Automation & Controls

Look-Ahead: Robotic system finds and records defects in finished parts.

In cases where the cutting tool must be moved towards the workpiece, insufficient or not many practical solutions are readily available. This gap is being closed by the SUHNER robot machine tool program. One option is to bring the workpiece towards a standard stationary SUHNER machining unit.

VersaBuilt Robotics, a Boise-based robotics technology company, announces availability of the VersaBuilt VBX-160 automation solution with the FANUC LR Mate 200iD7L. With a 7 kg (14.4 lbs.) payload and a 717 mm (28.2 inch) reach, the LR Mate 200iD7L brings a new level of performance and reliability to the VBX-160 from FANUC.

In connection with my article about flexible manufacturing systems for the February issue, I visited Camcraft Inc., which has a Makino Machining Complex (MMC2) automated pallet-handling system. Four Makino 4-axis a51nx horizontal machining centers are integrated into the system.

The new CX7000 Embedded PC from Beckhoff opens up the convenience and efficiency of the TwinCAT 3 software environment to highly compact, DIN rail-mounted controllers. This further enhances the scalability of PC-based control technology from Beckhoff, ranging from mini-PLCs to many-core Industrial PCs.

Siemens now offers its popular mid-range CNC, the Sinumerik 828D, with version 4.8 of the operating system. With the release of version 4.8, Siemens offers an array of new hardware and software solutions for its integrated Sinumerik portfolio.

SICK announces the launch of SICK's Safe Portal Solutions. Safe Portal Solutions from SICK ensure flexible, efficient safeguarding for automated material transfer stations.

By increasing modularity and scalability, a new generation of Beckhoff TwinSAFE safety controllers permits optimal adaptation to the specific safety requirements of individual machine concepts. The ability to distribute the intelligence of an entire safety application across multiple TwinSAFE Logic-capable I/O modules means flexible implementation of increasingly modular architectures.

Odense, Denmark, November 13, 2018: Universal Robots (UR) is hiring 20+ Rethink staff members, merging UR's Boston office with Rethink's former headquarters in the Seaport area in Boston, USA, with immediate effect.

Coldwater, Ohio, Nov. 8, 2018 – Coldwater Machine Company has hired Christopher May as a program manager overseeing assembly automation projects for the company.

A new solution for human-machine collaboration is now available from automation solutions provider Omron Automation Americas. The Sysmac AI Controller handles several key steps in the data-driven decision process for predictive maintenance, thereby freeing up industrial professionals from tedious calculations, analyses and infrastructure upgrades.

DALLAS, TX — OCTOBER 25, 2018 — OnRobot, a specialist in end-of-arm tooling for collaborative robots, has opened its first US headquarters in Dallas, Texas.