President Donald Trump's decision to allow expanded sales of U.S. technology supplies to Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei will only apply at products greatly available everywhere, and leave the most sensitive equipment off limits, a top White House aide said on Sunday.

American chipmaker Micron Technology has to some extent restarted transferring products to Chinese tech giant Huawei, CEO Sanjay Mehrotra said on Tuesday in the U.S.

A unit of China Mobile, the country's most massive telecommunications operator, and Huawei Technologies said this week that a key piece of Chinese 5G network infrastructure has been put into use for the very first time.

Opinion among Japanese manufacturers slipped in the three months to June as the economy was snagged in a tug of war between a weakening export climate and buoyant domestic economy, the Bank of Japan's latest Tankan study found on Monday.

LEXINGTON, KY (June 27, 2019) - Pressure losses in pneumatic systems can be costly and threaten machine efficiency. The new AVENTICS PE5 pressure sensor from Emerson measures systems losses and will alert when the leakage rate surpasses a pre-determined value. This enables excessive leaks to be identified early and addressed, before they become a major issue.
 
The sensor has two digital or one digital and one analog outputs. An IO-Link connection produces it simple to hook up to an Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) network. The sensor can be included on new installations or easily added to an existing machine.
 
'Pneumatic system leaks can become a big issue for companies using lots of pressurized air' said Dieter Michalkowski, IIoT specialist with Emerson's machine automation business. 'Excessive leakage can lead to the need for larger compressors, or compromised machine performance. This new sensor addresses that issue in a simple and easy to implement way.'
 
When the machine is switched off, the AVENTICS PE5 sensor measures pressure loss over time. If the pressure drops faster than planned, a local alert is set, and a transmission can be sent via the analog or digital outputs. The local alert consists of a adjust in display color from green to red. To trigger a maintenance task or to completely produce a work order, the analog and digital signals can be sent to a PLC or other network. The analog output can be turned between a current or voltage signal and the user has full control over the set points. The IO-Link connection offers more set up and diagnostic options. The local exhibit also shows how much faster the pressure has decreased than expected.
 
The PE5 is regarded for IP67 protection and mixes electronic precision with user-friendly versatility. The sensor boasts simple switching between current and voltage, and between PNP, NPN and push-pull. This flexibility allows the PE5 to be used in a wide range of applications. No matter the environment, with the zero-point offset function the pressure sensor can be set to zero at any time and thus offers precise display and switching information.



This article is originally posted on Tronserve.com

Balluff has been named a 2019 'Best of Sensors' Award winner. The company's SmartLight Indicator was identified as the 2019 Innovative Product of the Year which highlights cutting-edge advancements and accomplishments that are shifting the sensors industry forward. The prestigious awards were during Sensors Expo & Conference 2019, held this week in San Jose, California.
 
Utilizing the power of IO-Link, the SmartLight Indicator is capable of leading, instructing and guiding operators in nearly any production task. The new-to-market indicators increase productivity and minimize workforce errors by providing innovative personnel guidance in a variety of applications — pick-to-light systems, part placement, part positions, format change guidance and many others.
 
'supplying guidance and verification immediately at the point-of-use is growing trend. The plan improvements are significant when operators can stay targeted on their assembly tasks without having to look away for process versification and sequential guidance,' according to Tom Rosenberg, industry account manager of life sciences at Balluff, Inc. 'We are pleased to be distinguished as innovators in this industry which keeps to push limitations to drive greater returns for our customers.'
 
Sensors Expo & Conference is the industry's premier event dedicated to sensors, connectivity, and IoT. The winners of the 2019 Best of Sensors Awards represent the advances in innovations and real-world applications of sensors as well as the teams and individuals who prove commitment to engineering excellence and overall ingenuity.



This article is originally posted on Tronserve.com

ZTE has forged 5G-related tie-ups with more than 200 corporations worldwide, President Xu Ziyang said Thursday, in a sign that the Chinese telecommunications equipment maker is rebounding from the U.S. sanctions that just about sank it last year.

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.”