Robotics World articles from December 2003

Robotics World archives from December 2003

ABB will merge its six automation business areas into three globally-focused businesses, effective Jan. 1.(Quick Takes)
December 1, 2003... ABB will merge its six automation business areas into three globally-focused businesses, effective Jan. 1. Martinus Brandal will head the new Process Automation business. Tom Sjokvist will lead the new Automation Products business, merging the...

Carnegie Mellon University.(Quick Takes)
December 1, 2003... Carnegie Mellon University has inducted four famous robots into its newly established Robot Hall of Fame: NASA's Mars Pathfinder Microrover Flight Experiment, better known as Sojourner; Unimate, the first industrial robot; R2-D2, the droid from...

South Korea.(Quick Takes)
December 1, 2003... South Korea plans to invest up to 310 billion won ($261 million) in developing intelligent robotics over the next five years, according to government officials....

Adept Technology's recently introduced Adept PLC Server robotic interface has been approved for participation in the Rockwell Automation Encompass Program, which identifies and references third-party products that complement Rockwell Automation products.(Quick Takes)
December 1, 2003... Adept Technology's recently introduced Adept PLC Server robotic interface has been approved for participation in the Rockwell Automation Encompass Program, which identifies and references third-party products that complement Rockwell Automation...

Cognex Corp.(Quick Takes)
December 1, 2003... Cognex Corp. has launched the Cognex Certified Vision Integrator program, which provides training, sales and marketing materials, software updates and special pricing for CVIs....

Glacier Garlock Bearings will change its name to GGB.(Quick Takes)
December 1, 2003... Glacier Garlock Bearings will change its name to GGB, effective Jan. 1....

Rixan Associates and Mitsubishi Electric have announced a new lower pricing structure on selected Mitsubishi Electric robots.(Quick Takes)
December 1, 2003... Rixan Associates and Mitsubishi Electric have announced a new lower pricing structure on selected Mitsubishi Electric robots. Rixan Associates is the authorized North American distributor for Mitsubishi Electric robots and was recently named...

International Rectifier Corp.(Quick Takes)
December 1, 2003... International Rectifier Corp. recently broke ground on a new manufacturing site for power-management components in Xi'an, China....

Pulizzi Engineering.(Quick Takes)
December 1, 2003... Pulizzi Engineering has implemented a Quality Management System in accordance with ISO 9001:2000....

The National Fluid Power Association and IMTS have joined.(Quick Takes)
December 1, 2003... The National Fluid Power Association and IMTS have joined to create a new Fluid Power Pavilion at IMTS 2004....

Adept Technology.(Quick Takes)
December 1, 2003... Adept Technology has completed a $10 million private placement led by Special Situations Funds. The closing of the financing was accompanied by the simultaneous conversion of Adept's preferred stock into common stock.

Braintech Inc.'s Asian partner, Marubeni Corp. of Japan, has installed its first production Braintech 3D-VGR system for Hino Motors Ltd. in Tokyo, an affiliate of the Toyota Corp.(Orders/Installations)
December 1, 2003... Braintech Inc.'s Asian partner, Marubeni Corp. of Japan, has installed its first production Braintech 3D-VGR system for Hino Motors Ltd. in Tokyo, an affiliate of the Toyota Corp. The system finds the exact position of engine blocks before a...

BluePrint Robotic Solutions, a division of BluePrint Automation Group, has selected Cognex Corp.'s In-Sight vision sensor to provide vision guidance for its high-speed robotic systems for the packaging industry.(Orders/Installations)
December 1, 2003... BluePrint Robotic Solutions, a division of BluePrint Automation Group, has selected Cognex Corp.'s In-Sight vision sensor to provide vision guidance for its high-speed robotic systems for the packaging industry. The vision sensor will be used...

Adept Technology Inc.(People)
December 1, 2003... Robert Bucher has been appointed chairman and CEO of Adept Technology Inc. He succeeds Brian Carlisle, who had been chairman and CEO since he co-founded Adept in 1983. Carlisle will continue as a director and assume a new role as the company's...

Flexicell Robotic Solutions.(People)
December 1, 2003... Dave Wood has been appointed sales manager, central region, for Flexicell Robotic Solutions....

WAGO Corp.(People)
December 1, 2003... Robert Meliska has been appointed sales for the Chicago Metro Area and northern Illinois for WAGO Corp....

White Systems.(People)
December 1, 2003... White Systems, an FKI Logistex company, has appointed Richard Lanpheare sales manager for the Northeast territory and Daniel VanHooser as sales manager of the Midwest territory....

FKI Logistex Alvey Systems.(People)
December 1, 2003... FKI Logistex Alvey Systems has appointed George Reyher as account manager, Latin America....

The Taylor-Winfield Corp.(People)
December 1, 2003... Dan Gagliano has joined The Taylor-Winfield Corp. as vice president, director-sales. Frank Deley was named director-operations and Blake Rhein, director-marketing....

Kaman Industrial Technologies.(People)
December 1, 2003... Kaman Industrial Technologies has realigned its field sales organization: Tom Weihsmann has been promoted to regional manager, Southeast Group; and Tony Clark, Larry Anderson Sr. and Jeff Williams have been named district managers.

DVT Corp. and Phoenix Contact Inc. have announced a strategic partnership in which Phoenix Contact will brand-label a power supply and an Ethernet I/O assembly to be used with DVT's Legend SmartImage vision systems.(Mergers/Aquisitions)
December 1, 2003... DVT Corp. and Phoenix Contact Inc. have announced a strategic partnership in which Phoenix Contact will brand-label a power supply and an Ethernet I/O assembly to be used with DVT's Legend SmartImage vision systems. DVT also signed a...

Lion Precision.(Mergers/Aquisitions)
December 1, 2003... Lion Precision is now the exclusive North American distributor of the Queensgate line of nanopositioning and sensing products....

Nu Horizons Electronics Corp.(Mergers/Aquisitions)
December 1, 2003... Nu Horizons Electronics Corp. is now a North American distributor of AMIRIX System's PCI Platform FPGA Development Boards.

ATS Automation Tooling Systems has acquired a perpetual technology license from, and a small equity stake in, Innovative Robotics Systems Inc., a privately held specialty robot supplier, primarily to the semiconductor industry.(Agreements)
December 1, 2003... ATS Automation Tooling Systems has acquired a perpetual technology license from, and a small equity stake in, Innovative Robotics Systems Inc., a privately held specialty robot supplier, primarily to the semiconductor industry. The license...

Aero Systems Engineering Inc., a wind tunnel and jet engine testing facilities engineering firm, has acquired 51 percent ownership of Automation, Manufacturing & Robotic Technologies LLC, a robotics integrator in the food industry.(Agreements)
December 1, 2003... Aero Systems Engineering Inc., a wind tunnel and jet engine testing facilities engineering firm, has acquired 51 percent ownership of Automation, Manufacturing & Robotic Technologies LLC, a robotics integrator in the food industry. Three...

Robotics industry up 28% in first nine months.(RIA update)
December 1, 2003... New orders for industrial robots jumped 28% through September, according to new figures released by Robotic Industries Association, the industry's trade group. North American robotics suppliers received orders for 10,051 robots, valued at...

Ake Lindqvist of ABB elected 2003-2004 president of RIA.(RIA update)
December 1, 2003... Ake Lindqvist, ABB's group vice president, Robotic Products and Automation, has been elected as the 2003-2004 president of the Robotic Industries Association. Lindqvist, who has been with ABB for 30 years, succeeds Craig Jennings,...

Robotics Online publishes guide to robot systems integrators.(RIA update)
December 1, 2003... A guide to robot systems integrators is now available from Robotics Online (www.roboticsonline.com), the official website of the Robotic Industries Association. This new online resource includes an alphabetical listing of RIA system integrator...

Association events.(Calendar)
December 1, 2003... AIA Business Conference Feb. 4-6 Royal Pacific Resort Orlando, Fla. 35th International Symposium On Robotics March 23-26 Paris North American Robot Safety Conference March 24-26 International Plaza...

Moog Components Group.(Profile)
December 1, 2003... Company name: Moog Components Group Primary product/service: Motion control components, including motors, drives, slip rings and actuators. Markets served: Industrial automation, robotics, medical, packaging, aerospace Company...

Pilz Automation Safety L.P.(Profile)
December 1, 2003... Company name: Pilz Automation Safety L.P. Primary product/service: Safety Relays, Safe Bus Systems and Text Displays Markets served: Automotive, Robotics, Semiconductor, Airport, Metalforming, Amusement, Pharmaceuticals, Food &...

Attica Hydraulic Exchange Corporation.(Profile)
December 1, 2003... Attica Hydraulic Exchange Corporation is a name to reckon with in the fluid power product repair-rebuild industry. Attica has earned well-deserved confidence from the entire range of fluid-power product users. From a very humble beginning...

Applied Robotics.(Profile)
December 1, 2003... Company name: Applied Robotics Inc. Primary product/service: Automation Accessories Markets served: Automotive, Automated Welding, Cutting, Assembly and Material Handling Company profile: Since 1984, Applied Robotics, Inc. has...

DENSO Robotics.(Profile)
December 1, 2003... Company name: DENSO Robotics Primary product/service 4 axis and 6 axis robots Markets served: Automotive, consumer products, electronic, food and beverage, laboratory, medical/pharm, military, aviation, telecom, and more!...

Encoder Products Company.(Profile)
December 1, 2003... Company name: Encoder Products Company Primary product/service: Rotary Shaft Encoders Markets served: Industrial Automation, Instrumentation Company profile: Encoder Products Company, Inc. (EPC) is a leading...

Benefits of robotic palletizing more measurable than in the past.(Cover Story)
December 1, 2003... Robot manufacturers and integrators long have been able to quantify the benefits of robotic automation in many applications such as welding, assembly, grinding, cutting and painting. Such applications offer measurable results in benefits such...

Investment in new control system paying back quickly for forest products manufacturer.(Motion control)
December 1, 2003... Riverside Forest Products Ltd. is Canada's leading producer of softwood plywood and veneer and a major manufacturer of stud and random-length lumber, wood chips, finger-joint lumber and a range of value-added products, including treated...

Brushless pancake motor.(Component spotlight: motion control)
December 1, 2003... Maxon's new EC 90 series of brushless pancake motors are electronically commutated, enabling extremely long motor life. Ball bearings also add to the longevity of the motor. Hall effect sensors are built into the motor for use as a commutation...

Stepping motors.(Component spotlight: motion control)
December 1, 2003... MDrives from Intelligent Motion Systems combine a high-torque stepping motor with onboard electronics. MDrives are available with NEMA motor sizes 14, 17, 23 and 34, in a choice of stack lengths. Available MDrive versions include Microstepping,...

Servo couplings.(Component spotlight: motion control)
December 1, 2003... The Zero-Max expanded line of Servo Class couplings feature zero-backlash, 304 stainless-steel disc packs and keyless clamp-style mounting hubs. The single-disc models provide higher torsional and axial stiffness in a small package. The double...

AC drive.(Component spotlight: motion control)
December 1, 2003... Yaskawa's new P7/Bypass AC drive provides full three-contactor bypass control, permitting motors to be run from either the drive or line current in critical fan, pump and industrial applications requiring continuous operation. Control logic...

Low-temp encoder.(Component spotlight: motion control)
December 1, 2003... Encoder Products Co.'s Model 755A Round Series AccuCoder Encoder is now available with extended low temperature capability. This new configuration allows the Model 755A to operate in environments as low as -40 degrees C. It also means that the...

Linear stage.(Component spotlight: motion control)
December 1, 2003... Aerotech's ALS 1000 is a corn pact, high-performance stage that features a linear motion guide bearing system, two-axis internal cable management and high-performance brushless servomotor. The non-magnetic forcer coil in the BLMC Series motor...

Brushless DC system.(Component spotlight: motion control)
December 1, 2003... Oriental Motor USA has expanded its BX Series of brushless DC speed-control systems, which are now available in high-output power models of 200 and 400 watts. The new models are available with GFH gearheads or in a roundshaft version. The...

Servo motor system.(Component spotlight: motion control)
December 1, 2003... Animatics Corp. has introduced the SM2337DT, the latest in its OEM Series of SmartMotors, which incorporate a servo motor, amplifier and motion controller into the same frame. The OEM Series is equipped with the same features as the traditional...

Serial interface.(Component spotlight: motion control)
December 1, 2003... Heidenhain's EnDat 2.2 serial interface now offers purely digital transmission to the higher-level electronics over only four lines The analog signal can no longer be disturbed by interference on the way to the subsequent electronics because it...

Linear encoder.(Component spotlight: motion control)
December 1, 2003... Numerik Jena's newest miniaturized encoder in the LIK series, the LIK22, is now available from RSF Electronics. The LIK22 is a high-performance linear encoder scanning head that measures 7mm high and 11mm wide. Combined with the Numerik Jena...

DC gearmotor.(Component spotlight: motion control)
December 1, 2003... Midwest Motion Products has introduced the MMP-S23.100F/GP52-o19.1 DC gearmotor. Measuring 54ram in diameter and 183mm long, this "True Planetary" gearmotor delivers up to 18Nm of peak output torque, with up to 140 RPM of shaft output speed....

Vision-guided wing assembly.(Robotics Case Studies)
December 1, 2003... Matrox Imaging technology helped Airbus UK test and evaluate a major R&D project. Airbus UK designs and assembles wings, and supplies landing gear components, for the Airbus family of aircraft. The Matrox 4Sight industrial computer is a key...