Google launches easy-to-use robot software, plus cobots are 'future of spot welding'
Drives & Controls
The UK's leading magazine for automation, motion engineering and power transmission
Welcome to the Drives & Controls Newsletter
If proof were needed of the hardships being faced by many UK manufacturers, it comes in the form of a report of record insolvencies in the sector from the Midlands-based legal firm, Higgs LLP. Some 147 manufacturing companies entered insolvency in February this year – up from 127 a year before, and 48 in 2021. Higgs warns that manufacturing insolvencies could hit record highs this year. Manufacturers are certainly facing a multitude of pressures, ranging from unprecedented energy costs to supply chain issues (although these now appear to be easing). It doesn’t look as though conditions will get much easier in the near future, but those companies that have survived so far have probably demonstrated the resilience needed to weather the seemingly relentless storms. Let’s hope that the insolvency levels have peaked and will now start to decline.
Below you will find links to some of the news items that we have posted recently on our Web site.
Tony Sacks, Editor
?Collaborative robots (cobots) will account for more than 20% of all industrial robot sales by 2032, according to a new study from Interact Analysis. The cobot market is expected to expand at around 20% a year until then, driven partly by new applications and the growing importance of the logistics ...
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?Built on ABB’s all-compatible drives architecture, ABB’s ACS880 drive offers unprecedented compatibility, flexibility and ease of-use. With a high power density in a compact footprint, and packed with in-built functionality, it is the most versatile drives range available.
Capable of controlling virtually any type of AC motor with direct torque control, the ACS880 is highly adaptable. A wide range of options are available including liquid-cooled, regenerative and ultra-low harmonic variants, all boasting enhanced safety features and application specific firmware.
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?Intrinsic, the robotics software company launched by Google’s parent Alphabet in 2021, has announced a robotics development platform that it believes will speed up access to industrial robotics for many more developers. Intrinsic has also announced that the Italian robot manufacturer and systems in ...
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?Mitsubishi Electric has formed a partnership with the Korean company, Movensys, which develops motion control software for AC servomotors and sells it mainly in Asia. The partnership, which includes Mitsubishi taking an equity stake in Movensys, will strengthen collaboration between the two compani ...
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?Siemens has launched a dynamic servodrive system consisting of a precision drive, powerful servomotors and easy-to-use cables. The Sinamics S200 system is aimed at applications that need precise speed and torque control, such as electronic production machinery, and winding and unwinding machines in ...
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?New, high-performance image processing tools from Leuze: The sensors of the Simple Vision series convince with their flexible usability and easy handling. The new IVS 108 is suitable for detecting the presence of objects. Devices of the IVS 1048i / DCR 1048i series additionally perform counting and measuring tasks or read codes.
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?A Californian welding specialist has developed what it claims is the world’s first cobot-based spot welder. Pro Spot International says that its i5s resistance spot welder will deliver up to three times more manufacturing capacity than manual welding. While other welding technologies such as MIG w...
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?The German screwdriving technology specialist Deprag has joined forces with the Berlin robotics software developer Micropsi Industries to develop what they claim is the first automated screwdriving system that can handle changes in the environment. They say that such automation has not been possibl ...
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?Beckhoff Automation has issued a software update for its XPlanar levitating product transport system which allows it to be controlled by multiple computers, thus supporting many more movers operating over a much larger area. Beckhoff says that potential expansions are “infinite”. The XPlanar plan ...