How can you print something larger than the printer itself? That’s the problem researchers Xu Zhang, Mingyang Li, Quang-Cuong Pham, and others set out to solve at the Singapore Centre for 3D Printing at Nanyang Technological University (NTU).
 
Their solution: setting the 3D printers on a pair of Ridgeback mobile robots, who work together to print different sections of the same part.
 
Impressively, the robots work at the same time and in overlapping workspaces. In fact, the paper, published in August 2018, scars the first time a large concrete structure has ever been 3D-printed by multiple robots concurrently!
 
Most 3D printing systems lack scalability:
 
Gantry-based systems—in which a cartesian robot moves inside a cage—are large and inefficient. To print a meter-long structure, for instance, you’d need a cage of at least 1 meter cubed. This significant external framework implies you can’t build anything bigger than your system.
Robot-arm-based printers are rather more productive than gantries, but they still take a long time to print anything, because a single print nozzle still hogs the entire print space.
Multi-robot systems like Minibuilders are not best for printing concrete structures, because the first layer of concrete needs to harden before the climbing robots can proceed to print the next section.
As you can see, mounting 3D print nozzles on robot arms is nothing new. What’s different here is that the researchers installed the arm itself on a mobile base—allowing the print nozzle to move around in a bigger workspace—and they worked out how to get two robots to build a structure at the same time.
 
The result is a scalable system: one that lets the user introduce as many robots as necessary to accomplish a printing task quickly and efficiently.
 
Why is this such a big deal? Because it overcomes a huge obstacle to printing higher structures. With the old stationary system, the robot could only print within the area its arm could reach. To build bigger structures, you had to put multiple robots to work alongside each other.
 
With the new system, though, this size limit no longer applies. Since the robot can move about, you can build much bigger structures with just one robot.
 
Of course, there’s still a lot of work to do. The team wants to mix more sensors, explore better part-joining procedures, and build a motion-planning solution for multiple printing-while-moving robots.
 
And they won’t stop there. In alignment with NASA’s 3D-Printed Habitat Challenge, their greatest goal is to generate robots that can build autonomously in severe environments—from the most rural caves on Earth to the moon, Mars, and more.

This article originally posted on Tronserve.com

Architecture company Rau created Brummen Town Hall in the Netherlands to last just 20 years. Due to changing municipality borders, the firm opted for reusable materials that will be dismantled and taken back to manufacturers at the end of the building’s working life.
 
90 per cent of the materials used to build Brummen Town Hall are recyclable. At the end of the building’s life, little material will go into landfill — instead it will be re-purposed for other plans. Manufacturers too are deciding on how materials can be reused, one increasingly popular option is re-manufacturing. This is the process of dismantling, cleansing and repairing components so that the product can be reassembled for sale at the performance and quality of a new product.
 
The technique is mostly used in the aerospace and automotive sectors. Despite having a history of several decades, there remains some distress about the differences between reconditioned and re-manufactured products. Re-manufacturing is a more thorough process, which returns the engine to its original document, whereas a reconditioned engine may still have some broken components.
 
During the re-manufacturing process a product will be collected, inspected, disassembled and then reconditioned and replacement parts added as necessary. The item will then be reassembled, before going through quality assurance and evaluating to verify the product is to specification and of a high quality.
 
The process has been made better by technologies such as laser metal deposition, which can be used to melt metal powder or wire on a surface. High pressure cold spray technology can also be utilized to adhere tiny particles to a surface without heat. Developments in scanning technology mean it is easier to compare the re-manufactured part to a gold-standard original and to devise a tool path to correct any differences between the two.


This article is originally posted on Tronserve.com

Kitron has entered into an agreement with API Technologies Corp. to gain its EMS division in the United States. The purchase marks a substantial strengthening of Kitron’s position in the US market.
“The transaction will significantly strengthen our position in the US market, particularly within the defence industry. Important customers have wanted us to expand our presence in the US, and we think this is a great opportunity to do so,” said Peter Nilsson, CEO of Kitron.
The operations of the EMS division are highly subservient to Kitron’s existing operations and are expected to provide added value to current operations, in particular in the United States. The division’s main highlight is on defense, aerospace, medical/industrial, and communications/consumer, and it is well aligned with Kitron’s overall approach. The business is located in Windber, Pennsylvania, close to Kitron’s current US facility in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, with roughly 100 employees operating a total of six production lines and a facility of around 10,000 square meters. Total profits in 2017 amounted to around USD $30 million.
“ We have studied this business properly over time and see awesome potential for adding the API EMS division with the Kitron group, having EMS as its core business. It has a very intriguing customer base, a promising order book and a highly skilled staff. We expect the division to generate an operating profit on a stand-alone basis going forward, and see substantial potential for further profitability improvements by joining forces with Kitron and increasing utilization,” Mr Nilsson said.
The purchase price is USD 15.9 million in cash, even to net asset value, which is supported through existing bank arrangements. Closing is expected to take place in the first quarter of 2019, subject to necessary governmental approvals. Kitron expects the transaction to be earnings neutral in 2019 and earnings enhancing in 2020 and beyond.

This article is originally posted on Tronserve.com

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union alerted U.S. President Donald Trump Monday that the block will step back from a commitment to buy more American soybeans and liquid gas if European cars are hit with punitive charges. The U.S. Commerce Department is expected issue its guidance on whether auto imports endanger U.S. national security enough to justify import taxes, granting Trump 90 days to ascertain whether to enforce them. EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said that during a peak in Washington last summer, Trump vowed not to wear trans-Atlantic trade with such measures. 'Trump has given me his word that there will be no car tariffs for the time being,' Juncker revealed the German newspaper Stuttgarter Zeitung. 'I believe him,' Juncker said. 'However, should he renege on that commitment, we will no longer feel sure by our commitments to buy more U.S. soya and liquid gas.' European Union spokesman Margaritis Schinas said that if the U.S. goes ahead with 'actions detrimental to European exports, the European Commission would react in a swift and adequate manner.' The EU and the United States have been trying to work out a trade deal but progress has been slow. Over the weekend, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said U.S. authorities appeared to have already ended that European cars were a national security threat. She noted that German automaker BMW's biggest plant is in South Carolina Merkel said, 'if the cars produced there are suddenly a threat to the United States' national security, that startles us.' Since the summer summit, when Juncker made a commitment to buy more U.S. soybeans, exports to Europe have soared largely because of market conditions. Last month, the EU also approved the use of U.S. soybeans for the production of biofuels, which would further boost imports.


This article is originally posted on Tronserve.com

The actuator is constructed with a lead drive brush-less servo motor. It's tailored with linear guide built-in lubrication to offer long life cycle.
 
The LCR16 from SMAC Moving Coil Actuators offers preciseness Z-theta motion within one small actuator, which is best for a pick, orient and place applications. A wide variety of LCR16 linear rotary actuators are provided with either direct drive or gearbox equipped rotary units.
 
The vacuum-built-in passage through the rotary motor is available for some versions to counter dust build-up in the unit. These z-theta actuators can easily be developed to regulate force/torque, position and velocity in all axes at the same time with feedback capability. SMAC's special, patented 'Soft-Land' function enables the unit to gently land on a fragile component with a controlled force to avoid damage of both the component and the actuator.
 
The actuator is designed with a direct drive brush-less servo motor. It's supposed with linear guide built-in lubrication to offer long life cycle. Additionally, it supplies absolute control over: force/torque, position, acceleration and velocity.

This article is originally posted on Tronserve.com

VadaTech, a leading manufacturer of integrated systems, embedded boards, enabling software and application-ready platforms, announces the ATC500. The ATC500 is an AdvancedTCA Blade with two XCVU13P FPGAs and multiple ADRV9009 for Wideband Massive MIMO Software Defined Radio. The FPGAs can be used to apply MIMO PHY processing including FFT, channel estimation, FEC en/decode and MU-MIMO beamforming. Applications include: secure airborne radio with eavesdrop defeat and simultaneous jamming; recording and playback of sixteen 200 MHz RF paths per blade; fixed wireless access by massive MIMO spatial multiplexing; 5G/LTE/4G networks. When fully populated, each ATC500 supports 16T16R TDD or 8T8R FDD, frequency agile from 300 MHz to 6 GHz, with on-board synchronization, calibration and phase alignment across all RF ports.
 
VadaTech will introduce the ATC500 at the 2019 MWC Barcelona (MWC19) in Barcelona, Spain on February 25th - 28th. MWC19 is the largest mobile event in the world, bringing together the latest innovations and leading-edge technology.


This article is originally posted on Tronserve.com

Ford has outlined its tactics in the case of a decisive withdrawal from the European Union, including moving production out of the United Kingdom.
According to The Times UK on Tuesday, Ford told the prime minister on a exclusive call that it was readying locations off the island. Ford employs about 13,000 people and operates two engine plants in the UK.
“We have long urged the UK Government and Parliament to work together to avoid the country leaving the EU on a no-deal, hard Brexit basis,” a Ford representative is quoted as saying. “We will take whatever action is necessary to preserve the competitiveness of our European business.”
Last month, Ford said that it could bring a hit of up to $1 billion if Brexit goes ahead. The UK is Ford’s third-largest market, and home of about one in three of the cars made in Ford’s Cologne, Germany plant.
Ford joins Nissan in showing hassle over the uncertainty and financial upheaval possible after the Brexit deadline on March 29. Citing the difficulty in planning for the future, Nissan said last week that it would choose not to build the new X-Trail SUV in the UK. Instead, it will be built in Japan.


This article is originally posted on Tronserve.com

                                      What Does the Future of Engineering Look Like for Industry specialists
 
Engineers have always been considered exceedingly useful members of our workforce, due to the fact that the work they carry out has a significant impact on the way the world works. Over decades, the effects of their work have led to some of the vast innovations that have transpired in society over the years, in all aspects of our everyday lives.
 
Engineers have a required role in forming the outlook of our world both in the current time and in the distant future, but how is the engineering industry set to change and what will employees now need to take into account if they wish to be in the industry?
 
Engineering is a profession that is thought by outsiders as quite uncreative, yet this couldn’t be more from the truth. Engineers are regularly predicted to come up with original philosophies, which are anticipated to solve the issues said above. Lack of creativeness just isn’t heading to cut it for aspiring engineers.
 
Although machines are likely to put an end to hand drawings and have the capability to analyse data far faster than any brain, they will never be able to develop the same element of creativity as a human, which stimulates ideas before innovative machines can carry out their duties.
 
In the near future, a huge new industrial revolution is on the cards, which is set to bring a significant amount of new technologies into our world. In order to adapt to these new technological changes and come up with right solutions within engineering, creativity is a must.
 
Engineering is an industry that will always need a committed workforce. Those in the current career should aim to work on the skills pointed out above to fit them for unprecedented changes that will no doubt occur in the next couple of decades.


This article is originally posted on Tronserve.com

A major utility company will understand next week whether the use of paid actors to gin up phony support for a new gas-fired power plant will result in the project being delayed or derailed by New Orleans' City Council.
 
Entergy New Orleans has agreed to a $5 million penalty in return for permission to develop ahead with plant construction. Critics who dominated testimony at a public hearing Thursday say the penalty is too small. They also say the project should be scuttled or that the regulatory review process should begin anew. 'Not enough!' one opponent yelled during the council's utility committee hearing as chairwoman Helena Moreno defended a proposed settlement. 'I believe it is not prudent, nor possible to scrap the entire plant,' Moreno said during an opening statement. But an expected vote from the five-member committee never happened. Instead, the full seven-member council — some of whom took office after a council vote in favor of the new plant last year — will vote on the settlement Feb. 21.
The project planned for eastern New Orleans won council approval last March. Then came revelations that contractors hired by Entergy New Orleans to advertise the plant had hired phony supporters to attend and speak at public hearings.
 
That offered new life to the opposition from residents who fear the costs being passed on to consumers and who have environmental problems about the plant. Dozens of protesters were among a crowd of roughly 200 at Thursday's hearing.
Several residents spoke in love of the plant and Entergy's contention that it's necessary to ensure power availability at times of peak electricity usage. But opponents dominated the discussion.
The Rev. Gregory Manning invoked a painful memory for the city's sports fans: NFL game officials' failure to call a required penalty during a championship game, costing the Saints a likely trip to the Super Bowl. 'Make a call,' he yelled, waving a yellow penalty flag. He concluded by tossing a red 'challenge' flag — like the one NFL coaches can throw to demand a review of some referee calls — on the table in front of him.
 
Detectives encountered last year that the utility 'knew or should have known' that some who spoke at public hearings were paid to support the project. 'We are ultimately reliable for any breach of trust that happened on our watch,' David Ellis, who was named Entergy New Orleans CEO in December, told the committee. Later, an Entergy lawyer drew a stern negative response from Moreno when he proposed that wording in a resolution embodying the settlement be changed so that the $5 million payment was not known to as a sanction or penalty. 'I am absolutely against changing one word in this document,' Moreno said.
 
The settlement calls for the charge payment to be used to help provide more trustworthy power for the city's  street drainage and drinking water system. The New Orleans Sewerage and Water Board, which runs those systems, has endured myriad issues including outages in parts of its own antiquated power system. Loss of power to drainage pumps has directed to street flooding, and loss of power for the drinking water pumping system has led to low water pressure and periodic 'boil water' orders for parts of the city.


This article is originally posted on Tronserve.com

A newly formulated graphene-based implant can record electrical activity in the brain at very low frequencies and over large areas, unlocking the wealth of information found below 0.1 Hz. This technology, which will be showcased in the Graphene Pavilion at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona from 25-28 February 2019, was designed by Graphene Flagship partners at the Barcelona Microelectronics Institute (IMB-CNM, CSIC), the Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2), and ICFO.
 
This new technology will be one of the Graphene Pavilion’s main attractions at the upcoming Mobile World Congress. The exhibition will display the present innovative developments on graphene and relating materials made possible by the Graphene Flagship. Beyond applications in health and medical devices, the pavilion will be populated with new prototypes of graphene-enabled technologies for mobile and data communications, wearables, and the internet of things.


This article is originally posted on Tronserve.com

Moving 50 to 200 tons of product, equipment, or materials on a frequent basis is a popular challenge in industries such as manufacturing, aerospace, stamping, power generation, and marine. Loads are not only heavy but can be uncomfortable in measurements and fragile as well. Cranes and conveyors have long been used as a form of transportation, but today’s manufacturers look for better, more efficient and convenient ways to move goods to maximize safety, reduce costs and streamline the process. Air caster systems have proven to provide a bridge between traditional MHE and the desire for manufacturing flexibility.The ability to move 14,000 lb. machines in restrictive areas and eliminate damage to epoxy floors makes air caster rigging systems an attractive alternative to forklifts.
 
 
The most significant and obvious advantage of utilizing air caster technology is cost versus the weight of the load being moved that results in reducing downtime and manpower costs. Typically, to move 1,000 tons of bridge components might cost anywhere , for a complicated forklift system, where manufacturers could buy an air caster system to do the same job with virtually no limitations, for less than $350,000.
 
Also, manufacturers can gain by the technology’s capability to facilitate production by swiftly repositioning equipment, facilitating batch production, and allowing movement of same to any place in the manufacturing plant or distribution facility. Companies of all sizes can improve flexibility and efficiency and maximize their work flow with relatively little investment, while, at the same time, lowering the risk of hazards to their workforce and their facilities.

This article is originally posted on Tronserve.com

This collaboration has extensive opportunities for manufacturing efficiencies, innovation and growth — as long as the collaborative process integration is well designed and well implemented. However, the surge in development of these robots has led to a flurry of companies buying them without a well-defined set of objectives or good plan to use the co-bot in their manufacturing processes.
 
According to quotations by Ultra Tech Automation, an inadequate implementation can cost a manufacturer $86,000 per operation per year, based on the cost of a collaborative robot and the cost of un-utilized time or down time by employees. This estimate is based on a $100,000 robot with utilization across a three-shift operation of 2,000 hours per shift per year.
 
Steve LaMarre, Director of Automation Sales, mentioned, 'We see this every day. Our customers truly invest in these robots — to the tune of anywhere from $40,000 to $100,000--and then let them sit on the floor because they don't know how to properly utilize them. Money is just flying out the door.'
 
Growth and Innovation Are at Risk for Manufacturers
 
Manufacturers that are unable to utilize co-bots correctly lose valuable growth opportunities — efficiencies, improvements to the line, enhancements to manufacturing quality and other advantages. They also drop unique opportunities for innovation, which tends to occur 'on the shop floor' in response to actual needs and challenges.
Improper utilization also can limit a manufacturer's ability to make robotic collaboration work on behalf of their own customers, who in some cases ask the purchase of the co-bot to begin with. Even manufacturers with in-house engineering capabilities may finally not be utilizing the co-bots as they should be. Such a situation, for example where the manufacturer and their customer had presumed process efficiencies or enhancements, can influence shared goals and jeopardize the manufacturer's own customer relationships.

This article is originally posted on Tronserve.com

You know that data is essential.
 
You should have data on your productivity, equipment, parts, etc. But do you know how to extract the right data to accomplish your top goals? And could there be a way to use that information as a proof point—to share your procedures story and prove your value?
 
Whether you’re new to reporting on your daily operations or you’ve been doing it for years, there are always new things to uncover, new reports to try and new ways to share essential information about your team’s work. This is especially true as more operational data becomes available in this modern era.
 
Today, there are even more capabilities within a CMMS (computerized maintenance management system) to make reporting quick and specific—not to mention highly visual and easier for everyone to understand.
 
Now is the time to start harnessing the data coming out of your daily operations and turn it into actionable information to make a change in the way you work and what you achieve.
When you can bring reporting to life for others and make it more obvious, accessible and impactful, you can find new ways to improve uptime, justify repair vs. replace decisions and even increase your overall productivity.
Improving Uptime... One Report at a Time
Uptime, or more likely downtime, is likely on everyone’s mind.
While the unpredictability of assets can further complicate things, downtime is a profit killer that should be avoided at all costs.
To really get your arms around where you’re at now and how you can significantly improve your uptime, there are a few reports and key performance indicators (KPIs) that can really help you pinpoint and fix problem areas:
Downtime Analysis Report – This report shows the specific causes of downtime, their percentage of total downtime and work orders associated with each. By pinpointing what’s causing most of your downtime, you can map out the best way to eliminate it. You can’t improve if you don’t have information on what’s hurting you.
KPI: Downtime Impact Hours – This shows a scale of your downtime in hours in a given day, week or month. You can use this KPI to measure progress on specific goals around downtime and make sure you stay inside the target.
Equipment Downtime Summary – This graph shows the downtime total for each piece of your equipment to help you tell if there is a specific one costing you more in downtime.
Whether you use reports and benchmarks like these to set goals for better uptime or to show your success with new processes, they can be a powerful way to get everyone on the same page.
 
Should You Repair or Replace?
 
To repair or replace—that is often the question when it comes to your assets.
They may be showing some serious signs of wear and tear, so how much more life can you get out of them? And when do they become a drain on your resources?
While you might have a gut feeling about it, hard data is best to prove what’s better in the long term for your team and equipment. And it’s amazing the visual charts, graphs and reports that today’s asset management systems can produce in seconds.
Forecasting tools can really help you see the future of your assets and easily make decisions around repair and replace, as well as prove why you made them to others. Look into reports like these for answers:
Asset Life Cycle Analysis – This type of report gives you a grade for groups of assets based on their age, historical work, cost and event trends. Then, you can take those grades and make your decision based on the longevity of your equipment.
Trend Analysis – This one charts out the trend of an asset’s cost based on the frequency of failure. This type of data may be useful to see if an asset is on the uptick or if it’s wasting resources and make decisions based on that.
Not only can a CMMS help you make these types of critical decisions, but it can help you improve your preventive and predictive maintenance approach to extend the life of your machines and equipment, even by as much as 35 percent.
 
Doing More With Less
 
How productive or efficient is your team or department?
 
Whether you’re being approached by a manager or director with this question or you’re thinking about it yourself, reliable data can be a clear representation of the important work you do. It may even be that your department’s budget is in question and you must do more with fewer resources.
Either way, you want to start now measuring your productivity and finding ways to increase your output.
Look to reports like these to measure your equipment and team capabilities:
Work Order Prioritization by Equipment Criticality – This report combines the priority of individual work orders with the criticality rating of the asset to create “calculated criticality,” often called ranking index for maintenance expenditures (RIME) index. This rating can help you find ways to increase your productivity and efficiency by addressing your most critical concerns.
Completed On-Time vs. Late Summary – See the amount of late vs. on-time work orders, their priority and work assigned by staff. This report can help show if you are efficiently addressing work orders and using the right staff member for the job.
Site Comparison – Get a side-by-side view of the work and productivity of multiple sites or plants, so you can keep an eye on every location and do simple comparisons.
With a range of data points at your fingertips, you can feel prepared to create a plan for improving productivity in your equipment and team members.
 
Data is Your Present & Future
 
Data is clearly everywhere. And no matter where you are on your data or reporting journey, there’s so much you can do within today’s technology. That's why it’s time to put a good CMMS to work to create actionable information that helps you plan your next steps.
Pull equipment reports, share team productivity graphs and monitor KPIs aligned with your corporate goals, all with a few clicks created quickly from your daily work and asset data.
It’s all waiting for you to dive in and share to start charting your future for success.
 
Paul Lachance is the senior manufacturing advisor for Dude Solutions.


This article is originally posted on Tronserve.com

Complex manufacturing processes require intelligent systems. Depending on the particular procedure, these systems need to be able to work in complete synchronicity and communicate with one another in real time. Schmalz is proud to announce that our compact terminal SCTMi with an Ethernet interface for this very aim.
Similar to our SCTMi IO-Link interface, the SCTMi Ethernet is the first smart field device from Schmalz to feature an Ethernet interface. This enables it to talk via the Industrial Ethernet standards EtherCat, EtherNet/IP as well as ProfiNet, which are manufactured for high real-time performance and robustness. The compact terminal consists of up to 16 ejectors, which are supplied with compressed air and power via a main inlet. The eco nozzle technology enables energy-efficient vacuum generation,3. while the automatic air saving function reduces compressed air consumption by up to 80 percent. Each compact ejector has a suction rate of nearly 67 liters per minute and achieves a maximum vacuum of 85 percent. An integrated electronic sub-bus system controls the ejectors via a single cable and allows separate access to each individual ejector. This enables simultaneous and individual handling of different parts using only one vacuum system.
 
Designed for optimization
Bidirectional parameterization and diagnostics is possible in all conventional field-bus systems. This means that taped data can be viewed and used all the way up to the control level. The resulting functions for process and system monitoring prevent downtime: While condition monitoring increases system availability by providing thorough analyses of the system's condition and early detection of faults, predictive maintenance registers subtle changes in the gripping system. In the event of loss of performance, users can take prompt action or schedule a replacement in good time. The energy monitoring function oversees the vacuum system's energy consumption.
 
Regardless of the communication with the plant control system, data and parameters can also be transmitted directly via smartphone or tablet using NFC technology (near-field communication). The advantage of near-field technology lies in the secure communication via an energy-neutral point-to-point connection. Schmalz's ControlRoom app can be used both to read out data and parameterize devices.


This article is originally posted on Tronserve.com

ISLANDIA, NY, February 6, 2019 — At the International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE), February 12-14 in Atlanta, Festo features pneumatic valves, cylinders, and air-preparation methods that meet Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) good manufacturing practices for safely handling, manufacturing, and packing food. Festo also demonstrates the world's first intelligent pneumatic system - the Motion Terminal. (Booth # B3654)
Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) favor from global support of more than 2,000 ordinary merchandise in its product catalog, many of which are rated hygienic and suitable for severe washdown environments. Festo field sales engineers help OEMs choose the suitable products for food-safe processing and packaging gadgets and consult on sub-assemblies and panel building potential for bringing those machines to market faster and at less cost.
For poultry, red meat, pork, and seafood processors, Festo field sales engineers consult to ensure the proper products are applied for the application. Utilization of a core group of components lowers inventory requirements, improves machine operation through the latest technology, and ensures compliance to FSMA standards.
Presented components at the Festo booth include the MPA-C valve terminal. This valve terminal is rated IP69K and can be attached directly on a machine - no cabinet required. Festo demonstrates the MPA-C in operation while continuously immersed in water. The stainless steel CRDSNU cylinder offers reliable cleaning - fast, easy, and thorough. With no padding adjustment needed, this round pneumatic cylinder reduces installation time. The CRDSNU cylinder's FDA compliant NSF-H1 lubricating grease and dry-run wiper seals make it best for hygienic production in aggressive environments.
For promising that clean air is utilized on a machine, Festo offers pre-configured MS-Series compressed air preparation units. Filtration is available for 99.9999% efficiency and air qualities of 1:4:2 or better can be achieved in accordance to the ISO 8573-1:2010 standard. Clean-design fittings and a range of tubing types - rated for hygienic operations and harsh environments - are also standard products in the Festo catalog.
As an Industry 4.0 solution, a single Motion Terminal, is capable of replacing 50 different components through the download of various combinations of apps. Festo developed the Motion Terminal to seamlessly integrate computational algorithms and physical components. This new cyber-physical system enables scalability and cloud-based predictive analytics.
Festo invites OEMs and processors at IPPE 2019 to stop by its Booth # B3654 for demonstrations and consultations on hygienic and washdown pneumatic products for faster time to market and improved operations.

This article is originally posted on Tronserve.com

Epson Robots, the #1 SCARA robot company in the world, today announced its signed FPE Automation, a full-service, award-winning, stocking distributor of premier components for industry, as an formal distributor for the full line of Epson Robots automation products. This includes Epson SCARA, 6-Axis and Linear Module robots as well as built-in solutions such as Vision and Force Guide, fieldbus I/O and many other industrial automation products offered by Epson Robots. The distribution territory will cover the State of Illinois, Eastern Missouri and Eastern Iowa.
'FPE Automation is proud that Epson has picked us as a distribution partner,' said David Bardos, president, FPE Automation, Inc. 'We've been helping an extensive list of clients with their critically important projects for more than 50 years and are confident that our industry-specific knowledge and expertise will help grow the penetration of Epson Robots in our place.'
'We are very happy to add FPE Automation as a trusted, value-added distribution partner,' said Tom Versfelt, VP Commercial Sales Epson. 'FPE's level of knowledge and hands-on-experience in the field is exceptional. We are confident they will help us grow new robot-based automation solutions throughout the North Central region of the U.S.'

This article is originally posted on Tronserve.com

Modern day Materials Handling, Material Handling Product News and Material Handling 24/7 announced that Tompkins Robotics’ t-Sort system is the winner of the Readers’ Choice Product of the Year Award.
Tompkins Robotics' t-Sort system has been selected by Modern Materials Handling, Material Handling Product News and Material Handling 24/7 as a winner of their fourth-annual Readers' Choice Product of the Year Awards. t-Sort was the winning product in the category of conveyors and sortation. Tompkins Robotics is a firm unit of Tompkins International.
The Readers' Choice Product of the Year Awards honor the successes of companies for advances in materials handling systems and equipment within making, distribution centers and warehouses. The editorial teams at Modern Materials Handling and MHPN, 'congratulate the award recipients, but the real winners are their customers, who have access to some of the best tools ever for improving safety, efficiency and productivity.'
 
t-Sort is the first portable, automated material handling sortation system; creating a prototype shift in how the distribution perform of order fulfillment is done. The t-Sort system performs much like a tilt tray or crossbelt sorter. However, the unique and exciting difference is it uses free moving, independent robots. This is the equivalent of having a tilt tray with no track having each robot to travel to any divert or induction section independently along the shortest path.
 
This greatly boosts efficiency to maximize your operational capabilities. Robots, chutes, and induction stations can be added modularly at any time with no interruption or downtime. An additional robot can be added in seconds to increase capacity.
 
A unique feature is that the system can be found on a in-season or annual basis deferring the capital investment and fully utilizing the asset at all times. This is unlike a traditional sortation system that one buys for their long-term growth plan, purchasing excess capacity that may be underutilized for years.
 
A regular installation takes only four to six months to go-live. A really game changing aspect is the system is completely portable and can be transferred to a different space over a weekend. Some features include the range of unit handling, the range of sorting destinations and the configuration and expansion. The form of unit loads t-Sort can sort is very broad including apparel, shoes, cylindrical, and consumer products. t-Sort's tilt angle and speed can be configured to individual products. t-Sort provides a positive and accurate sort to multiple destinations including shipping cartons, totes, gravity conveyor lines, chutes, bags, and gaylords. t-Sort components are modular allowing the system to increase its operational functionality as recommended including the number of robots, sort points, increasing induction stations, and reconfiguring system size, shape and sort functions.
 
'We are honored to be selected by material handling leaders as a product of the year. Tompkins Robotics' t-sort system continues to find new applications as organizations define new opportunities for this agile, flexible, modular, portable automated solution and we continue to expand t-Sort's capabilities,' stated Jim Tompkins, CEO, Tompkins International.
 

This article is originally posted on Tronserve.com

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - February 7, 2019 — Dematic, a leading global supplier of integrated automated technology, software and services to optimize the supply chain, has been selected by a plastics producing company to layout and put into action an Automated Guided Vehicle System (AGVS) for intra-plant delivery of materials. The manufacturer has a specialty in plastic treatment molding and produces plastic parts for the medical, peThe system is manufactured to automate the material flow from production. It will include a fleet of counterbalanced fork AGVs. The AGVs will pick up tubs of plastic product at manufacturing and transport to the warehouse. The loads can be stacked up to six levels high without racking. For outbound load movement, the AGVs will pick up tubs of finished goods from the warehouse and transport to the delivery dock. The system is scheduled to launch in the third quarter of 2019.
The Dematic System software manages and controls the AGV fleet to optimize task responsibilities of intra-plant movement of materials. An interface to the host ERP is incorporated to support lot control and quality auditing. For on-board controls, the AGVs use a combination of laser and natural target guidance.

This article is originally posted on Tronserve.com

Epson Robots Named 'First Team' Honoree' in the Eight Annual 'Leadership in Automation' Awards Awards Received in the Robotics and Vision Systems Categories
CARSON, CA., - Feb. 5 2019 - Epson Robots, the #1 SCARA robot manufacturer in the world, today announced it was known by PMMI Media Group's Automation World magazine for the third consecutive year as a First Team category leader in the 2019 Leadership in Automation program. Epson was honored the 2019 First Team Honoree in the categories of Robotics and Vision Systems. In 2017 and 2018, Epson was awarded First Team Honoree in the Robotics category.
Automation World, the leading business magazine serving automation professionals, created this community-based program in January 2012. Automation professionals were invited to vote for their favorite automation vendors in unaided-recall surveys. Over two dozen categories are featured, representing the wide variety of automation technologies, software and products in use by today's manufacturing professionals across the discrete, batch and continuous process manufacturing industries
Kurt Belisle, publisher of Automation World, shares his passion. 'We're pleased to recognize the First Team Honorees who offer both excellent customer service and best-in-class product innovation. We appreciate the end-users who took the time to vote for their favorite solution providers. Congratulations to the honorees!'
'We strive to offer the most innovative and highest quality robotics solutions along with excellent customer service,' said Gregg Brunnick, director of product management for Epson Robots. 'Automation World delivers insightful coverage about industrial automation and is a highly regarded publisher—we are delighted its readers have chosen us as one of their preferred Robotics suppliers in two important categories.'
Recently introduced exciting solutions from Epson Robots include the Epson Force Guide, a firmly integrated force control system that allows Epson Robots to sense and make exact moves using force feedback data, and the SynthisTM T6 All-in-One SCARA robot. Available at $9,495, the T6 comes with a built-in controller, a new technology feature that helps reduce space demands and simplify setup and offers an integrated vision guidance option, Vision Guide, which is designed specifically for robot guidance making it easy to automate simple applications when vision is required.
Fully built in within the Epson RC+® development environment for easy configuration and calibration, Epson Vision Guide features a point-and-click interface that makes it painless for users of all levels. It also features wizards and auto calibration practices, plus a combination robot/vision simulator for rapid off-line testing. With a single point of support for both robots and vision guidance, Epson Vision Guide allows for fast development and simplified maintenance.


This article is originally posted on Tronserve.com