Industrial Automation and Motion Control Blog | The Knotts Company

Automate is all the industry chatter this week. With 20,000 attendees, 500 exhibitors and a 160,000 square foot event footprint, many are heading to McCormick Place in Chicago to see and test the latest technology April 8-11. 

This app will help you out on the show floor, discover sessions and speakers, create your own schedule, and to help you find exhibiting companies:
https://www.automateshow.com/automate-app

Topics: Automate

Did the pipes freeze in your house this Winter? While on the home front there's no anticipating such a mess, inconvenience, and conundrum of insurance paperwork, Bimba's IntelliSense® can give you some peace of mind on the factory floor. Its suite of products delivers real-time performance data (even to remote users) on standard Bimba pneumatic devices which keeps things running smoothly and helps one identify issues 24/7/365. 

Topics: bimba, bimba pneumatic, bimba solutions, Bimba IntelliSense®

As cobots (and particularly Universal Robots' cobots) continue to earn accolades and build their track record in serving a myriad of industries, it is natural for automation technology companies to create products specifically compatible with them. Such is the case with Dorner's newest integration, which works beautifully with our other Partner, Universal Robots. With more cobots spotted on the factory floor and in packaging environments these days, it makes perfect sense for Dorner to offer conveyors that will collaborate well with cobots.

Topics: automation solutions, dorner, automation, Dorner Conveyors,, conveyor, Universal Robots, cobots, Belt Conveyors

When we seek Partners, we have some qualifiers. They must:

• Solve an automation or manufacturing challenge
• Offer solid, sturdy technical equipment 
• Have excellent customer service and offer warranties
• Be user friendly and quick to install

With Robotiq, we were impressed in all these areas. 

Most recently, we've appreciated their efforts on the customer education front. In these videos, Robotiq shares how to get started with their Gripper. It's well worth a few minutes to watch these, especially if you're considering acquiring one. These will show you how easy it can be to set the gripper up, then program it to your specifications.

Topics: automation solutions, automation, grippers, gripper, Robotiq

We all tend to humanize robot technology by using terms like "arms" and "wrists," and today we are adding "eyes" to the conversation! Knotts is proud to be the newest US partner for Belgium-based Pick-it. Their technology literally allows the cobots to see their workspace in 3D and to select needed items with accuracy. We have been admiring their technology as it became more sophisticated in recent years and are excited now to introduce it to our clients. 

Topics: manufacturing, automation solutions, robotics, Pick-it

Absolutely! This is a strength that Bimba's Vaccon products have over its competitors. They are designed for messy environments.

Topics: bimba, bimba pneumatic, vacuum, vacuum technology, packaging, Vaccon

Mobile Industrial Robots recently announced that its MiR500 is taking a big road trip in 2019. Like many people who drive across America, we're assuming MiR500 is eager to hit the wide open road and make new friends along the way!

Topics: mobile industrial robot, MiR, autonomous mobile robot, demonstration

Another stamp in our passports as Suzanne Tracey (Business Development), Matt Howe (Robot Specialist), and I headed north to Canada for the Robotiq User Conference. Robotiq gave us a memorable experience, filled with learning, testing, networking, and eating, with a look towards the future while we spent our days in the beautiful 1887 Voltigeurs de Québec Armoury!

We returned home exhausted (we’ll why explain later), but we’ve recovered and can share the following: 

Topics: Robotiq, conference

With so much emphasis (and fanfare) on the machines that are powering and revolutionizing the manufacturing environment, we're glad to devote this blog to our Partner Unitronics' new products that make programming and controlling these machines possible! 

Introducing the UniStream® Remote I/Os and a PLC + HMI + IO (with a 7" screen).

Topics: Machine Controllers, Controllers, Control Panel, PLC, HMI, PLC+HMI, machine control, monitoring

We're really impressed with what our new Partner, ROEQ of Denmark, brings to the market. Its products integrate with MiR™ Robots and can serve in a variety of environments to transport items from place to place. 

Topics: manufacturing, new product, medical industry, MiR, ROEQ