The Dynamic Legged Systems Lab at the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT) has been working with hydraulic quadrupedal robots since about 2010— we first met their HyQ research platform at IROS 2011, and they've been using it for some regularly impressive research since then. But nine years is a very, very long time in robotics, and HyQ has been displaying its age relative to the more recent (and more dynamic) generation of quadrupeds like SpotMini, ANYmal, and Cheetah 3.
 
Today, IIT is announcing a brand new and hugely upgraded quadruped called HyQReal. It's developed to be big, powerful, and rugged, and to demonstrate its capabilities, IIT guessed that they might as well see if it could pull a three-ton airplane.
 
HyQReal is 1.33 m long and 90 cm tall, and its weight is 130kg considering hydraulics and batteries onboard. The robot is protected by an aluminum roll cage and a skin made of Kevlar, glass fiber and plastic. The robot has custom-made rubber feet for traction when the going gets harsh. The robot has two computers on board, one for vision, the other for control.
 
The video, while impressive, doesn't give a very clear photo of the overall capabilities of the robot (and neither does that little snippet from the press release, which consists the entirety of the technical info). Fortunately, Claudio Semini gave a workshop talk at ICRA today where he introduced HyQReal in much more detail. Here's a slide showing all the specs:
 
IIT partnered with Moog on the hydraulics, using their Integrated Smart Actuators, each with a 3D-printed titanium body that contains all the sensors, electronics, and fluid routing. There are two independent hydraulic pumps, one powering the front legs, and the other powering the hind legs. The battery (which weighs 15kg) should be ideal for about two hours, although IIT hasn't yet done endurance testing. Since the actuators are generally sealed up, HyQReal is water- and dust-resistant, fit to keep moving while being sprayed with water or having sand dumped all over it.
 
At the ICRA workshop, we saw some brief video of the robot trotting, as well as lying down and standing up again. We're advised that it should be able to autonomously restore after it falls, but IIT hasn't had time to test that either. HyQReal is very, very new, so there's a lot of stuff that the researchers essentially haven't had a chance to figure out yet. They also haven't had a chance to put a beefy electric arm on it, which is part of the long-term plan to make the robot useful:
 
Pulling an airplane isn't likely to be HyQReal's primary job— very broadly, it's been developed to 'support humans in emergency scenarios,' and should be ideal for 'disaster response, agriculture, decommissioning, and inspection.' It's still very much a research robot at the moment, although based on all of the work that IIT has done on the previous version of HyQ, we're hoping to see some rapid progress over the next few months.



This article is originally posted on Tronserve.com

With the development and thinking of artificial intelligence, size detective equipment, CCD optical examining machine and other industry automated technology, many excellent manufacturers of machine vision technology spring up in China. Shenzhen Sipotek Technology Co.,Ltd. has spent 16 years in continuous researching and developing, gradually become one of the leaders of the market.
 
Shenzhen Sipotek Size Detection Equipment is based on the computer camera like the human eye vision, use special vibrating disk automatic feeding mechanism to collect, calculate, judge and sort specific solid physical image, not only for finding dimensions(including length, height, diameter and other test), but also apply to the products mixing, deformation, burrs, scratches, lack of materials, stains and other test.
 
According to the vision industry case show that the size detection machine is mostly used in the industries of screw, rubber ring, mobile phone accessories, plastic, etc., and has reached a good detective results. For different products show by unique data, the highest detection speed can reach 1200 batches per minute, detection accuracy can reach 10u which is equivalent to replacing 6 to 8 quality inspection workers.
 
After 16 years of prolonged research and stable development, Shenzhen Sipotek Technology Co.,Ltd. has progressively expanded its production and research scale. In the Guangzhou exhibition on March 10-12, many manufacturers was attracted to here by the vision inspection equipment. They brought products for engineers to test and debug.



This article is originally posted on Tronserve.com

Wilmington, MA — May 20, 2019 — Today, Locus Robotics, the market leader in autonomous mobile robots (AMR) for fulfillment warehouses, and RightHand Robotics (RHR), a leader in supplying integrated robotic piece-picking solutions, revealed a partnership to deliver cross-platform robotics solutions for warehouse fulfillment operators. Locus and RHR will give a preview of their multi-stage fulfillment solution at Manhattan Associates' Momentum Conference 2019 from May 20 -23rd in Phoenix, Arizona.
 
'We are happy to partner with RightHand Robotics, a well known leader in performance and efficiency-driving piece-picking solutions,' said Rick Faulk, CEO of Locus Robotics. 'Our companies share a vision of delivering innovative, industry-leading technology solutions that drive productivity for our customers. By working together, we can bring greater flexibility and productivity to the fulfillment warehouse. This is particularly impactful in high-volume scenarios, where automation can drive greater operational efficiencies.'
 
The Locus and RHR collaboration demonstrates the potential for cross-platform robotics solutions in the warehouse industry. Their approach effortlessly combines Locus's autonomous multi-robot model for piece handling with RHR's autonomous work cell to provide greater automation, addressing multiple fulfillment processes, from picking to packing, especially in high-volume environments. With this innovative and collaborative approach, the Locus and RHR solution will drive significant productivity and efficiency gains for shared customers in the retail and third-party logistics (3PL) space.
 
'Locus is distinguished as one of the pioneers of autonomous mobile robots for warehouses and we're happy to be working together,' said Leif Jentoft, Co-Founder of RightHand Robotics. 'Our companies' advanced technologies will provide transformative solutions to a variety of industries including pharmaceutical, apparel, grocery, and more. With the growing demands of e-commerce order fulfillment, we can solve our customers' needs for flexible and reliable technology, with real productivity and efficiency results.'
 
The Locus and RHR cross-platform warehouse fulfillment solution will be on display at Manhattan Associates' MOMENTUM Conference 2019 from May 20 -23rd in Phoenix, Arizona.
 



This article is originally posted on Tronserve.com

Fast Radius, Inc. today proclaimed a partnership with Desktop Metal to help companies accelerate the discovery and launch of applications on the Desktop Metal Production System, the world's fastest metal printer. Desktop Metal, based in Burlington, Massachusetts, is addressing the unmet challenges of speed, cost, and quality to make metal 3D printing an essential tool for engineers and manufacturers around the world. Headquartered in Chicago, Fast Radius' technology platform and manufacturing footprint help customers bring new products and supply chain models to market that are uniquely enabled by additive manufacturing ('3D printing').
 
As part of the partnership, Fast Radius will be one of the first companies to get the Production System. The partnership also contains the development and execution of a Fast Radius Application Launch Program ('ALP') specifically targeting production applications with Desktop Metal's binder jetting technology. The Fast Radius Application Launch Program is an invite-only, nine-month program where a cohort of non-competitive companies leverage the Fast Radius software platform and team of additive application engineers to recognize, evaluate, design, and ultimately launch a production-grade application leveraging the current additive technologies. Nearly 25 companies have participated in ALP, with dozens of production-grade applications identified and currently ramping. Now this proven methodology is being deployed to drive application discovery and launch with Desktop Metal. 'We are excited to partner with Fast Radius as one of our early customers for the Production System and look forward to working together on the Fast Radius Application Launch Program,' said Ric Fulop, co-founder and CEO, Desktop Metal. 'We are assured that this partnership will further accelerate the identification and development of pioneering applications enabled by the Production System.'
 
'The Production System represents an entirely new manufacturing platform which will enable new part geometries, improved functional performance, and a more positive cost shape for innovative product developers,' said Lou Rassey, Chief Executive Officer, Fast Radius. 'We look onward to working with Desktop Metal and our upcoming ALP participants to discover and launch new applications uniquely-enabled by the Production System.' In April, Fast Radius announced a $48M funding round led by UPS. Fast Radius customers include leading Fortune 500 companies across verticals, including automotive, industrial, aerospace, and consumer products. The Production System is the world's fastest metal printing press for mass production with over 400 percent productivity over the closest binder jet alternatives and more than 100 times faster than laser powder bed fusion systems in the market. These systems are manufactured to print a broad range of alloys, including reactive metals such as titanium and aluminum. This process enables the use of metal powders that are 80 percent lower cost than laser powder bed fusion metals, delivering parts at 1/20th the cost.
 
The Fast Radius software platform, also known as the Fast Radius Operating System ('FROS'), supports customers across the product lifecycle and is a key enabler of the Fast Radius Application Launch Program. The platform helps customers recognize potential applications, conduct engineering and economic evaluations, accelerate new product development, and fundamentally manufacture industrial-grade parts in Fast Radius factories at scale with the present additive technologies.



This article is originally posted on Tronserve.com

Detroit, Michigan, May 20, 2019-- NXT Factory, a pioneer in the development of Quantum Laser Sintering (QLSTM) that additively manufactures thermoplastics at convincing speed, today
announced that it will show its first fully automated polyamide manufacturing system, the QLS 350, at Rapid+TCT 2019. NXT Factory plans to display its groundbreaking 3D printer at the XponentialWorks booth #2117 at the Cobb Center in Detroit, May 21-23. NXT Factory invites industry practitioners, skilled resellers and strategic partners to see first-hand the power and potential of this new category of 3D printers. To reserve your own viewing of the QLS 350 at Rapid+TCT. Availability is limited. The company is accepting orders with shipments to initiate early in the second half of 2019. 'We are excited to be able to bring to promote the first ever high-speed, high-temp, high-performance polymer system at comparable costs and performance of injection molding,' said Kuba Graczyk, Co-founder and CEO, NXT Factory. 'Over the past three years, we have worked faithfully to create, test and perfect what we believe to be the only fully automated laser sintering production system featuring robotically guided exchangeable powder cart, integrated thermal management and multiple sensors. Our cloud-based production management system gives end users total power over their printing processes.' Featuring the highest part throughput in its class, the QLS 350 delivers significant savings compared to traditional tooling costs and supplies unprecedented production throughput and flexibility. The QLS 350 produces up to 4X the print speed of traditional laser sintering technologies and is on par with the print speed of multi-jet fusion printers thanks to its proprietary beam delivery system and overall autonomous powder management. With its removable robotically guided print chamber, for independent cool down and autonomous depowering module, the QLS 350 gives a polymer-based production alternative to regular injection molding with full Industry 4.0 capabilities designed for fully automated lights-out 24/7 operation.
 
'We have been privileged to work with leading automotive suppliers to successfully examine our QLS 350 cost effectiveness and show how ownership of this special system can increase productivity, expand margins and make low-to-medium size production runs of 8,000 to 12,000 parts per run more profitable,' said Avi Reichental Co-Founder and Executive Chairman, NXT Factory. 'Together with our automotive partner, we are successfully raising the cost effectiveness of short production runs including the elimination of expansive tooling,reduction of change over times printing with supply chain validated materials that are accepted by the injection molding industry.' Media kit available here. In connection with the reveal of the QLS 350, NXT Factory announced the launch of its preferred materials partner program with qualified third-party suppliers. This program is developed to open NXT Factory's higher throughput production platform to access by the world's best material suppliers that share the company's focus on accelerating the adoption of digital manufacturing into mainstream production applications. Suppliers who are interested in the details of NXT Factory's Partner Program are invited to apply by visiting and clicking here and scheduling a private appointment at RAPID+TCT.  'At the heart of our technology is our proprietary beam delivery integration with deep-learning algorithms that make real-time predictive and prescriptive choices to enable intelligent high-speed printing and real time quality monitoring layer by layer,' said Tomasz Cieszyński,  Co-Founder and CTO, NXT Factory. 'We are centering all of our development and manufacturing efforts around product quality and reliability to make sure that each and every one of our  customers enjoys continuous and repeatable performance on their production floor.' The QLS 350 comes ready with a robotically guided removable print chamber, built in thermal management and automated docking. The system can also be ordered with a fully autonomous depowering system for continuous operations.
 



This article is originally posted on Tronserve.com

The number of foreign companies that feel compelled to hand over technology in return for Chinese market access — an issue that stimulated President Donald Trump's tariff fight with Beijing — has doubled since two years ago despite official promises to end such tension, a business group reported Monday.

Japan's trade negotiator said Friday Washington will not be demanding any numerical limitations on Japanese auto exports to the U.S.

German exports rose unexpectedly in March, outpacing import growth and increasing the trade excess for Europe's prominent economy.

5G technology has arrived.

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Chen Hsong Holdings Limited (Chinese: 震雄集团) was established by Dr. Chiang Chen in Hong Kong in 1958. After half a century, Chen Hsong has grown from a small machinery workshop to one of the largest manufacturers of injection moulding machines in the world. It has a customer base covering more than 65 countries worldwide including China, Taiwan, the United States, Canada, France, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico and most S.E. Asian countries. The clamping force is from 20 tons to 6,500 tons and injection rate is from 28.4 gram to 106,000 gram. Chen Hsong is the only plastic injection moulding machine manufacturer of its kind that serves customers 24 hours a day, 365 days a year in after sales and maintenance service in China. Chen Hsong does development, manufacture and sales of injection molding machines, mold machining systems, auto-molding systems, etc.

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China's factory output and consumer spending compromised in April as a tariff war with Washington intensified, adding to pressure on Beijing to shore up shaky economic growth.
 
Wednesday's all of a sudden weak data prompted suggestions Beijing has to boost stimulus spending and bank lending to hit this year's official economic growth target of 6 percent to 6.5 percent.
 
President Xi Jinping's government has expressed confidence the economy can hold up to U.S. tariff hikes in their fight over Chinese technology ambitions and other trade irritants. But forecasters say damage might spread beyond export-driven manufacturing industries if consumer and business confidence suffers, depressing spending and investment.
 
Consumer demand is 'softening at a time when the export sector is taking a big hit,' Rajiv Biswas of IHS Markit said in a report. 'Chinese policymakers will therefore need to roll out further fiscal and monetary policy stimulus,' Biswas said.
 
April's growth in factory output hesitant to 5.4 percent over a year earlier from March's 8.5 percent growth, as stated by the National Bureau of Statistics.
 
Retail sales growth dropped to 7.2 percent over a year ago from the previous month's 8.7 percent. That is a setback for Chinese leaders who wish to promote self-sustaining economic growth based upon domestic consumption in the place of trade and investment.
 
Chinese economic growth held stable in the latest quarter at 6.4 percent over one year before. But that was supported by higher government spending and bank lending to reverse an economic slowdown. President Donald Trump's tariff hikes on Chinese imports have been hard on manufacturers. The escalating dispute also is unnerving Chinese consumers, depressing domestic demand.
 
Forecasters express a U.S. tariff increase on $200 billion of Chinese imports that took effect Friday could trim economic growth by 0.5 percentage points, stalling a recovery that looked to be gaining traction. They say the loss could increase to 1 percentage point if both sides extend penalties to all of each other's goods. That would push yearly growth under 6 percent, raising the risk of politically dangerous job losses.
 
'Policymakers are likely to step up stimulus again, mainly through pushing banks to make more loans and ramping up fiscal spending,' Macquarie Bank said in a report.
 
It alerted of 'rising volatility' in financial markets as a result of uncertainty about trade and economic growth. 'Things might have to get worse first to convince politicians to be realistic and get things done,' mentioned the report.
 
This article is originally posted on tronserve.com

An index of German business optimism crumbled in April as Europe's largest economy challenges with a slowdown in trade and manufacturing even while it finds support from a strong labor market.
 
The Ifo institute said Wednesday its business climate index slipped to 99.2 points from 99.7 points in March, revealing managers were less satisfied with both the current situation and the outlook for the future.
 
The survey was worse than forecast by market analysts, who had anticipated a slight increase.
 
'This is consistent with our view that Germany's economy is likely to grow at a very anemic pace this year, even if there is a slight pickup in growth' in the first quarter, mentioned Andrew Kenningham, chief Europe economist at Capital Economics.
 
German's economy lived with flat growth at the end of last year inspite of low unemployment that has helped keep consumers spending. The jobless level was just 3.1 percent in February. The slowdown was blamed on one-time factors such as troubles in the auto industry over new emissions standards and low river levels that disrupted production. Slowing global trade has held back export-oriented manufacturing.
 
The government on April 17 cut its growth forecast for the full year to 0.5 percent.
 
A lesser pessimistic view was taken by Carsten Brzeski, chief economist at ING Germany. He stated the picture in industry had not been as miserable as some recent data would indicate. Recent zig-zagging of indicators 'should be seen as evidence of a bottoming out — confusion as a sign of stabilization,' he wrote in an email.
 
This article is originally posted on tronserve.com

Japan's exports at a decline in March as shipments to China dropped more than 9%, pulling the nation's trade surplus sharply lower.
 
The data released Wednesday by the Finance Ministry was almost in line with forecasts. The report followed two days of trade talks with the U.S. in Washington aimed at redressing the chronic imbalance in Japan's favor, that totaled $67.6 billion in 2018 according to U.S. figures.
 
Exports from Japan, the world's 3rd largest economy, fell 2.4% from one year earlier to 7.2 trillion yen ($64 billion), while imports rose 1% to 6.7 trillion yen ($59 billion). The trade surplus dropped 32% from a year earlier to 528.5 billion yen ($4.7 billion), customs figures showed.
 
Exports to the U.S., Japan's biggest single overseas market, rose 4.4% while imports fell, increasing the politically sensitive trade surplus by nearly 10, to 683.6 billion yen ($6.1 billion), up 9.8% from the same month a-year earlier.
 
Japan's exports to China fell 9.4% from a-year earlier, highlighting smaller demand as the economy slows down amid a trade conflict with the U.S. over Beijing's technology ambitions.
 
Darren Aw of Capital Economics stated in a commentary that the deficit in March was not a significant concern and that overall, trade might have contributed to economic growth in the last quarter.
 
'The bigger picture, however, remains unchanged — the outlook for external demand remains weak,' he said.
 
U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer's office said in a statement that he and Japan's trade minister Toshimitsu Motegi agreed to continue talks soon.
 
In Tokyo, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said to a regular news conference that he obtained a report from Washington that the two sides had started negotiations consistent with an agreement last September between Trump and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The talks included trade in agricultural products and autos.
 
'I expect we will have constructive talks so that we have meaningful results that serve our national interest,' he said.
 
Motegi explained reporters that he told Lighthizer that Japan is not going to compromise on imports of agricultural products, saying that the conditions agreed in past negotiations are as far as Japan could go.
 
Japan made significant concessions on imports of dairy and other farm products while tough negotiations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a Pacific Rim trade deal which President Donald Trump withdrew from shortly after taking office in 2017.
 
'In the area of agricultural products, conditions we have promised in past economic cooperation is as far as we can go. I have told him that that's the line Japan cannot go beyond,' he stated.
 
Japan's conservative ruling party, the Liberal Democrats, have usually depended on strong support from rural voters and have sought to defend the country's farm sector from foreign competition.
 
This article is originally posted on tronserve.com

The trade war with the United States will simply make China more powerful and will never bring the country to its knees, the Communist Party's People's Daily published in a front page commentary that evoked the patriotic spirit of past wars.
 
The world's two largest economies are locked in an increasingly acrimonious trade contest that has seen them level tariffs on each other's imports.
 
Tensions gotten worse this week following the Trump administration officially added China's Huawei Technologies to a trade blacklist, right away enacting restrictions that will make it exceedingly tough for the telecom giant to do business with US companies.
 
In a stridently nationalistic commentary, the ruling party's official newspaper outlined China's dedication to cover its national interests and dignity as being as 'firm as a boulder'. 'The trade war can't bring China down. It will only harden us to grow stronger,' it noted.
 
'What kind of storms have not been seen, what bumps have not experienced for China, with its more than 5,000 years of civilization? In the face of hurricanes, the nearly 1.4 billion Chinese people have confidence and stamina.'
 
China's confidence originates from the spirit of its people's perseverance and endless struggle, it added, quoting major disasters like floods, SARS and 2008's massive Sichuan earthquake.
 
'From the Opium War to the Sino-Japanese War to the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea - catastrophe and misery have come one after the other, tempering the Chinese people, pushing Chinese society to forge ahead in setbacks and move on in trouble.'
 
On Thursday, China's Commerce Ministry had slammed the US government's decision to blacklist Huawei, and claimed it will take steps to protect its companies, in a further test of ties as the economic heavyweights clash over trade.
 
This article is originally posted on tronserve.com

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Machine Tool Co., Ltd., a group company of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI)(TOKYO:7011) based in Ritto, Shiga Prefecture, is set to begin overseas marketing of its 3D (three-dimensional) printer using its proprietary Directed Energy Deposition (DED) process.1 The aim is to enhance recognition and gain a foothold in the United States, which is driving the rapidly growing global market for 3D printing. As a first step, MHI Machine Tool will attend RAPID + TCT 2019, a trade fair for expert additive manufacturing technologies, held from May 20-23 in Detroit, in order to showcase its new technologies essential for the functional application of metal 3D printing, along with the monitoring feedback and local shielding functions. These latter two functions are the world's first practical applications of new technology.
 
This metal 3D printer was evolved by MHI Machine Tool based on the results from a technology development project2 conducted by the Technology Research Association for Future Additive Manufacturing (TRAFAM), commissioned by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO). The entry model 'LAMDA 200,' particular for the manufacture of small prototype components, was established in March 2019. In the proprietary DED process, powder is constantly injected from a nozzle, then melted and solidified by laser irradiation. Compared to the powder bed fusion (PBF) process, in which material is created by rolling out and filling the metal powder in a tank (bed), molding speed is more than 10 times faster, and with the elimination of the tank for the metal powder, DED assists for the manufacture of larger objects not possible with PBF. Further, the constant supply of material prevents the need to switch materials during the molding process, helping for the forming of composite material components from many different metal powders. Going forward, this process is estimated to be applied for the development of functionally gradient materials joining together components made of unique materials. Along with this technology, MHI Machine Tool is on the verge of attaining practical application of monitoring feedback and local shielding functions, which will enhance the stability of molding quality and allow for the formation of giant components.
 
Particularly, the monitoring function is a system that uses a camera and sensors to monitor the printing status. The feedback function then utilizes the monitoring results to control the laser output and other printing conditions in real time, stabilizing the melting and solidification of the metal. Previously, the optimal printing conditions for various shape were determined through trial and error. The spying and feedback function optimizes the printing conditions automatically, eliminating the need for trial and error. The shielding function eliminates oxygen from the ambient environment around the nozzle during DED process, preventing oxidation of the melted metal. The local shielding function allows for printing of materials such as titanium and aluminum, which are averse to oxidation, in an air environment without the use of a chamber. Use of these functions also eliminates the restrictions on the size of 3D printing objects, making the system applicable for the manufacture of larger components, which has been an issue in such industries as aerospace. MHI Machine Tool will present the development results of its monitoring feedback and local shielding functions at RAPID + TCT 2019.
 
Demand for high-performance components made from a variety of materials is projected to increase worldwide, particularly in such industries as aerospace, where components are continually being made lighter, and the automotive industry, which continually demands cutting-edge technologies. MHI Machine Tool is resolving the issues with practical application of metal 3D printing, and going forward, through proposals for formation processes for high-performance materials, will focus on raising awareness and uncovering demand for metal 3D printing. With the new approach of metal additive manufacturing, we will broaden the scope of manufacturing that has reached the limits of conventional cutting and grinding processing technologies.
 
Notes
 
*1:
Directed Energy Deposition (DED) is an additive manufacturing process in which focused thermal energy is used to melt and fuse material.
 
*2:
The new 3D printer applies the results of the development project funded by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO).



This article is originally posted on Tronserve.com

Optomec - a major global distributor of production-grade additive manufacturing systems for 3D printed metals, today revealed it has signed an agreement with Select Additive Technologies, a division of the Morris Group, Inc., making the full range of Optomec's Laser Engineered Net Shaping (LENS) 3D Metal Printing systems offered through one of the biggest CNC machine tool distribution networks in North America. .
 
'Adding Optomec's industry-leading LENS systems to our distributors' existing lineup of CNC machine tools enhances our end-to-end suite of complex solutions for preciseness metal part repair and production,' said Jeff Holtzapple, Business Development Manager, Select Additive Technologies. 'Optomec incorporates decades of experience in directed energy deposition (DED) into its LENS metal additive manufacturing solutions, resulting in high-quality, affordable metal 3D printing solutions that make complex metal parts easier, more accurate, efficient and affordable to make and repair.'
 
A division of Morris Group, Inc., Select Additive Technologies specializes in the area of additive manufacturing. The organization brings additive manufacturing solutions to market via the Morris Group, Inc. owned distribution network, which has an established reputation for providing excellent customer service and longtime partnerships with major brands of machine tools, tooling, accessories and software.
 
'Having the Optomec LENS product lines showed by Select Machining Technologies is a great milestone in assisting metal additive manufacturing gain deeper penetration into the industrial mainstream,' said Mr. Dave Ramahi, Optomec president and CEO. 'With more than seventy-five years of manufacturing experience, knowledge and customer support, the distribution network with which they work serves industrial companies from virtually every industry. We could not ask for a better partner to help boost our exposure and reach in the US. '
 
Select Additive Technologies will signify the full range of Optomec's LENS systems, which use high-powered lasers to build structures layer by layer directly from powdered metals, alloys, ceramics or composites. LENS systems enable companies to cost-effectively repair, rework and manufacture fully dense, high-performance metal components with excellent mechanical and fatigue properties.



This article is originally posted on Tronserve.com

A subgroup focused on 3D printing has lengthened IPP to incorporate the needs of 3D printing to help data exchange and embedding within ordinary 3D file formats including 3MF and 3D PDF documents, so that user intent is preserved despite of the transport or workflow use.
 
PISCATAWAY, N.J., May 17, 2019 - The Printer Working Group (PWG) will speak May 21, 2019 at the RAPID+TCT event, Detroit, Mich. Paul Tykodi, PWG IPP Working Group co-chair, will address the work of PWG to standardize and simplify additive (3D) printing across devices.
 
With printer industry members, PWG has created and advertised the widely implemented Internet Printing Protocol (IPP). A subgroup concentrated on 3D printing has stretched IPP to incorporate the requirements of 3D printing to support data exchange and embedding within common 3D file formats including 3MF and 3D PDF documents, so that user intent is stored regardless of the transport or workflow use.
 
Tykodi's session at 3:55 p.m. Eastern will identify the possible improvement in the efficiency of the additive manufacturing landscape, which could be obtained by having 3D printing equipment implement support for an industry standard way of affirming capabilities and receiving jobs.
 
Prior to the widespread use of PWG's IPP Everywhere™ standards, users had to install and constantly update software to their computers and other devices to print. Printer makers had to create, update and spread a stream of driver updates. IPP Everywhere supplies a single universal driver, and the group is running to port the same capabilities to 3D printing.



This article is originally posted on Tronserve.com

NASA has two robots that will, hopefully, be working on the International Space Station (ISS) this year. There’s Robonaut, a humanoid (complete with legs) that will be on its way up there later this year, as well as Astrobee, a family of three free-flying robotic cubes that are already on the ISS as of a couple of weeks ago.
 
Astrobee and Robonaut are completely different in both form and function, but that just means that they have skills and abilities that complement each other, and the teams running on these robots have been getting plans for on-orbit teamwork. To learn more about this collaboration, we spoke to Astrobee technical lead Trey Smith and Robonaut project manager Julia Badger.
 
From the voice of things, once both Astrobee and Robonaut have been verified out on-station, these collaborative tasks will be a fairly extreme priority. And since the robots have a great amount of autonomy, requiring minimal crew tending, we’re optimistic that it’ll actually take place sooner rather than later. Hopefully, NASA will hold us up to date on how things go — and if they don’t, we’re totally ready to visit the ISS in person just to see what’s up.
 



This article is originally posted on Tronserve.com