Robotics World articles from July 2000

Robotics World archives from July 2000

Outlook for Robotics Industry Remains Bright for 2001.
July 1, 2000... Let's hear it for Y2K1/2! In the first six months of this first millennium, rising gasoline prices have rivaled federal interest-rate increases for first place to determine which could shock the U.S. economy the most. While the U.S. economic...

RIA Announces Winners of 2000 Engelberger Robotics Awards.
July 1, 2000... RIA presented the Joseph F. Engelberger Robotics Awards to James McFarlane (technology development category), Klaus Woerner (application), Ken Goldberg (education) and Charlie Duncheon (leadership) during the International Symposium on...

Winners of RIA Robotics Scholarship Competition Announced.
July 1, 2000... Firefighting robots and an automated cell phone disassembly process were the winning topics in the 2000 Robotic Industries Association Scholarship Competition. RIA presented awards May 16 at the International Symposium on Robotics in Montreal....

Robots & Vision Show Call for Papers.
July 1, 2000... The RIA and AIA are accepting papers for the 2001 Robots & Vision Conference. Speakers receive free access to the conference sessions, a free copy of the conference session proceedings and promotion of their participation online and in printed...

Top Industry Executives to Attend RIA's Robotics Industry Forum.
July 1, 2000... The 2000 Robotics Industry Forum will be held Nov. 1-3 at the Portofino Bay Hotel in Orlando, Fla. Session topics will cover issues such as mergers and acquisitions in the robotics industry, recruitment and retention strategies, open...

Vision Show Returns to San Jose.
July 1, 2000... Ann Arbor, Mich. -- The Vision Show, the showcase of machine-vision components, systems and solutions, returns to the San Jose Convention Center in San Jose, Calif., Oct. 3-5. Since the show's launch in 1996, the global machine-vision...

O'Connell New Senior Editor for Robotics World.
July 1, 2000... Richmond, Va.--Terry O'Connell, vice president of sales for Genesis Systems Group, has joined the staff of Robotics World Magazine as senior editor. He replaces Guy Potok, who resigned the position to devote more time to ISI Norgren....

Kawasaki Acquires Kobelco Paint Robot.
July 1, 2000... Wixom, Mich.-- Kawasaki Heavy Industries of Japan has purchased the Kobelco Paint Robot, the industrial robotic paint division of Kobe Steel Ltd. This acquisition brings many new opportunities for both Kawasaki Robotics (USA) Ltd. and its...

Staubli Celebrates 20 years in the U.S.
July 1, 2000... Duncan, S.C. -- On April 13, Staubli Corp. celebrated its 20th year anniversary in North America at the company's headquarters in South Carolina. Opening their doors to local suppliers, customers and neighbors, all three Staubli divisions...

BrainTech, ABB Canada Form Alliance.
July 1, 2000... North Vancouver, B.C./Brampton, Ontario -- BrainTech Inc. and ABB Canada have signed a strategic-alliance agreement that formalizes their intention to jointly market vision-guided robotics systems. "Both BrainTech and ABB Canada bring...

First Factory-Certified ABB Repair Center opens in U.S.
July 1, 2000... Columbus, Ohio -- ABB Automation has opened the first of three global factory-certified centers of excellence for industrial repair services. Beyond its existing factory repair facilities, ABB Automation is consolidating its testing,...

Adept Invests in New B2B Online Marketplace.
July 1, 2000... San Jose, Calif.--Adept Technology Inc. is the leading seed investor in Fastfactory Inc., an online vertical marketplace for machine builders, equipment suppliers and system integrators. The Fastfactory exchange will serve as a...

PEOPLE.
July 1, 2000... Bill Gerraughty has been named president of Intellution Inc. Steve Rubin will continue as CEO. Sheila Kester has been named vice president of customer services.... Prasad Akella, of General Motors' Robotics & Welding Group, and Nidamaluri...

Fanuc Robotics North America.
July 1, 2000... Fanuc Robotics North America recently presented the second President's Circle of Achievement Award to Chester Woodman Jr., general manager of Lincoln Electric Co.'s Automation Division, for his long-term commitment to the robotics industry.

Automated Cells & Equipment Inc.
July 1, 2000... Automated Cells & Equipment Inc. was awarded FANUC's Sales Leadership Award for the second year running.

Integrated Surgical Systems.
July 1, 2000... Integrated Surgical Systems has been issued a patent protecting its DigiMatch technology used in the Robodoc Surgical Assistant System.

Lamb Technicon Body & Assembly.
July 1, 2000... Lamb Technicon Body & Assembly has opened a new Laser Process Validation Center in Troy, Mich. The center will use several Rofin-Sinar lasers, a GSI Lumonics Nd.-YAG laser and robotic handling equipment from ABB and Nachi.

Motoman.
July 1, 2000... Motoman held its first supplier technology fair in March to give company employees the chance to discuss new technologies and innovations with key suppliers.

Stanley Machining Inc.
July 1, 2000... Stanley Machining Inc. is now an ABB Systems Integration Partner for the Robotic Products Division of the Manufacturing Industry & Robotics Group of ABB Flexible Automation.

Automation Peripherals.
July 1, 2000... Automation Peripherals, a division of Genesis Systems Group, has been awarded a U.S. patent for its AirEase Robotic Welding Torch Cleaner.

Orchid Automation.
July 1, 2000... Orchid Automation's automation and robotics division in Cambridge, Ontario, has been awarded QS-9000/TE registration.

Denso.
July 1, 2000... Thirty-five Denso facilities worldwide have earned ISO 14001 certification.

Computer Motion Inc.
July 1, 2000... Computer Motion Inc. received the Export Achievement Award at the 74th Annual World Trade Week conference for Southern California.

Amacoil Inc.
July 1, 2000... Amacoil Inc. has named Advanced Systems Automation as its representative for Amacoil/Uhing linear motion products in Tennessee.

General Magnaplate.
July 1, 2000... General Magnaplate has been designated a Star Site by the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Wright Industries Inc.
July 1, 2000... Wright Industries Inc. has entered into a contract to become part of Robotic Technology Systems PLC in a reverse merger with the U.K.-based company.

Lincoln Electric Holdings Inc.
July 1, 2000... Lincoln Electric Holdings Inc. has made an offer to acquire Charter plc, whose subsidiaries include ESAB, a maker of welding and cutting products.

StockerYale Inc.
July 1, 2000... StockerYale Inc. has acquired privately held CorkOpt Ltd. of Ireland for $2.45 million.

Nematron Corp.
July 1, 2000... Nematron Corp., a designer and manufacturer of solutions for PC-based machine control, plans to acquire A-OK Controls Engineering Inc.

GenRad Inc.
July 1, 2000... GenRad Inc. has acquired Nicolet Imaging Systems and Sierra Research and Technology Inc. from ThermoSpectra Corp. for $40 million.

FMC Corp.
July 1, 2000... FMC Corp. has approved the acquisition of Advanced Machine Vision Corp. by Key Technology Inc.

Cognex Corp.
July 1, 2000... Cognex Corp. has acquired Image Industries, a privately held company in Surrey, England.

Adept Technology.
July 1, 2000... Adept Technology has completed the acquisitions of Pensar Tucson Inc., a design/engineering automation company, and NanoMotion Inc., a manufacturer of nanometer and sub-nanometer positioning and alignment systems.

Creating Opportunities.
July 1, 2000... Improved Technology, Innovation Expand Use of Robots in New and Emerging Markets The robotics industry continues to break growth records in North America, and robot manufacturers and integrators continue to sell aggressively to the...

PROXIMITY LASER SCANNER.
July 1, 2000... The PLS Proximity Laser Scanner from SICK, a noncontact presence-sensing proximity scanner, uses a sweeping infrared laser beam and a Three-zone configuration. The new LSI Laser Scanning Interface doubles The capability and effectiveness of the...

ROBOTIC TOOLING PROTECTION.
July 1, 2000... All Industrial Automation's Protector is designed to prevent damage to robotic tooling. Five models are currently available with moment/torque ratings ranging from 50 inch/pounds to 10,000 inch/pounds. Features include automatic reset and...

SAFETY LIGHT CURTAINS.
July 1, 2000... Applied Robotics Inc. makes it easy for manufacturers to maintain high safety levels in their end-of-line packaging systems with Smartscan Safety Light Curtains. Smartscan's invisible barrier provides an unobstructed view of The work within The...

ALUMINUM SAFETY MAT.
July 1, 2000... Tapeswitch Corp. has designed The first armored, all-aluminum diamond-plate safety mat. Its heavy-gauge aluminum deck-plate construction with extruded edging is ideal for heavy industrial manufacturing environments. It durability allows it to...

SENSING MAT.
July 1, 2000... Miller Edge's ME-151 Impact-Resistant Sensing Mat, unveiled in the spring of 1999, has been certified by TUV Product Service Inc. The ME-151 can withstand the weight of forklifts and other in-plant vehicles and operates in temperatures as low...

SAFETY MAT SYSTEM.
July 1, 2000... Pinnacle Systems Inc. has introduced the new STTS (Soft Tactile Transducer Sensor) Safety Mat System, with patented technology that creates a uniform activation threshold throughout the mat surface area. Critical components are duplicated, so a...

SAFETY LIGHT CURTAIN.
July 1, 2000... Dolan-Jenner's RMP2 safety light curtain can safeguard areas that are too large or too irregular for traditional light curtains. Up to eight through-beam channels can be individually configured to guard even the most difficult areas. The RMP2...

SAFETY MAT CONTROLLERS.
July 1, 2000... With the new MMDC series of SafeTec safety mat controllers, Bircher America offers advanced safety mat systems diagnostics. The controllers can diagnose and store such information as which safety mat in a multiple-mat system has been actuated,...

LASER DISTANCE SENSOR.
July 1, 2000... Laser Distance Sensors in the RotoScan Series from Leuze-Lumiflex work along the same lines as optical surface radar by scanning a given environment. If the transmitted light beam meets an object or person in its path, the reflected light is...

GATE SWITCHES.
July 1, 2000... Castell Interlocks' AmGard product line, designed for guarding robotic cells and other automated machinery, consists of both solenoid- and nonsolenoid-operated gate switches. All of the products incorporate metallic housings and stainless-steel...

SAFETY LIGHT CURTAIN.
July 1, 2000... Banner Engineering has introduced the Micro-Screen Muting Safety Light Screen System, featuring a muting function that temporarily suspends light-screen operation, allowing parts to enter and exit the protected area without shutting down...

AUTOMATION SAFETY GUIDE.
July 1, 2000... Pilz Automation Safety has introduced the sixth edition of its "Guide to Machinery Safety' which details information on machinery regulations and standards for both the United States and Europe. The guide details regulations for designing new...

MACHINE SAFEGUARDS.
July 1, 2000... Honeywell Sensing and Control offers a variety of machine safeguards, including presence-sensing safeguarding devices; electromechanical safety, safety cable pulls and safety control modules; safety mats and safety light curtains, including the...

SAFETY LIGHT CURTAIN.
July 1, 2000... Scientific Technologies Inc.'s MciroSafe-ESD Safety Light Curtain is available in standard or segmented versions for electrostatic-discharge environments. The curtain can be mounted on small automatic assembly machines and in other applications...

SHELF-MOUNTED ROBOTS.
July 1, 2000... With two new shelf-mounted robots, the KR 30/K and KR 60/K, KUKA offers a cost-effective solution for the injection molding, die-casting and machine-tool industries. The use of these six-axis robots enables not only the economical loading and...

WELDING/CUTTING WORKCELL.
July 1, 2000... Genesis Systems Group has introduced the Versa System RCT, a welding and cutting workcell that has a patented design that uses the entire work envelope of its turntable. This enables a smaller, less expensive robot to accomplish the same task...

TOP-LOADING ROBOT.
July 1, 2000... FANUC Robotics North America has introduced the M-710iT robot, the fourth in its family of top-loader robots. The overhead rail-mounted, top-loading robots provide manufacturers increased flexibility in plant configuration while freeing up...

HIGH-PRECISION ROBOTS.
July 1, 2000... DENSO Corp. has added two new models to its line of high-speed, high-precision robots. The VM-6083D is a mid-sized, vertical, articulated robot with high operation speed, high load capacity and a maximum reach of 1,000 mm. The XYC-4D is a...

SINGULARITY-FREE WRIST.
July 1, 2000... Ross-Hime Designs Inc. has developed the Omni-Wrist III for the Department of Defense. The Omni-Wrist III, the first gearless singularity-free wrist with zero backlash, is designed for spray finishing, sealant application, welding and...

ROBOTIC SIMULATION SOFTWARE.
July 1, 2000... Flow Software Technologies has released the latest version of its robotics simulation and offline programming software, Workspace 5, with several new features. The addition of Visual Basic for Applications provides customization that existing...

GMAW WIRE CUTTER.
July 1, 2000... A hard ball of material often forms on the end of the wire as the welder moves along a path designated by the robot. Or a curl develops at the end of the wire. In both instances, good contact between the weld wire and work surface is lost....

PARALLEL JAW GRIPPER.
July 1, 2000... The Schunk Type KGG two-finger, pneumatic grippers have been designed for assembly and material-handling applications using small robots. The flexible stroke parallel, dual-acting base jaws deliver precise gripping in both I.D. and O.D....

MACHINE CONTROL PCs.
July 1, 2000... Trellis Software & Controls Inc. has introduced its next-generation Firestorm industrial PC models that can meet the challenges of PLC, CNC, robotic, process-control and general industrial machine-control applications. The Firestorm IPC is the...

PROGRAMMING SOFTWARE.
July 1, 2000... ABB Flexible Automation has developed new software that allows robots to stay in production while they are being reprogrammed at a different location. The new RobotStudio allows users to program their robots on a PG in the office, while the...

WELDING GUIDE.
July 1, 2000... DCT has published a new color flier, "NO WAT--No Air, No Water, No Trouble," that describes its newest robotic resistance-welding technology. The flier has full-color product photos and plant-floor illustrations that compare conventional...

FIBER-OPTIC SENSOR.
July 1, 2000... Balluf's BOS 20K fiber-optic sensor with teach-in capability eliminates adjustment hassles for quick and accurate sensor setup. The versatile sensor has a small housing and is ideal for small-parts detection, part feature checks, counting and...

METROLOGY SYSTEM.
July 1, 2000... Nanometrics Inc. recently introduced the NanoSpec 9300, an automated, non-contact thin film metrology system designed for use in advanced 300 mm high-volume semiconductor manufacturing. The NanoSpec 9300 features a deep-ultraviolet to...

FLEXIBLE FRONT-END SYSTEM.
July 1, 2000... Adept Technology Inc. introduced its new 200/300mm Flexible Front End Systems at the SEMICON West 2000 Exposition. The systems, including the Adept FFE 200 and the Adept FFE 300, combine wafer sorting and SMIF load functions into one integrated...

[0] SAFETY LIGHT CURTAIN.
July 1, 2000... The modular design of Keyence Corp. of America's new PJ-V Series of safety light curtains permit users to quickly assemble and configure safety systems without the need for special or customsize light rails or factory modifications. Multiple...