Developments

Universal Robots empowers Wistron with greater production flexibility

China’s manufacturing industry faces multiple challenges such as global competition and the increasing need to transform and upgrade to modern processes. To stay ahead, major manufacturers have begun implementing structural adjustment programs to automate its production lines. Wistron is the world’s first Original Design Manufacturer to deploy collaborative robots from Universal Robots (UR) in its laptop assembly line, enabling efficient and flexible production. Since February 2015, Wistron has deployed 60 sets of UR robots in its production, performing functions that include applications such as pick and place, screwing as well as those involving vision systems. With the implementation of UR robots, the company has gained more flexibility for its future production line layout and configuration, effectively improved its product yield and optimised personnel allocation. At the same time, the company is expected to see a reduction in operating costs and enhanced profitability in the long term. Enhanced flexibility in production line layout Wistron began automating its production with the installation of robotic arms more than two years ago. The traditional four and six-axis robotic arms that were deployed previously not only required safety fencing but also occupied a large footprint and were designed only for non-sophisticated operations such as product handling. They did not conform to Wistron’s concept of a production line that represents “efficiency, flexibility and safety”. Wistron’s laptop production line is unable to achieve complete automation because of its specific operating mode. As a result, the motion range of the robotic arms has to be restricted to ensure the safety of workers. They realised that they require robots that can function effectively without compromising workers’ safety, robots’ operating speeds and other functionalities within tight spaces. “UR’s robots occupy a small footprint and are highly secure,” said Congyao Zhang, Wistron’s Manufacturing Technology Director. “Additionally, they can rotate 360 degrees, eliminating […]

White Paper from Cisco and Rockwell Automation helps securely share plant and enterprise data

Australia: Designing an industrial demilitarised zone with the right assets helps enable secure data-sharing from plantwide network to enterprise network Many manufacturers segment business-system networks from plantwide networks by using an industrial demilitarised zone (IDMZ). But once segmented, how is data from industrial automation and control systems (IACS) securely shared across this buffer zone? A new white paper from Cisco and Rockwell Automation, “Securely Traversing IACS Data Across the Industrial Demilitarized Zone,” provides guidance for successfully designing and deploying an IDMZ as part of a Converged Plantwide Ethernet architecture. This allows manufacturers to securely share IACS data from the plantwide network to the enterprise network. The paper explains key IDMZ assets that enable this secure data-sharing, which include application mirrors and remote desktop gateway services. The white paper summarises key design principles from a comprehensive design and implementation guide on IDMZ. Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide leader in IT that helps companies seize the opportunities of tomorrow by proving that amazing things can happen when you connect the previously unconnected. For ongoing news, please go to http://thenetwork.cisco.com. Rockwell Automation Australia and Rockwell Automation New Zealand are subsidiaries of Rockwell Automation, Inc.—a leading global provider of industrial automation and information solutions that helps manufacturers achieve a competitive advantage in their businesses. The company brings together leading global brands in industrial automation which include Allen-Bradley® controls and services and Rockwell Software® factory management software. Its broad product mix includes control logic systems, sensors, human-machine interfaces, drive controllers, power devices, and software. Rockwell Automation Inc. (NYSE: ROK), the world’s largest company dedicated to industrial automation and information, makes its customers more productive and the world more sustainable. Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wis., Rockwell Automation employs about 22,500 people serving customers in more than 80 countries. LISTEN. THINK. SOLVE. is a trademark of Rockwell […]

Meet Model X from Tesla

Model X is said to be the safest, fastest and most capable sport utility vehicle in history. Standard with all-wheel drive and a 90 kWh battery providing 250 miles of range, Model X has ample seating for seven adults and all of their gear. And it’s ludicrously fast, accelerating from zero to 60 miles per hour in 3.2 seconds. Model X is the SUV uncompromised. The estimated delivery for new reservations is the latter half of 2016. Safety First Design Every part of Model X is designed with safety as a first priority. The floor-mounted battery lowers the centre of gravity so that the risk of rollover is almost non-existent. The battery structure strengthens Model X against side impact intrusions. And without a gasoline engine, the large front trunk acts as a giant impact-absorbing crumple zone. Active Safety Model X continually scans the surrounding roadway with camera, radar and sonar systems, providing the driver with real-time feedback to avoid collisions. Even at highway speeds, Model X will automatically apply brakes in an emergency. Pollution Free, Inside and Out A medical grade HEPA filter strips outside air of pollen, bacteria, viruses and pollution before circulating it into the cabin. There are three modes: circulate with outside air, re-circulate inside air and a bioweapon defence mode that creates positive pressure inside the cabin to protect occupants. Falcon Wings Falcon Wing doors allow easy access to second and third row seats from any parking space. Minivan style sliding doors open at most halfway while traditional doors are not capable of opening fully when parked next to another car. With only a foot of clearance, Falcon Wing doors articulate smoothly up and out of the way, allowing passengers to enter from both front and rear directions. The side and overhead opening is so large […]

Autodesk Strengthens Manufacturing Leadership with Two Strategic Acquisitions

SINGAPORE, Sept. 30, 2015 — Autodesk, Inc. has signed definitive agreements to acquire SeeControl, a San Francisco-based developer of an enterprise Internet of Things (IoT) cloud service platform; and netfabb, a Lupburg, Germany-based developer of software solutions for industrial additive design and manufacturing. Adding Enterprise Internet of Things Cloud Service to Autodesk Portfolio with SeeControl SeeControl’s service helps manufacturers and systems integrators connect, analyse, control, and manage remote products, things, and assets and create new service revenue opportunities. “A new future of making things is emerging, where any built object, product or environment can be embedded with sensors that can feed information back into the design process. The acquisition of SeeControl is the first step on Autodesk’s ongoing efforts to develop new technologies and solutions that will help our customers leverage the Internet of Things, starting by enabling them to capture, analyze, and utilize data from their products,” said Amar Hanspal, Autodesk Senior Vice President for Information Modeling and Platform Products. Autodesk intends to continue to sell and support the SeeControl platform and to incorporate the technology into design solutions for the manufacturing and building industries. Autodesk also plans to develop a new IoT solution based on the SeeControl technology that will allow companies to gain real world insights of how their products perform, enabling customers to explore innovative new service models. Taking 3D Printing Beyond Prototyping and Plastics with netfabb In addition to the acquisition of netfabb, Autodesk will also make a strategic investment in FIT Technology Group, the parent company of netfabb and provider of additive manufacturing software and services. The two companies will collaborate to increase adoption of technology for industrial additive manufacturing. “Autodesk has always been impressed by FIT’s track record in creating powerful solutions to meet the challenges of industrial additive manufacturing and together we […]

The Rubik’s Cube of Economics

Deciphering real world issues in economics is like solving a Rubik’s Cube, says SMU Assistant Professor Zhang Haiping. By Yamini Chinnuswamy “The job of an economist is to explain how the world economy works – from analysing economic data, conceptualising economic phenomena, forecasting economic trends to making policy suggestions,” says Assistant Professor Zhang Haiping from the Singapore Management University (SMU) School of Economics, whose work focuses on international finance and trade. Like the Rubik’s Cube, a three-dimensional combination puzzle where every twist also scrambles the face opposite of it, economics puzzles are similarly interlinked—a change in policy may lead to repercussions elsewhere. “My research is motivated by empirical puzzles in economic literature,” he says. “As economists, we seek to augment or update existing economic theories to explain real world data. The challenge lies in the fact that markets and economies seldom function in a frictionless manner.” For example, Professor Zhang notes that capital has been flowing “uphill” from the poor to the rich, and from emerging economies to developed ones since the end of 1990s. This stands in stark contrast to neoclassical economic theory which states that capital should flow from the rich to the poor, as the rate of return on investments in poor countries should be higher than in rich countries. Financial friction and the resulting borrowing constraints in poor countries can explain such a puzzling fact, he explains. Similar income levels, different patterns of capital flows Patterns of international capital flows in emerging economies are another real world puzzle Professor Zhang has studied. Although income levels per person were comparable in emerging Asia (Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam) and emerging Europe (countries such as Hungary, Poland and Romania in Central and Eastern Europe), their patterns of international capital flows were not. “We looked at the data […]

The Connected Enterprise Maturity Model

How ready is your company to connect people, processes and technologies for bigger profits? John Watts, Regional Marketing Director – Asia Pacific, Rockwell Automation SEA Pte Ltd John Watts, Regional Marketing Director, Asia Pacific is responsible for all regional marketing functions including commercial marketing, commercial engineering and product business management. John also has responsibility for sales operations and sales competency. John has 18 years of experience in automation and process control sales and marketing. Apart from his time at Rockwell Automation, John has held sales and sales management positions with Yokogawa. He joined Rockwell Automation in 2006 as Manager, Process Solutions, Asia Pacific. From 2010 he held the position of Director, Integrated Architecture for Asia Pacific. In this role he had responsibility for business management and marketing of Integrated Architecture products including PLC / PAC controllers, motion control, software, operator interface and condition monitoring. He holds a Masters in Business Administration from Melbourne Business School and a degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from the University of Melbourne. John is based in Singapore. Savvy manufacturers are leading the charge in managing how information is shared seamlessly and securely across their enterprises. In quest of better decisions, increased collaboration, faster time to market, lower total cost of ownership, maximised asset utilisation and minimised enterprise-risk management, industrial operators are progressively connecting their manufacturing operations with the entire value chain – uncovering the benefits of the Connected Enterprise. A New Path to Enhanced Productivity The rapid convergence of plant-floor operations technology (OT) and business-level information technology (IT) is delivering insight. The Internet of Things (IoT) is enabling data from production-line and remote-device sensors, actuators, controllers and switches to be distributed real time to enterprise teams and supply-chain partners. By connecting people and processes via technology, executives and their continuous-improvement teams acquire new visibility into the […]

Free design software with DesignSpark Electrical

RS Components (RS), the trading brand of Electrocomponents plc, the global distributor for engineers, has launched DesignSpark Electrical, which brings the benefits of design software to all those not already using electrical CAD tools. The new software targets electrical design engineers and other electrical professionals, enabling them to save time and money. Supported by Schneider Electric, DesignSpark Electrical joins the award-winning suite of DesignSpark engineering resources and continues to drive the initiative of removing the barriers to innovation for every engineer. DesignSpark Electrical is a fully specified electrical CAD package delivering time saving and error avoidance, for control panel, machinery and electrical system design. This new free tool provides access to the functionality of electrical CAD for businesses that in many cases cannot reasonably justify the considerable price tag per seat for existing commercial electrical CAD software. A key element of the DesignSpark Electrical software is the integration of a library that comprises more than 250,000 components and parts, including 80,000 from Schneider Electric and 10,000 from RS, which can easily be added to customer designs. Other key features of the highly intuitive and highly functional software include intelligent and specialist electrical design tools, real-time referencing and validity checking to allow the creation of accurate 2D panel layouts, all of which saves time and reduces errors. Also built into the software is Bill-of-Materials (BOM) quote functionality, enabling customers to order parts via RS for their designs, both quickly and easily. The high cost and the learning time required of existing commercial electrical CAD tools have been major barriers to adoption for many companies. The introduction of the highly intuitive DesignSpark Electrical removes these cost barriers in a single stroke and passes on the key benefits of electrical CAD to all engineers. DesignSpark Electrical is available for free download at www.designspark.com.

Hello Industry 4.0

The newest member of the KUKA robot family – the LBR iiwa lightweight robot At the KUKA booth, the visitors of this year’s Hanover Fair can deal with the increasing digitalisation of production and cooperative network of employees and machines. As Europe’s leading supplier of industrial robots and automated production systems, KUKA directly participates with its products and services in the fourth industrial revolution – Industry 4.0. Therefore, robots will be the defining component for industry in the future – while the human takes centre stage. Sustainable automation concepts can only be developed with efficient, flexible and first of all safe production systems respecting the needs of the production staff. KUKA will not only present ways in which KUKA products can improve competitiveness, but also prove its compatibility with the digital world. Across the more than 1000 square meters of space in the Industrial Automation area, KUKA will be presenting innovative solutions that have one key characteristic in common: they are all designed to meet the requirements of Industry 4.0 and bring flexibility in the utilisation of production capacity, in logistics, in the sustainable use of resources. KUKA achieves this by merging the IT world and conventional high-tech industry solutions into complete Cyber-Physical Production Systems (CPPS). In order to react in a flexible manner, to control process data streams from complex networks around the globe and to network digital controllers from different systems, interfaces based on Mainstream IT infrastructure are essential. This was already a key concept at KUKA in the mid-90s when it brought the first PC-based robot controllers onto the market. Subsequent KUKA innovations and developments also followed this core concept of simple integration. With the newest member of the KUKA robot family – the LBR iiwa lightweight robot and the controller Sunrise designed for direct cooperation between […]

How being open can give manufacturers the innovative edge

Tesla Motors’ decision last year to make all of its patents open to outside use has turned the industry on its head. By Stefano Picozzi, PaaS business development manager, Red Hat A/NZ Most industries are affected by disruption from technology so, to remain competitive, organisations need to keep up. Technology advances affect manufacturing, in particular. The industry is changing quickly, and the manufacturers that continue to prosper are those that keep pace with technology. Industrial solutions such as automation, resource management systems, and high-speed industrial design processes have helped manufacturers become far more agile and productive than they used to be. A manufacturer can only be as innovative and agile as the software on which these industrial solutions rely. However, not all software is created equal. The bulk of software solutions used in this industry is proprietary; owned, managed, and developed by a single company. This means new developments can be slower when it comes to innovation and best practice. Open source software, by comparison, is not owned by any single organisation; it is the result of a global community of millions of programmers. Because of the open and collaborative nature of this sort of software, with many minds contributing to its development, it can keep up with the agility and innovation that industry now demands. Organisations in many areas of business are increasingly seeing the value in the open source approach. The automotive sector is a good example. Digital design and automated manufacturing means developing a new car now takes a fraction of the time it used to. Tesla Motors’ decision last year to make all of its patents open to outside use has turned the industry on its head. Tesla made this unprecedented move in the hope that it would help drive the adoption of electric car platforms. […]

Toyota invests $US 50 million in artificial intelligence research

In the picture: Kiyotaka Ise, Toyota’s Chief Officer of its Research and Development Group. The opportunities to improve every-day living through artificial intelligence supported technologies are boundless. Toyota will invest $US 50 million in the research and development of intelligent vehicle and mobility technologies with an ambitious new collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford University, California. Joint research centres will be established at each university with Toyota investing $US50 million over the next five years. Dr. Gill Pratt, former Program Manager at DARPA (the Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency) and leader of its recent Robotics Challenge, has joined Toyota to direct and accelerate these research activities and their application to intelligent vehicles and robotics. Toyota believes the opportunities to improve every-day living through artificial intelligence supported technologies are boundless, with significant breakthrough potential for the development of life-saving intelligent vehicles and life-improving robots. “We’re here to mark the beginning of an unprecedented commitment. We will initially focus on the acceleration of intelligent vehicle technology, with the immediate goal of helping eliminate traffic casualties and the ultimate goal of helping improve quality of life through enhanced mobility and robotics,” said Kiyotaka Ise, Toyota’s Chief Officer of its Research and Development Group. Combined research will be targeted at improving the ability of intelligent vehicle technologies to recognise objects around the vehicle, provide elevated judgment of surrounding conditions, and safely collaborate with vehicle occupants, other vehicles, and pedestrians. The joint research will also look at applications of the same technology to human-interactive robotics and information service, said Dr. Pratt. Both Universities already have computer science and artificial intelligence research facilities. Beyond Toyota’s longstanding work on autonomous vehicles and advanced driving support systems, the company has been developing robots for industrial use since the 1970s, and for Partner and Human Support Robot […]

«‹ 70 71 72 73 ›»

News Ticker

Developments