Robotics World articles from July 2002

Robotics World archives from July 2002

History on display. (News).
July 1, 2002... General Motors Controls, Robotics and Welding has donated the original prototype Programmable Universal Machine for Assembly (PUMA) robot to the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History. It joins a collection of...

Microvision Inc. and Robotic Vision Systems Inc. (Mergers/Acquisitions/Agreements).
July 1, 2002... Microvision Inc. and Robotic Vision Systems Inc. have agreed to co-market a mobile biometric identification.

Stocker Yale Inc. has acquired CIENA Corp. (Mergers/Acquisitions/Agreements).
July 1, 2002... Stocker Yale Inc. has acquired CIENA Corp.'s specialty optical fiber group for an undisclosed amount of cash and stock. In addition, the companies have signed a three-year, primary supplier agreement for specialty optical fibers.

Premier Inc., a health-care alliance. (Mergers/Acquisitions/Agreements).
July 1, 2002... Premier Inc., a health-care alliance, has expanded its agreement with McKesson Automation Inc. for McKesson's ROBOT-Rx product.

Adept Technology Inc. has formalized a partnership with DEK. (Mergers/Acquisitions/Agreements).
July 1, 2002... Adept Technology Inc. has formalized a partnership with DEK to develop a fully automated wafer-handling solution for DEK's screen printer wafer-bumping and ball-placement system.

Future Electronics of Montreal has entered into a worldwide distribution agreement with Harting Electronics GmbH & Co. (Mergers/Acquisitions/Agreements).
July 1, 2002... Future Electronics of Montreal has entered into a worldwide distribution agreement with Harting Electronics GmbH & Co., in which Future will sell Harting products in the Americas and Asia. The European market will be added to the franchise...

Acu-Gage Systems has agreed to integrate Optimet. (Mergers/Acquisitions/Agreements).
July 1, 2002... Acu-Gage Systems has agreed to integrate Optimet's Conoprobe 3-D measurement system into its non-contact, video-based measuring equipment.

Brooks Automation Inc. has completed the acquisition of PRI Automation. (Mergers/Acquisitions/Agreements).
July 1, 2002... Brooks Automation Inc. has completed the acquisition of PRI Automation. The newly named Brooks-PRI Automation Inc. will continue to trade under the ticker symbol BRKS on the NASDAQ stock market.

Thermo Electron Corp. has completed the acquisition of CRS Robotics Corp. (Mergers/Acquisitions/Agreements).
July 1, 2002... Thermo Electron Corp. has completed the acquisition of CRS Robotics Corp., a supplier of lab automation robotics, software and equipment to the drug discovery market.

Orchid Automation has acquired IM Engineered Products Ltd. (Mergers/Acquisitions/Agreements).
July 1, 2002... Orchid Automation has acquired IM Engineered Products Ltd. The acquisition will enable Orchid Automation to provide complete turnkey press automation systems and large material-handling systems for applications such as automotive body and...

Cognex Corp. will develop new machine-vision products to be used by Accu-Sort Systems. (Mergers/Acquisitions/Agreements).
July 1, 2002... In a new product development and OEM agreement, Cognex Corp. will develop new machine-vision products to be used by Accu-Sort Systems to automatically acquire images of packages moving by at high speeds on material-handling lines, and then...

Majenta Solutions Ltd. (Mergers/Acquisitions/Agreements).
July 1, 2002... Through a new reseller agreement, Majenta Solutions Ltd. of the United Kingdom will now distribute and support Tecnomatix Technologies' eMPower software to aid in production planning and workplace design for its customers in the automotive...

Citect Inc. has signed an OEM agreement with Xycom Automation. (Mergers/Acquisitions/Agreements).
July 1, 2002... Citect Inc. has signed an OEM agreement with Xycom Automation under which the company's CitectSCADA software will be bundled with the Xycom Automation line of industrial PC's. Both Xycom and Citect distribution channels will have access to...

Motoman. (Quick Takes).
July 1, 2002... Motoman has relocated its Los Angeles regional office from Cypress, Calif., to 1701 Kaiser Ave., Irvine, CA 92614. The phone number is 949-263-2640.

Tyco Electronics. (Quick Takes).
July 1, 2002... Tyco Electronics has been awarded a U.S. patent on the OPTIMATE FIBERSHAPE process, which uses a laser beam to prepare fiber end-faces for termination in connector assemblies and optical devices.

Liquidix Inc., through subsidiary Advanced Fluids Systems Ltd. (Quick Takes).
July 1, 2002... Liquidix Inc., through subsidiary Advanced Fluids Systems Ltd., has applied for a new patent in Europe and the United States for further development of its industrial seals using magnetic fluids technology.

Cobotics Inc. (Quick Takes).
July 1, 2002... Cobotics Inc.'s iLift and iTrolley line of intelligent assist devices has received a 2001 GOOD DESIGN Award in the Industrial Equipment category from the Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design.

Hitachi Ltd. (Quick Takes).
July 1, 2002... Hitachi Ltd. has developed a robotic arm equipped with an endoscope that can be easily adjusted by surgeons while they are operating. The robotic arm is attached to a surgical bed equipped with a large monitor that displays what the endoscope...

JAI Camera Solutions. (Quick Takes).
July 1, 2002... JAI Camera Solutions has relocated its North American office from California to Boston. The new office is at 800 West Cummings Park, Suite 1250; Woburn, MA 01801.

Metro Machine Corp. has agreed to purchase a prototype UltraStrip Systems Inc. (Quick Takes).
July 1, 2002... Metro Machine Corp. has agreed to purchase a prototype UltraStrip Systems Inc.'s UltraStrip robotic paint removal system for $2 million. Metro is developing a marine vessel enclosure, paint removal and coating system and will evaluate the...

ForkLevator Inc. and in Canada by Trans-Quip Inc. (Quick Takes).
July 1, 2002... The OSA-LATOR indexing table, distributed in the United States by ForkLevator Inc. and in Canada by Trans-Quip Inc., has a new website at www.osalator.com. The site previously was housed within the Handling Specialty website.

BMW Manufacturing Corp. has donated 42 ABB. (Quick Takes).
July 1, 2002... BMW Manufacturing Corp. has donated 42 ABB robots and robot controllers to the South Carolina Department of Education to be used in vocational schools throughout the state. ABB has donated training and users manuals.

MagStar Technologies Inc. has signed to produce and assemble key components for new direct drive assemblies for Kollmorgen. (Quick Takes).
July 1, 2002... MagStar Technologies Inc. has signed to produce and assemble key components for new direct drive assemblies for Koilmorgen, and produce and assemble key components for the Twin Star robot for Brooks-PRI Automation Inc.

Cable Design Technologies. (Quick Takes).
July 1, 2002... Cable Design Technologies has formed the Specialty Products Group by consolidating the AWI, Barcel, Dearborn, Manhattan, Montrose and Thermax business units. Robert Canny has been promoted to vice president of new group.

Servo-Robot's new facility. (News).
July 1, 2002... Servo-Robot Inc., which manufactures laser vision systems for robot guidance and weld inspection, has moved into this new 30,000-square-foot facility, more than doubling its size and giving it more research, engineering and manufacturing...

Steven Holland has been named director, Enterprise Systems Lab. (People).
July 1, 2002... Steven Holland has been named director, Enterprise Systems Lab, and chief scientist for manufacturing for General Motors. The enterprise systems group at GM R&D focuses on math-based processes and systems modeling along with manufacturing...

Asyst Technologies Inc. (People).
July 1, 2002... Asyst Technologies Inc. has named Frederick Tiso to the new position of senior vice president, manufacturing operations.

Heidenhain Corp. (People).
July 1, 2002... Kevin Kaufenberg has been named central sales manager for Heidenhain Corp. with an emphasis on the electronics/semiconductor industry.

FKI Logistex Real Time Solution. (People).
July 1, 2002... Tom Williams has been appointed director of strategic business development for FKI Logistex Real Time Solution.

Howie Choset. (People).
July 1, 2002... Howie Choset, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, robotics and electrical and computer engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, has been chosen as one of the world's 100 Top Young Innovators by Technology Review, MIT's Magazine of...

Oetiker International. (People).
July 1, 2002... Oetiker International has named Kevin Jenkins CEO of Oetiker North America.

Electro Scientific Industries Inc. (People).
July 1, 2002... Keith Taft been named a vice president of Electro Scientific Industries Inc., where he will lead ESI's Electronic Component Systems business.

Metrology speakers sought for Robots & Vision Conference. (RIA Update).
July 1, 2002... A new track on metrology is under development for the International Robots & Vision Conference, set for June 3-5, 2003, at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont (Chicago)) Ill. Speaker abstracts are welcome. Among the...

New conference at forum focuses on strategic and financial issues. (RIA Update).
July 1, 2002... The key strategic and financial issues faced by current and potential robot users will be explored at the first Robotics User Discovery Day, set for Nov. 6 at the Portofino Bay Hotel in Orlando, Fla. The conference is part of the 10th Annual...

New Risk Assessment software simplifies analysis and documentation for Robot users. (RIA Update).
July 1, 2002... RIA, in association with design safety engineering inc., has released Version 2.0 of the Robot Risk Assessment software package available on CD-ROM. The program provides a step-by-step guide for risk assessment and includes an expanded library...

Robotic systems integrators tap into marketing opportunities. (RI/SME Update).
July 1, 2002... As one of the largest industrial trade shows in the world, IMTS 2002 offers robotic systems integrators an opportunity for networking and market exposure. Visibility at the show, as well as the SME-sponsored technical sessions, is a powerful...

Innovation the name of the game in the robotics industry.
July 1, 2002... Innovation has been the signature of the robotics industry since day one, in both products and systems. From the first simple machine-tending application four decades ago, the industry has continued to explore the frontiers of flexible...

Index of published case studies: June 2001 through April 2002.
July 1, 2002... To order a back issue, call 888-246-8484. JUNE 2001 Material Removal/Packaging: Custom injection molder Triple S increases its manufacturing flexibility by Using Staubli RX130 robots to demold, trim and package windows for cellular...

Scara robots. (Products).
July 1, 2002... DENSO Sales California Inc. has a new line of horizontally articulated robots, models HS-E and HM-E, which include numerous improvements. The units are designed for use in small-assembly environments. Specific applications include...

Laser Sensor. (Products).
July 1, 2002... OTC Daihen has introduced the Laser Sensor NR for seam detection and tracking before and during welding. This sensor has three main functions: torch-angle control during tracking, arc start and end-point detection and automatic taught-point...

Scara robots. (Products).
July 1, 2002... Toshiba Machine has released two new SCARA robots, the TH250 and the TH350, which provide improved repeatability and accuracy, quicker cycle times and faster motion. Both robots feature absolute encoders, dispensing with the need for a home...

Linear actuator. (Products).
July 1, 2002... Aerotech has introduced a new series of linear motor actuator, a modular stage that is suited for pick-and-place machines, gantry axes, shuttle stages, assembly machines or as a general-purpose positioner. LMA series actuators integrate the...

Conveyors. (Products).
July 1, 2002... AlveySystems Inc. has extended its family of modular conveyor systems with a steel-frame version of its Accuzone case conveyor. Based on a modular design, Accuzone provides accumulation zones--individually powered and controlled-for accurate...

Gantry positioners. (Products).
July 1, 2002... Anorad Corp's line of high-speed, precision gantry positioning systems are designed to satisfy requirements for overhead access to a stationary workpiece. A variety of high-accuracy gantries of aluminum, ceramic or graphite construction are...

Dispensing robots. (Products).
July 1, 2002... I&J Fisnar's bench-mounted dispensing robots have been designed to take up as little space as possible, with working areas from 8 inches by 8 inches to 16 inches by 16 inches. The 2000 series robots automate any industrial sealing, gasket,...

Harmonic gantry. (Products).
July 1, 2002... Lamb Technicon Body & Assembly Systems' new harmonic gantry is flexible enough to operate within large integrated systems or in robotic workcells. It offers a lifter capacity of 750 lbs., a lift range up to 54 inches and transfer distance up to...

Industrial robot manufacturers and distributors. (The 2003 Robotics Worldwide Directory).
July 1, 2002... ABB INC. 2487 S. Commerce Dr. New Berlin, WI 53151 262-785-3400 888-785-3904 Fax: 262-785-0342 Website: www.abb.com/robotics Established: 1979 Employs: 900 Contact: Ann Smith - Dir. of Mktg. Comm. ...

Robot manufacturers by robot type. (The 2003 Robotics Worldwide Directory).
July 1, 2002... WELDING, MIG ABB INC. ANTENEN RESEARCH CLOOS ROBOTIC WELDING FANUC ROBOTICS NORTH AMERICA INDUSTRIAL CONTROL REPAIR KAWASAKI ROBOTICS (USA) KC ROBOTICS MOTOMAN INC. NACHI ROBOTICS SYSTEMS PANASONIC...

Machine vision systems/components manufacturers. (The 2003 Robotics Worldwide Directory).
July 1, 2002... ABB INC. 2487 S. Commerce Dr. New Berlin, WI 53151 262-785-3400 888-785-3904 Fax: 262-785-0342 Website: www.abb.com/robotics Established: 1979 Employs: 900 Contact: Ann Smith - Dir. of Mktg. Comm. ...

Systems integrators. (The 2003 Robotics Worldwide Directory).
July 1, 2002... ABB INC. 2487 S. Commerce Dr. New Berlin, WI 53151 262-785-3400 888-785-3904 Fax: 262-785-0342 Website: www.abb.com/robotics Established: 1979 Employs: 900 Contact: Ann Smith--Dir. of Mktg. Comm. ACTION...

Component suppliers. (The 2002 Robotics Worldwide Directory).
July 1, 2002... ABICOR BINZEL 650 Research Drive, Suite 110 Frederick, MD 21703-8619 301-846-4196 Fax: 301-846-4497 E-Mail: postmaster@abicorusa.com Website: www.binzel-abicor.com Services: Robotic welding and cutting torches....

Suppliers by product type. (The 2002 Robotics Worldwide Directory).
July 1, 2002... ACTUATORS AEROTECH INC. AGI - AMERICAN GRIPPERS INC. ANORAD CORP. APPLIED ROBOTICS BETATRONIX DE-STA-CO INDUSTRIES EXFO BURLEIGH PRODUCTS GROUP INTELLIDRIVES INTELLIGENT ACTUATOR INC. KOLLMORGEN...