take only 18 min. to produce a plastic component that is 30-cm high. The extruder is installed above a construction platform that can be swiveled in six axes by using a motion system akin to that of a machine tool. Plastic is deposited in layers on the construction platform. The motion system ensures that the construction panel slides along under the nozzle in such a way that the previously programmed component shape is produced. The...

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Bumps in the Road to Smart Manufacturing

Bumps in the Road to Smart Manufacturing

My childhood was spent listening to songs piped out of an AM transistor radio, selected at the whim of a DJ. Today my 4-year-old grandson merely needs to tell his virtual assistant named Alexa the music he would like to hear. Technology has changed so dramatically in my lifetime that it’s hard to envision a future state when there isn’t the kind of exponential growth we’ve seen since the mid-1990s.  Arguably the most significant technological advance for American business—the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), which holds the promise of unimagined productivity gains and untold benefits to consumers—isn’t assured. That’s the...

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Industrial Robots Are Marching Into U.S. Factories At Record Pace

Industrial Robotics

Industrial Robots Are Marching Into U.S. Factories At Record Pace

Industrial robots are spreading out from automotive factories into a host of other industries, ranging from food production to electronics manufacturing.

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IoT Utilization Skyrockets in Industrial Automation Applications

Internet of Things

IoT Utilization Skyrockets in Industrial Automation Applications

Internet of Things (IoT) continues to gain traction in all kinds of industries and applications. Industrial Automation is one such industry that’s seen a big increase in IoT utilization—a very big increase.

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What is the role of industrial automation in a ‘Smart Factory’?

What is the role of industrial automation in a ‘Smart Factory’?

An expert panel discussion at this year’s Manufacturing Automation and Robotics Summit explored what role physical technology has in creating intelligent, connected factories of the future.

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