Engineering

OnRobot 2FG7 gripper for demanding applications

OnRobot has launched the 2FG7, a complete, low cost, easy to use, out-of-the-box, cleanroom-ready parallel gripper. Designed to enable companies of all sizes to set up gripping applications at low cost, the 2FG7 can be deployed within minutes and is specially designed to handle demanding payloads – even in tight spaces. The 2FG7 gripper is ideal for low-volume, high-mix production and enables fast ROI for many different applications, including machine tending, material handling and assembly. Boasting a maximum payload of 11 kg (24.3 lb), an external grip range of up to 74 mm (2.91 in) and a gripping force of between 20-140 N, the versatile 2FG7 can handle heavy, bulky payloads with ease. Smaller than OnRobot’s RG2 and RG6 grippers – and yet more powerful than both – the 2FG7’s dimensions (156 x 158 x 180 mm/6.14 x 6.22 x 7.08 in) make it the perfect gripper for use in small work envelopes, which is a major bonus in busy manufacturing facilities where space is at a premium, and in applications with tight quarters for maneuvering. Seamlessly integrated with the OnRobot product range and compatible with all major collaborative robots and light industrial robot arms, the 2FG7 allows manufacturers of all skillsets to set up gripping applications quickly and easily. The 2FG7’s ease of use ensures visibility during the deployment process, greatly reduces the need for custom parts and cuts the time to ROI. Meanwhile, intelligent feedback features, including grip detection and lost grip detection, further simplify the deployment process. Cleanroom certifiedThe 2FG7 is a production-ready gripper built to withstand harsh manufacturing conditions and applications. In addition to being IP67-certified, the 2FG7 has attained cleanroom certification (ISO Class 5), which is required for many handling applications in the pharmaceutical and electronics industries. It also complies with ISO/TS 15066 regarding collaborative […]

Jio defies challenging market conditions with unprecedented investments pouring in

Jio Platforms Limited (Jio) has been a notable exception for being able to garner unprecedented back-to-back investments during these challenging times. The investments spree that started with Facebook on 22 April 2020 also saw many other foreign investors ranging from tech giants to big private equity firms (PE) evincing interest in Jio. The cumulative value of such investments announced between April 22 and July 15 2020 stood at US$19.9bn, according to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company. Aurojyoti Bose, Lead Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “The US$19.9bn investment is gigantic and helped Jio become debt free much ahead of its set deadline of March 2021 but what makes these investments even more impressive is the fact that it has come at the time when businesses worldwide are reeling under the impact of COVID-19 pandemic.” The investments spree in Jio this year is also special in many other ways. In one of the rare instances, Facebook as well its rival Google were seen placing gigantic bets in one company. These investments also came at a time when the Indian government is trying to curb Chinese investments and has also imposed ban on 59 Chinese apps. Interestingly, none of these investments in Jio involved any Chinese investor. Out of these 14 investments, 11 came from American firms. This also assumes more significance now that Jio has been included in the list of ‘Clean Telcos’ by the US for rejecting to do business with Chinese firms. Bose adds: “These investments also indicate that Jio has some big plans and these investments are testimony of investors seeing the potential in Jio to emerge as a tech giant in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region. While these may look like just some big ticket transactions, these deals also bring in technology expertise (from tech giants) along with […]

OnRobot expands product capabilities

Traditional single-purpose industrial robots are losing ground to affordable, easy to use robots and peripherals that can be flexibly redeployed for a wide range of applications. This empowers manufacturers to gain even greater productivity increases from their automation investments. OnRobot is extending its commitment to ongoing customer empowerment with the launch of a software update for its popular, 2.5D camera-based Eyes vision system. The new features, which enable Eyes to be deployed in quality inspection applications and on mobile setups, include one-shot detection for multiple objects, colour and blob detection and automatic landmark calibration tools designed to speed cycle time for mobile robot setups. New visual inspection features for reduced cycle time and fast ROI Eyes’ new inspection features enable the system to easily sort, inspect, or pick and place unstructured objects using colour and contour detection – a capability that is beyond most competing vision systems. This detection method requires no workpiece teaching and finds items based on colour and size information input by the operator. Eyes’ inspection features can be used to inspect parts removed from CNC machines, for example, or to check IMM parts for excessive or inadequate material after part has been moulded. The tools also support manual inspections: operators can set up a camera and inspection program, manually place a workpiece in view and execute inspection. No robot required. The update also provides users with one-shot detection for multiple objects, allowing the system to pick all workpieces with only one picture. This reduces complexity for users and improves cycle times. The update includes tools that allow users to request specific workpiece types and specify gripper clearance parameters. Adding Eyes to mobile robotsA new landmark feature has been added to Eyes’ powerful toolkit, enabling easy deployment of Eyes on mobile robots and setups with carts, trays, […]

South Korea’s Green New Deal shows the world what a smart economic recovery looks like

As the Covid-19 pandemic devastates the global economy, there’s an opportunity for governments to support a green-led recovery. This involves spending fiscal stimulus on renewable energy and other clean technologies to create jobs while addressing climate change. The chorus calling for such a move is strong and diverse: banks, investors, academics, energy companies, climate advocates and politicians. Unfortunately, some national governments have not heeded the calls. This includes Australia, where the Morrison government is spruiking a “gas-led recovery” and talking up fossil fuel-derived hydrogen. At the same time, our government is refusing to extend the renewable energy target beyond 2020, and there are strong signs it wants to change the investment mandates of Australia’s clean energy agencies to encourage funding of gas projects. However some countries, such as South Korea, are using the crisis to kickstart environmentally sustainable economic growth. Australia can learn a lot from the smart strategy of our Asian neighbour. Rising from a COVID battering South Korea’s economy, like those across the world, has been hit hard by the pandemic. In particular, its export industries dropped by 24% in May as demand for the nation’s mainstay products, such as cars, semiconductors, machinery, petrochemicals and steel, fell away. In April, 26.93 million Koreans were reportedly employed – 392,000 fewer than a year earlier. Job losses were highest in the wholesale and retail sectors, accommodation and food services. In response, Korean President Moon Jae-in in July launched the Korean New Deal or “K-New Deal”. The US$135 billion investment in green and digital technology comprises: US$96.3 billion from Treasury US$21.2 billion from local governments US$17.3 billion from the private sector. The “green” part of the plan is known as the Green New Deal (not to be confused with the US’ proposed package of climate policies, of the same name). The Korean green plan involves US$61.9 billion targeting the creation of 319,000 jobs by 2022 and 659,000 by […]

NEC and Vista Equity Partners to aid digital transformation of businesses in Japan

NEC Corporation has announced the establishment of a joint venture and strategic partnership with Vista Equity Partners (Vista), a leading global investment firm focused on enterprise software, data, and technology-enabled businesses, to deliver enterprise software solutions from Vista’s portfolio of companies to the Japanese market. The partnership will come into effect immediately, with NEC and Vista jointly establishing a joint venture, SaaSpresto Ltd., which started operations today. As companies in Japan aim to create a competitive advantage in the digital world, upgrading legacy systems and technology infrastructure to drive digital transformation (DX) has become imperative to optimize the customer experience, deliver data-based insights, enable greater collaboration and improve agility, productivity and innovation. Vista presently has over 60 enterprise software companies in its private equity portfolio that provide technology products and solutions to more than 200 million users worldwide. This partnership will help ensure these enterprise software tools are available as part of NEC’s efforts to accelerate DX efforts in Japan through strategic consultancy and IT modernisation. “Vista’s experience and expertise as one of the world’s leading technology investors, along with its roster of best-in-class enterprise software companies, make them an ideal strategic partner for this initiative,” said Takayuki Morita, Senior Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Member of the Board, NEC Corporation. “We look forward to partnering with the Vista team and Vista companies on our digital transformation strategy, bringing leading enterprise software solutions to Japanese businesses.” SaaSpresto plans to begin sales in January 2021 with solutions from several companies in the Vista portfolio. Vista will facilitate introductions and opportunities for SaaSpresto in its private equity portfolio to co-market solutions. The partnership aims to serve more than three thousand Japanese businesses in the next four years. “In addition to being a thriving global economy, Japan has long been an […]

Asia-Pacific’s 5G digital factory revenue primed for a post-Covid-19 recovery

Covid-19 initially slowed mobile phone sales in the Asia Pacific and disrupted supply chains and demand for certain 5G-related end verticals. However, it also caused an increase in broadband traffic and 5G use cases such as South Korea using 5G to live-stream its 2020 elections and China deploying 5G-powered smart city robots. Moving forward, ABI Research believes that the pandemic will alert enterprises to the importance of disruption-proofing their businesses using 5G and forecasts an APAC 5G digital factory market worth over US$60 billion by 2030. “5G is here to stay in APAC, with operators in the region showing their commitment through increased Capital Expenditure (CapEx) for 5G rollouts. For example, China Mobile, China Telecom, and China Unicom are investing a total of US$ 173.3 billion on their 5G network by 2025,” says Kanguri Ling, Research Analyst at ABI Research. “5G will bring many use cases into play for APAC, which is extremely beneficial to the economy and technological progression. In the prosumer space, 5G can enable real-time control for remote production of live broadcasts. For enterprises and end verticals, 5G will enable smart cities through 5G-based autonomous form factors and 5G-powered autonomous driving just to name a few. 5G will also propel an increasingly wireless factory and create new value-based business models for operators in APAC, reducing their profit-reliance on Average Revenue Per User (ARPU).” Despite the Covid-19 outbreak, operators such as NTT Docomo did not have a delay in commercially launching 5G in March, and KT has seen an increase in ARPU with 5G subscribers reaching over 2 million in 2Q-2020. Telstra has also upgraded to a 5G Stand Alone (SA) core in May with Ericsson. ABI Research expects that by 2024, APAC will see 5G power 43% of the online video market and 51% of the […]

RoosterBio and Sartorius expand cell and gene therapy manufacturing platform technology into South Korea

The partnership launches RoosterBio’s first international platform with off-the-shelf working cell banks and hMSC bioprocess media products in Asia. RoosterBio, Inc, a leading supplier of innovative cellular therapy bioprocess tools and scalable manufacturing solutions for regenerative medicine, has entered into an exclusive agency agreement with Sartorius Korea Biotech, a subsidiary of the Sartorius Group, a leading international partner of the biopharmaceutical and life science research sectors. This strategic partnership combines Sartorius’ proven expertise in providing high-caliber bioprocess testing, technical and customer services to the local South Korean market, as well as its global reach, and RoosterBio’s advanced platform of RUO and cGMP-grade human mesenchymal stem/stromal cell (hMSC) working cell banks, optimised paired media, and hMSC bioprocess systems. This winning combination sets the stage for accelerating the development of new, effective medical treatments and expands RoosterBio’s footprint into Asia, especially in South Korea. “South Korea is a preeminent innovator in hMSCs, and the South Korean biotech ecosystem has been flourishing according to every measure of growth. One of the first MSC therapies was developed in Korea, clearing an entirely new path to treat previously incurable diseases,” said RoosterBio CEO Margot Connor. “We are delighted to be working with Sartorius Korea Biotech in our global effort to industrialise the supply chain for next-gen treatments, and we are committed to accelerating the commercialisation of cell- and gene-based therapies. We believe the talented team at Sartorius is uniquely suited to provide our mutual customers with scalable hMSC systems to expedite their cell-based therapeutic programs.” Under the terms of the agreement, Sartorius Korea Biotech will engage with its customers as an exclusive agent for RoosterBio to facilitate sales operations and increase the market potential for RoosterBio products on an exclusive basis in South Korea. “RoosterBio’s commercialised product systems standardise hMSC manufacturing to remove years of time and millions […]

Smart app for fast, efficient water infrastructure service launched in the Philippines

Grundfos SmArt Serv app promises prompt support and reduced downtime for pumps and system repairs Basic necessities and services must be within everyone’s reach, that is why the Philippines continues to push for digital transformation amid the pandemic. The digital shift is also encouraged for companies to stay resilient, innovative and to respond better to the needs of their customers. As water and sanitation services are crucial in the Philippines, the public and private sectors must leverage intelligent digital technologies that can provide sustainable water supply and improved sanitation for all. Aligned with the Philippines’ renewed focus on digitalisation, Grundfos Philippines, a global leader in advanced pump solutions and water technologies, has launched its SmArt Serv mobile app, an innovative way to help address critical pumping infrastructure in the country. SmArt Serv is a cloud-based mobile service app that conveniently enables customers to get prompt and efficient service support for any Grundfos product, reducing the overall service process and minimizing the downtime on any pump or system. “This pandemic has drastically changed how governments and businesses are operating, and one of the sought-after strategies is to digitalize operations of critical infrastructure. As the Philippines rapidly adopts digital transformation, consumers too are adopting technology to help improve the way their infrastructure is operated. The SmArt Serv app is the result of listening to our customers and through this app we will provide next-generation user experience which is personalized, interconnected, fast and seamless,” said Nicolai Thrane, Regional Service Director, Grundfos Asia Pacific Region. The SmArt Serv app will provide another option of getting service support besides the traditional phone and email queries. Through the app, the customer can contact Grundfos or locate the nearest service provider, fill in the details of the complaint or request, attach a picture of the pump or […]

UNISOC and China Unicom deploy world’s first E2E Network Slicing Solution

Shanghai – UNISOC and China Unicom have successfully deployed the world’s first 3GPP-compliant end-to-end network slicing selection solution, enabling 5G smartphone and data terminal network slicing to 3GPP standards. The solution allows devices to independently and flexibly select network slices through APP ID, FQDN, DNN and other identifiers in China Unicom’s 5G SA trial commercial network, bringing broader development prospects for the transformation of industry verticals. Network slicing is among the most important features of 5G network architecture, the key entry point for 5G to empower thousands of industries. However, network slicing technology is highly complex and a technical solution must run through multiple network levels. Network slicing in devices had become a constraint to the development of end-to-end network slicing, while technical bottlenecks lie in the limitations of chips and terminal operating systems. In a scheme equipped with the UNISOC 5G chip, this solution supports 5G smartphones and data terminals for all slice selection strategies under 3GPP specifications, and optimizes the users’ business experience. The two sides have recently completed technical verification on China Unicom Beijing’s 5G SA trial commercial network, laying a technical foundation for the diversified development of 5G industrial applications in the future. Earlier this year, China Unicom launched the world’s first 5G terminal priced under 1,000 yuan, the 5G CPE VN007. Powered by the UNISOC V510, the CPE VN007 supports an end-to-end 5G network slicing selection solution through a software upgrade, completing test verification. This will lower the commercialisation threshold for 5G network slicing, and rapidly empower 5G industry application scenarios across the spectrum. UNISOC is a leading fabless semiconductor company committed to R&D of core chipsets for mobile communications and AIoT. With 4,500 staff, 17 R&D centers and 7 customer support centers around the world, UNISOC has become one of the largest […]

MHI Thermal Systems opens testing facility

MHI Thermal Systems, Ltd., a part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group, has completed construction of a new development and testing facility for commercial-use air conditioning & refrigeration systems at its Biwajima Works (Kiyosu City, Aichi Prefecture), the core research and development facility among centers throughout the world. The establishment of this new facility, together with its existing development and testing center, will accelerate the development and commercialisation of commercial-use air conditioning & refrigeration systems in global markets. MHI Thermal Systems is also expanding its development and testing facilities in Thailand, enhancing its development capabilities worldwide. The new development and testing facility at the Biwajima Works is a two-story building with 2,155m2 of total floor area. It is equipped with various types of testing rooms for commercial-use, high-capacity systems able to handle different weather conditions, environmental regulations, and other variables in countries around the world. These facilities will allow MHI Thermal Systems to accelerate the development of large-scale, commercial-use air conditioning & refrigeration systems, including high-efficient Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) type multi-system air conditioners, industrial-use packaged air conditioners, commercial-use refrigeration systems, and commercial-use heat pump water heaters. The worldwide market for air conditioners is expected to expand considerably going forward as a result of the growth in the global population, acceleration of urbanisation, tighter environmental regulations, and changes in weather conditions due to global warming. The development of products suitable for each region will be essential to more accurately meet the varied needs of countries. In addition to strengthening development capabilities at its Biwajima Works, MHI Thermal Systems is expanding and upgrading its development and testing facilities throughout the world such as at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries-Mahajak Air Conditioners Co., Ltd. in Thailand. Strengthening its development structure worldwide will allow MHI Thermal Systems to respond to a wide range of […]

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