The global market for cobots is anticipated to represent virtually 30 percent of the total industrial robot market by 2027, which is relating to market research group, Interact Analysis. However, these ‘bots won't be always the best option robot choice.

Chinese company CATL, the world's biggest maker of car batteries, intends to invest up to 1.8 billion euros ($2.05 billion) in a planned manufacturing unit in Germany, encouraged by the strong global appetite for electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids.

Chinese battery cell manufacturer CATL dipped a toe into the European battery manufacturing market early on this year when it made a decision to invest €240 million in a battery factory located in Erfurt, Germany. In a new filing with the Shenzhen stock exchange, the company announces it will maximize its investment in battery production and research in Europe to a total of €1.8 billion, according to a report by Electrive.

Today, Bright Machines™ began providing its vision of integrating software and artificial intelligence (AI) into every phase of the manufacturing cycle with the introduction of sparkling Machines Microfactories.
 
The new Bright Machines Microfactories combine software, machine learning, computer vision, and adaptive robotics into an automation platform that improves the way merchandise are assembled and scrutinized, as those are the most manual stages of today's production lines. Microfactories take benefit of AI and cloud-based architecture to present improved assembly efficiency while getting more intelligent and automated over time.
 
'The manufacturing industry is searching for its next leap forward and a software-defined approach to factory automation answers this need,' said Amar Hanspal, CEO, Bright Machines. 'Key to unlocking the promise of intelligent automation is the connection of individual machines to an AI-powered software layer that configures, monitors and manages machines and functions, creating programmable and autonomous factories. We call this approach Software-Defined Manufacturing.'
 
Software-Defined Manufacturing
 
Software-Defined Manufacturing leverages computer vision, machine learning and adaptive robotics and paves the way for wise production lines and fully-programmable factories. Software-Defined Manufacturing makes it easier to configure, duplicate and scale automation, dramatically changing the economics, speed and flexibility of one of the world's largest industries. By digitizing factory operations, Software-Defined Manufacturing makes them more transparent and accessible, enabling the rest of an organization to interact with its producing operations with ease. This also permits agility and continuous progress for the product manufacturing process.
 
Bright Machines Microfactories
 
Today, Bright Machines is providing a vital element of this automated future with the introduction of software-defined microfactories for product assembly and examination. These new microfactories bring to life Bright Machines' vision of Software-Defined Manufacturing, with factories getting 'brighter,' programmable and more automated over time. Bright Machines Microfactories are comprised of the following integrated elements that, together, provide a modern, AI-powered approach to automation:
 
Brightware™ cloud-based software for design, simulation, and preparation of the setup and guidelines used to create and run any number of physical production assembly lines. Brightware includes factory applications that intelligently monitor, track, and manage the line for optimal manufacturing performance.
Bright Robotic Cells (BRC) pre-integrated and production-ready modular units, based on adaptive robotics technology, that can be constructed to meet the manufacturing needs of the product being assembled. Brightware, together with a plug-and-play library of accessories, can literally transform the same set of BRCs into very different, highly-specialized assembly microfactories.
Bright Machines Microfactories, available straight away, automate automation and can be integrated twice as fast as existing assembly lines. The intelligent, connected microfactories also notably increase Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) including production throughput and yield, driving to a lower cost per unit. Bright Machines will maintain to deliver enhanced artificial intelligence capabilities, enabling microfactories to become more intelligent over time.



This article is originally posted on Tronserve.com

The Additive Manufacturing Users Group (AMUG) will install its 2019-2020 board on July 1, 2019. The nine-member board is made up of of both chosen and appointed positions, and each board member serves as an officer of the organization. The board's primary responsibilities will be to build and oversee the 2020 AMUG Conference and architect an organizational structure that will support the ongoing growth of this annual event.
 
Carl Dekker of Met-L-Flo, who has served two terms as vice president, will take on the role of president. Dekker swaps Paul Bates of UL, who opted not to operate for re-election after serving two terms as president, and Bates will think the role of past president. Andrew Allshorn of At 3D-Squared, who has provided as an AMUG global ambassador, was selected for the vice president position that was held by Dekker.
 
Three incumbents sought re-election and stored their positions. Jamie Cone of BD will serve a third term as vice-president, and Leslie Frost of GE Additive will serve a second term as secretary. In his twenty-sixth term, Thomas Sorovetz of FCA will once again serve as AMUG's event manager.
 
AMUG members elected these individuals during the annual conference that was held in Chicago, Illinois. Candidates for the appointed positions of chairman, treasurer, and AM industry consultant were projected and recognized by the decided officers. Filling these positions are Gary Rabinovitz, chairman, Vince Anewenter, treasurer, and Todd Grimm, AM industry advisor.
 
Carl Dekker said, 'I am happy to be AMUG's 2020 president. We have an excellent and experienced team leading us on the path to the next event.' He proceeded, 'The recent growth of AMUG has been astounding! This brings many problems, which I am satisfied to say the new AMUG Board is being very proactive in addressing.'
 
Dekker also expressed gratitude for Mark Barfoot's years of service. Barfoot, who is stepping down from past president, has served nine consecutive terms in roles that included vice president, president, and past president.



This article is originally posted on Tronserve.com

SAP awards the 'SAP known Expertise' certificate to partners with impressive industry-specific or solution-specific expertise. There are at present over 15,000 SAP partners specialized in various industries across the globe, each with its own special features and characteristics. The mill products sector includes not just weaving mills but also businesses in the foil, paper, board, felt, textile and metal industries. The great expertise T.CON has developed in the German mill products industry has now been known in the award.
 
There are only four SAP partners in the world who have been qualified with 'SAP Recognized Expertise' for this sector. 'We have a exclusive process understanding and solution expertise in this industry, even when taken right across the globe', explains Andreas Laschinger, T.CON's Strategic Business Field Head for mill products.
 
This expertise has led, among other things, to the development of the ERP solution package T.CON SMART FOR MILL. Its individual components cover the business and economic tasks for producers of rolls and sheets: From development to procurement, through planning, production, quality management, maintenance, sales and shipping, and all the way to incorporated accounting. All the functions in the T.CON solution packages are modified to satisfy the needs of the mill industry.
 
Industry expertise guarantees ROI
'Our solution bundle is based on steps optimized for SAP S/4HANA and comprises applications for all aspects of reel and sheet based production. They can be seamlessly integrated into operative workflows', explains Sasa Mihajlovic, Business Lead Production Mill Industries at T.CON. 'They give our customers a real added value and make a huge contribution to making the business more competitive. What's more, our industry expertise warranties that the connected investments pay for themselves swiftly and sustainably.'
The 'SAP Recognized Expertise' award is issued as part of the SAP PartnerEdge program. SAP partners must meet high guidelines in order to receive the award. These include proof of industry expertise. The partner must also have successfully carried out a specified number of customer projects in the sector in that country.



This article is originally posted on Tronserve.com

Most underwater robots use one of two ways of acquiring around. Way one is with propellers, and way two is with fins. But animals have revealed us that there are lots of more kinds of underwater locomotion, possibly providing unique benefits to robots. We’ll take a look at two papers from ICRA this year that showed bioinspired underwater robots shifting in creative new ways: A jet-powered squid robot that can leap out of the water, plus a robotic scallop that moves just like the real thing.
 
This “squid-like aquatic-aerial vehicle” from Beihang University in China is modeled after flying squids. Real squids, in addition to being scrumptious, propel themselves using water jets, and these jets are mighty enough that some squids can not only jump out of the water, but actually attain controlled flight for a brief period by continuous to jet while in the air. The flight phase is extended through the use of fins as arms and wings to create a little bit of lift. Real squids use this multimodal propulsion to getaway predators, and it’s also much faster—a squid can double its normal swimming speed while in the air, running at up to 50 body lengths per second.
 
The squid robot is powered primarily by condensed air, which it stores in a cylinder in its nose (do squids have noses?). The fins and arms are monitored by pneumatic actuators. When the robot wants to move through the water, it opens a value to release a modest amount of compressed air; publishing the air all at once yields enough thrust to fire the robot squid completely out of the water.
 
The jumping that you see at the end of the video is preliminary work; we’re told that the robot squid can move between 10 and 20 meters by jumping, whereas using its jet underwater will take it just 10 meters. At the moment, the squid can only fire its jet once, but the researchers plan to change the compressed air with something a bit denser, like liquid CO2, which will let for extensive operation and multiple jumps. There’s also plenty of work to do with using the fins for dynamic control, which the researchers say will “reveal the superiority of the natural flying squid movement.”



This article is originally posted on Tronserve.com

ALBANY, N.Y. — MTI Instruments, an Albany, New York-based manufacturer of precision measurement solutions, announced today the release of a third-generation digital capacitance displacement gauge with lower noise and industry-leading resolution. The Accumeasure D Series ('Gen 3') is fashioned with OEM customers in mind. With both analog and digital outputs, the Gen 3 can be effortlessly integrated into customers products to assess, monitor, and provide instantaneous closed loop feedback for critical process parameters including gap, vibration and positioning.
 
The Gen 3 design contains a lower-noise amplifier than its earlier versions, and it features sub-nanometer resolution for highly precise measurements.
 
'The Gen 3 product skillfully combines both analog and digital technologies to address new customer standards,' said Rick Jones, president and CEO of MTI Instruments. 'When measurements reach this level of precision, they can supply our customers with additional capabilities to drive innovation of their own products, a move that can lead to product differentiation and a saturated edge.'
 
The Gen 3 uses state-of-the-art technology to convert a capacitive electric field measurement right into a highly trustworthy 24-bit digital reading to precisely measure position, thickness, motion and vibration. The quadrature encoder input provides positional information simultaneously with the displacement signal.
 
The launching of the Gen 3 product is the latest in a series of collaborative efforts to position the company as an innovation leader in the field of metrology using capacitance technology.
 
'This third-generation Digital Accumeasure system delivers a wide range of applications for industries that require ultra-precise measurements—from brake rotor thickness to precision-made metal thickness in metal fabrication plants, and from semiconductor lithography focus stages to precision gap measurements, and so much more,' Jones said. 'For the past few years, the company has created a product roadmap to reach technological leadership and sustainability — this is an example of continuous innovation'
 
The Digital Accumeasure Gen 3 comes standard with 24-bit USB/Ethernet digital output. Filter frequency response, sample, rate, linearization, and probe range are all digitally-controlled for the most accurate data capture, lossless processing and the freedom from possessing to buy additional acquisition hardware. Additionally, its streamlined design enables in-product integration applications.



This article is originally posted on Tronserve.com

STEVENSVILLE, Md., June 26, 2019 — Video Mount Products (videomount.com), a top provider of mounting solutions for the manufacturing/commercial, CI, security, residential, and pro audio/video markets, is satisfied to announce its 27U and 42U cable management options for its popular floor rack enclosures are now presented.
 
'In enclosures, wiring organization is a must,' explained Keith Fulmer, president of Video Mount Products. 'VMP's ERENVCM-27 and ERENVCM-42 help keep all your wire bundles prepared and sorted as they feed into your rack equipment. Made out of resilient ABS and steel with a detachable front plate for easier mounting of cables, the ERENVCM-27 and ERENVCM-42 provide the strength and sustainability you've arrived to expect from VMP.'
 
The 27U ERENVCM-27 (MSRP: $147.00) mounts into VMP's EREN-27, EREN-27E, and EREN-27E1K equipment rack enclosures, while the 42U ERENVCM-42 (MSRP: $159.00) mounts into VMP's EREN-42E and EREN-42E1K equipment rack enclosures.
 
VMP is celebrating its 25th year as a leading provider of mounting solutions for the A/V, communication, and security industries.



This article is originally posted on Tronserve.com

Hunter Industrial, a division of the Hunter Fan Company, is merging with Bogi’s Girl Gang Garage — an all-female automotive repair shop led by ASE certified Master Technician and reality TV star, Sarah “Bogi” Lateiner.

UpKeep, a modern, intuitive, and mobile first CMMS to streamline the work order process, is unveiling an appreciation campaign today to pay honor to all of the heroes in maintenance. The Unsung Heroes Campaign will shine a spotlight on a group that deserves gratitude and recommendation for all of the hard work they do on a daily basis. UpKeep works along side and wants to thank the maintenance teams and facility managers that support and sustain our world.

The U.S.-China trade war has failed to stall investments in artificial intelligence, corporate executives and academics from Japan, mainland China and Hong Kong said, as they discussed the latest developments in AI and robotics at a forum here Tuesday.

Reported by the recently published “2018 Training Industry Report,” manufacturers and distributors spent, typically, $4.2 million on training last year. The report notes the bulk of 2019 training funds will go to mandatory compliance training, while “none of the respondents said they are planning to obtain revenue through external training.”

In the logistics and transportation industry, several components come together to ensure consumers and businesses get the products they need. Freight brokers are the key part of that ecosystem, as the work as the intermediaries between motor carriers and manufacturers. Although the freight brokerage business offers ease of entry for those with varied experience levels, as well as somewhat little start-up costs, being a freight broker who is successful requires a sharp focus on the relationship side of the business.

We are all fed up with hearing about it, but for business leaders and supply chain managers, Brexit is posing challenging questions and threatens to derail many supply chains. As the biggest decision in many of our lifetimes, the UK’s departure from the European Union could have consequences – good and bad – that will ripple through decades to come. In recent weeks, one prominent concern has been the impact a ”no deal” scenario could have on imports, particularly for the food and manufacturing industries.

For up to four decades, Beijing has cajoled or forced foreign companies to hand over technology. And its trading business partners say if that did not work, China stole what it wanted. Communist leaders deflected requirements for change until foreign frustration erupted into a showdown with President Donald Trump. He sent shockwaves through their export industries by slapping punitive tariffs of up to 25% on Chinese goods.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is here, it is compelling and it’s expanding. While the transformation is taking longer than some expected, the acceleration we have seen in recent years shows no indicators of slowing down. Whether it’s Alexa ordering your groceries or the Facebook algorithm figuring out what news you will find most relevant, AI and machine learning now drive many of the world’s biggest businesses.

The ExOne Company (Nasdaq: XONE) ('ExOne'), the global commander in industrial sand and metal 3D printers utilizing binder jetting technology, today established a partnership with Siemens, the global technology powerhouse in automation and digitalization, that will benefit manufacturing customers in the foundry, aerospace, automotive, energy and other markets.
 
Siemens' Digital Enterprise Portfolio of software and automation technology including MindSphere are fully used on the all-new S-Max Pro™ sand printer, that can attain print speeds of up to 135 l/h (18 s/layer). The S-Max Pro™ is being created at the 2019 GIFA International Foundry Trade Fair. Visitors are wanted to experience the technology in Hall 15 at Stand A11 through June 29 at the Messe Düsseldorf in Germany.
 
'With this widened partnership, ExOne will deliver even more value to our foundry and manufacturing customers who rely on our industrial 3D printers,' said ExOne CEO John Hartner. 'We are proud to be the first industrial 3D printer to fully integrate the latest of Siemens control, sensing and motion technologies and this new MindSphere technology, which will give our customers a new level of control and plant integration.'
 
Dr. Karsten Heuser, Vice President of Additive Manufacturing at Siemens Digital Industries, said, 'We are proud to further strengthen our partnership with ExOne and advance the industrialization of additive manufacturing. Siemens brings new digital technologies and its profound industrial domain knowhow to help ExOne generate further value. The new ExOne S-Max Pro™ 3D printer proves that seamlessly integrated software and automation solutions result in shorter time to market, higher performance and maximum availability.'
 
Connected ExOne 3D Printing Systems
 
The Digital Enterprise portfolio from Siemens contains integrated hardware, software and services supporting ExOne to use the pros of Industry 4.0. In the center of this holistic approach stands the 'Digital Twin' using a embraced data model alongside the entire value chain: from the machine concept over machine simulation, engineering and commissioning to operations and services. Machine workers protect their investments with shorter lead times, increased machine performance and smarter service decisions.
 
The ExOne APP '3D Live' runs on MindSphere - the open cloud-based IoT operating system from Siemens to evaluate machine data and other important information in real-time, delivering the basis for automated or timely decision-making, turning data into value. As an example, ExOne machines enable the operator to identify anomalies for improving maintenance and repair activities so that unplanned downtime can be eliminated.
 
'We look forth to working with Siemens to further our capabilities in delivering production solutions for industrial 3D printing. Together we will help our customers integrate our systems into new smart factories and integrate with those already deploying Siemens' technology,' Hartner added.



This article is originally posted on Tronserve.com

Mouser Electronics, Inc., the industry's leading New Product Introduction (NPI) provider with the greatest selection of semiconductors and electronic components, is greatly expanding its large global headquarters and distribution center to fulfill the needs of its flourishing business well into the next decade. Construction is under way to add more than 125,000 square feet to the distribution center, as well as a new 50,000 square-foot office building on Mouser's campus, located south of Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas.
 
Upon completion of the new fabrication, Mouser's 78-acre global headquarters and large submission center will consist of 1 million square feet to accommodate Mouser's vast inventory of 1 million unique SKUs for products and technologies from over 750 electronic component manufacturers.
 
With a good industry outlook, double-digit revenue development and the addition of many new manufacturer partners, the industry-leading electronic components distributor is growing its global footprint and growing its business position to meet increasing customer demand worldwide.
 
In 2018 Mouser's sales hit $1.9 billion, and the company is on track to surpass that number this year. All this comes as Mouser has extended its full-time universal workforce to more than 2,400 and is set to provide local customer service in four new global regions: Brazil, Poland, Vietnam, and the Philippines.
 
'With the fast increase in technological advancements such as IoT, electric vehicles, artificial intelligence, robotics, and 5G, we definitely find ourselves in a very powerful and fortunate position,' revealed Glenn Smith, Mouser's President and CEO. 'We are preparing for future growth as our customer needs rise.'
 
An industry leader in New Product Introductions, Mouser stocks the widest selection of licensed components and continues to expand its vast line card with additional manufacturers from major electronic component product categories, including semiconductors, embedded modules, optoelectronics, passives, interconnects and wire/cable assemblies, electromechanical, power, test and measurement, and tools.
 
'Adding new products and manufacturers reinforces our steadfast engagement to our customers as a single destination for all the components and growth tools necessary for the design plan,' Smith added. 'Our focus on supplying the industry's widest breadth of appliances is resonating with our improving customer base of engineers and procurement agents in every corner of the world.'
 
Today, Mouser's 24-hour global submission center handles tens of thousands of orders per day, operating and shipping — same day in most cases — to over 600,000 customers in 220 countries/territories. Over the past several years, the worldwide distributor has made important capital investments in state-of-the-art, automated equipment to plan orders with best-in-class efficiency and accuracy.
 
With its diverse product line and unsurpassed customer service, Mouser strives to empower innovation among design engineers and buyers by providing advanced technologies. Mouser stocks the world's widest selection of the latest semiconductors and electronic components for the newest design projects. Mouser Electronics' website is regularly changed and offers superior search techniques to help customers quickly locate inventory. Mouser.com also houses data sheets, supplier-specific reference designs, application notes, technical design information, and engineering tools.



This article is originally posted on Tronserve.com

NEWBURY PARK, Calif., June 25, 2019 - Platinum Tools(R) (www.platinumtools.com), the leader in solutions for the preparation, installation, hand termination and testing of wire and cable, is happy to broadcast the launch of the new PoE+ 10Gig Shielded RJ45 Field Plug (p/n 106250).
 
'Now shipping, our new Field Plug optimizes data throughput to PoE+ powered devices,' explained John Phillips, Platinum Tools, LLC product manager. 'appropriate with a wide assortment of large cables with large conductors, the cast-metal shell provides end-to-end shielding from extraneous noise interference in high bandwidth applications.'
 
Additional features include:
•              HDBaseT PoE+ compliant
•              Cat7/6A/6
•              No special crimp tool required
•              Insulation diameter: 0.032in. - 0.057in. (0.8mm - 1.47mm)
•              Cable OD: 0.236in. - 0.315in. (6.0mm - 8.0mm)
•              50 micron gold plated contacts
•              UL and RoHS compliant
•              Solid or stranded, 26 - 23 AWG
•              Dimensions: 70.20mm x 17.85mm x 14.0mm
•              Cable compatibility: S/FTP or F/FTP Shielding; Stranded or Solid; 26AWG - 23AWG wires
•              Compliance: ISO/IEC 11801; ANSI/TIA-568-C.2; ANSI/TIA-568.2-D; IEEE 802.3an 10GBit Suitable
 
For pricing and more information on Platinum Tools and its complete product line, please visit www.platinumtools.com, call (800) 749-5783, or email info@platinumtools.com.



This article is originally posted on Tronserve.com