Industrial Automation and Motion Control Blog | The Knotts Company

This post is brought to you by Marc Prosser at Robotiq.

The future of collaborative robots is in their ‘hands’. Perhaps a poor play on words, but also an unavoidable fact. Grippers/robotic hands are almost invariably what cobots use to interact with their surroundings and perform tasks.

Topics: collaborative robots, collaborative robot, cobots, grippers, Robotiq

This post is brought to you by Dorner.

There are multiple options when looking to transfer product between conveyors such as powered or roller transfers, but this recent application used a more unique option. This 2200 Series Smartflex conveyor system features magnetic transfers both on and off the conveyor.

Topics: manufacturing, dorner, Dorner Conveyors,, smartflex conveyors, 2200 Series, magnetic conveyor

This post is brought to you by Universal Robots.

Topics: Robots, Universal Robots, cobots, UR10, UR3

This post is brought to you by Universal Robots.

Taking human-robot-collaboration to a new level

Too dirty, too dusty, too dull? Too hot or too cold? Not for cobots! They can work tirelessly in almost any work environment from production halls and canteen kitchens to clean rooms, freeing up their human colleagues from monotonous, ergonomically disadvantageous tasks. Scientists at Technische Universität Bergakademie Freiberg (Freiberg University of Mining and Technology) in Germany are currently working on two exciting projects to find new ways of how cobots can make the lives of their human colleagues easier: One is testing how cobots can learn from humans only by watching them performing a task. The second one is exploring in which ways robots can serve in the dangerous work environment of underground mining.

Topics: Robots, collaborative robots, cobot, Universal Robots, cobots, UR5, Legos

This post is brought to you by Mariane Davids at Robotiq.

Topics: manufacturing, robotics, Robots, collaborative robots, cobots, Robotiq

This post is brought to you by Unitronics.

Summary:
A team from the University of Johannesburg’s School of Engineering worked on a service project to bring clean drinking to a remote village.  They believed that by implementing automation and remote monitoring technology they could prevent a “give and forget” effect, where service projects fall into disrepair after a few years.  Using two Unitronics PLC+HMI units, they were able to control a solar powered water pump, record data on the pumps performance and report the status of the pump via cellular communications.   These versatilePLCs made it easy for the team at University of Johannesburg to ensure that the water pump continued operating at optimal levels long after the initial installation.

Topics: PLC, HMI, Unitronics, vision1210, PLC+HMI

This post is brought to you by Universal Robots.

Imagine a collaborative robot that knows where it is and what needs to be done. A cobot capable of inspecting whether a part in your manufacturing process is complete and capable of jumping automatically to another task if it is not. A cobot that even reacts independently if an error occurs on one of your machines. Does this sound like a very futuristic scenario to you? For years now, the concept of making machines more connected has been the core issue of Industry 4.0 and Smart Manufacturing. Tend is taking a unique approach to help companies not just chase those ideals, but realize them with their AI-based cloud robotics platform, “in.control™”.

Topics: manufacturing, UR, Universal Robots, cobots, Mobile Robots, UR5, cloud, Smart Manufacturing

This post is brought to you by OptoForce. 

BRINGING AUTOMATION CLOSER

Automation is a hot topic nowadays and innovation is the driver of progress in industrial automation. The OptoForce company, based in Europe works to bring force control to the masses in industrial automation, by producing multi-axial force/torque sensors with a revolutionary, optical technology. OptoForce equips industrial robots with a sense of touch so that more tasks can be automated in a time saving way. A well-equipped, automated production line is crucial to shift to Industry 4.0. OptoForce can help in this process, with only keeping the following 4 steps in mind.

Topics: automation, Robots, Sensors, cobots, OptoForce

This post is brought to you by Amanda Lee at Robotiq.

Finding people who possess both the skills and the interest needed to work in manufacturing is a major challenge.  The good news is that many people who have either the skills or the interest can move into the sweet spot—they just need a nudge in the right direction. Here's how to achieve this in your manufacturing shop.

Topics: manufacturing, Robots, collaborative robots, cobots, Robotiq

This post is brought to you by Unitronics.

Summary: Procesteh LTD is a Croatian company offering engineering solutions for the process industry; they strive to provide complete solutions for both hardware and software.  For one project, they were building the control platform for a soda pasteurization system at a beverage plant.  They selected the Unitronics UniStream 15-inch modular PLC+HMI.  This PLC offered powerful communications, a large, easy to use display and a variety of I/O options, as well as a innovative, single-environment software enabling reduced programming time.

Topics: PLC, Unitronics, PLC+HMI, UniStream, pasteurization