Robotics World articles from June 2003

Robotics World archives from June 2003

Assembly West 2003. (Quick Takes).
June 1, 2003... Assembly West 2003, scheduled for Oct. 28-29 has been postponed indefinitely. Also postponed for 2003 were the two co-located events, NEPCON West and Fiberoptic Automation Expo.

EPSON Robots. (Quick Takes).
June 1, 2003... This year marks EPSON Robots' 20th year of providing reliable, high-speed, precision robots. EPSON has grown from being an early pioneer in the assembly robot market to a position of developing and introducing new technology designed to make...

American Italian Pasta Co. (Quick Takes).
June 1, 2003... American Italian Pasta Co., the largest maker of dry pasta in North America, has been named Food Engineering Magazine's 2003 New Plant of the Year. AIPC's automated production lines feature robotic technologies from FKI Logistex Alvey Systems,...

Industry Scope LLC. (Quick Takes).
June 1, 2003... Industry Scope LLC has been appointed North American representative for W. Strothmann GmbH, which manufactures linear and rotary robotic components and systems, and ATR Systems, which develops industrial automation, information and vision...

ATS Automation Tooling Systems. (Orders).
June 1, 2003... ATS Automation Tooling Systems has been awarded orders valued at $7.7 million from a major computer-electronics company. The orders are for the supply of two identical automated production systems and for field upgrades on similar lines that...

Berkeley Process Control. (Orders).
June 1, 2003... Berkeley Process Control has received an order to upgrade the front-end wafer-handling system of an established semiconductor tool. A Berkeley BX-series controller replaces the original robot-bundled controller, a Berkeley BXpa wafer...

MTS Automation division from MTS Systems Corp. for an undisclosed amount. (Mergers/Acquisitions/Agreements).
June 1, 2003... Parker Hannifin has acquired the MTS Automation division from MTS Systems Corp. for an undisclosed amount. Founded in 1991 as Custom Servo Motors, the MTS Automation Division produces a line of brushless motors, analog and digital amplifiers,...

Honeywell's Automation and Control Solutions unit plans to acquire the assets of privately held Sensotec Inc. (Mergers/Acquisitions/Agreements).
June 1, 2003... Honeywell's Automation and Control Solutions unit plans to acquire the assets of privately held Sensotec Inc., a supplier of sensors for measuring pressure, torque, load, temperature, force, acceleration and displacement.

JAI A.S, a manufacturer of machine-vision products. (Mergers/Acquisitions/Agreements).
June 1, 2003... JAI A.S, a manufacturer of machine-vision products, has purchased Sunnyvale, Calif.-based PULNiX America Inc., a supplier of machine-vision components. The purchase includes all shares of PULNiX, its intellectual property and camera technology...

CogniTens Ltd. and QMC LLC have agreed to integrate and distribute OptiCell. (Agreements).
June 1, 2003... CogniTens Ltd. and QMC LLC have agreed to integrate and distribute OptiCell, an automated 3D non-contact robotic cell for online repetitive parts measurements.

USDATA Corp. and Robotic Vision Systems Inc. have entered into a strategic alliance to provide end-to-end traceability solutions for component manufacturers. (Agreements).
June 1, 2003... USDATA Corp. and Robotic Vision Systems Inc. have entered into a strategic alliance to provide end-to-end traceability solutions for component manufacturers, using RVSI's direct part-mark verification and reading technology and USDATA's...

BEI Technologies and ThinGap Motor Technologies have executed an agreement to develop. (Agreements).
June 1, 2003... BEI Technologies and ThinGap Motor Technologies have executed an agreement to develop, market and produce advanced motor products. The relationship includes a BEI equity investment in ThinGap.

Force Guided Relays International. (Agreements).
June 1, 2003... Force Guided Relays International, a Hengstler relay distributor for 18 years, is now Master Distributor for Hengstler and Kaco relays for the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Flow International Corp. (People).
June 1, 2003... Flow International Corp., a developer and manufacturer of ultra high-pressure waterjet technology with applications in the robotics industry, has appointed Scott Baldwin as general manager. Baldwin was promoted from his position as director of...

Electro Scientific Industries. (People).
June 1, 2003... James Dooley, president and CEO of Electro Scientific Industries, has been placed on administrative leave of absence pending the results of a review of the company's financial statements for fiscal 2003. Barry Harmon has been named president...

Industry Scope. (People).
June 1, 2003... James Bleau has been appointed vice president of sales for Industry Scope, a manufacturers' representative whose clients include pressroom and robotics manufacturer W. Strothmann GmbH.

ACS Group. (People).
June 1, 2003... Roxanne Larson has been named marketing service manager for ACS Group and its affiliates.

Electro Scientific Industries. (People).
June 1, 2003... J. Michael Dodson has been named vice president of administration and chief financial officer for Electro Scientific Industries.

Robotics industry posts 48% gain in first-quarter orders. (RIA Update).
June 1, 2003... North American robotics suppliers reported first quarter gains of 48 percent in robot units, the industry's best start since 1999, according to the Robotic Industries Association, the industry's trade group. A total of 3,500 robots valued...

Industry leaders honored. (RIA Update).
June 1, 2003... The RIA presented some of the industry's most prestigious awards in June when the International Robots & Vision Show and Conference hosted the 34th International Symposium on Robotics in Chicago. Honored with the Joseph F Engelberger...

Play it safe with in-house training. (RIA Update).
June 1, 2003... When circumstances keep you from attending RIA Conferences, consider bringing the instructor to your facility. In-house training allows you to design a customized course that addresses your specific application and manufacturing requirements....

RIA events.
June 1, 2003... Machine Vision for Robot Guidance Workshop Oct. 9 Novi Hilton Hotel Novi, Mich. 15th Annual National Robot Safety Conference Oct. 27-30 Cincinnati 11th Annual Robotics Industry Forum Nov. 5-7 Orlando, Fla. Robotics...

Robotics World's inaugural awards program recognizes innovation in robotics industry.
June 1, 2003... Rosemont, Ill. -- Motoman Inc., Epson Robots, Schmalz Inc., Pilz Automation Safety and Leoni Tailor-Made Cables all won Platinum Awards in Robotics World's inaugural Product Innovation Awards program. The companies were recognized with ribbons...

Robotic machine tending a mature application, but still has room to grow. (Cover Story).
June 1, 2003... Arc welding and spot welding may be the most well-known and well-established robotic applications, but they're not the oldest. "One of the earliest uses of robots was for tending machines in the auto industry," said Peter Cavallo, head of...

Robotics case studies.
June 1, 2003... ENGINE HEAD LOADING An automotive supplier needed multiple machining centers to be serviced by a single robot loading engine heads from a part-handling conveyor in a cell-manufacturing concept. After loading and machining on one side, the...

HyperStart function. (Component Spotlight: Welding Components).
June 1, 2003... Motoman recently introduced HyperStart, a new function that offers 10-20% cycle-time savings for automotive part suppliers who are making several welds on a part every minute or less. Without HyperStart, the robot controller waits for the...

Automatic MIG Guns. (Component Spotlight: Welding Components).
June 1, 2003... ABICOR Binzel has introduced the newest members of its line of quality MIG gun products, the ALPHA Automatic MIG-Guns. The new "AUT" guns feature modular swanneck assemblies for fast replacement and interchangeability, incurring less downtime...

Nozzle Cleaning Station. (Component Spotlight: Welding Components).
June 1, 2003... The QRC-2000 Nozzle Cleaning Station from Tweco Robotics reduces downtime and improves weld quality when installed in robotic cells. An advanced Rotary Impact Drive (RID) system cuts away spatter, allowing the cleaned torch nozzle to continue...

Welding simulation tool. (Component Spotlight: Welding Components).
June 1, 2003... FANUC Robotics has introduced WeldPRO, a new simulation tool for robotic arc welding processes that simplifies the ability to program a variety of applications in 3-D, including plasma cutting and GMAW, plasma and GTAW welding. WeldPRO uses a...

Spatter-resistant sensors. (Component Spotlight: Welding Components).
June 1, 2003... Pepperl+Fuchs' new 20/20 Series inductive sensors resist weld spatter and weld fields while offering full-range detection of all metals. These Teflon-coated, three-wire DC sensors use a coil system and control circuitry to protect against...

Transformer monitor. (Component Spotlight: Welding Components).
June 1, 2003... The new PFU6 from Pilz Automation Safety monitors welding transformers in accordance with VDE 0545. Dangerous contact voltages or faulty insulation can be monitored on six channels, which means just one device monitors up to six secondary coils...

Collision sensor. (Component Spotlight: Welding Components).
June 1, 2003... Robotic Accessories has introduced a collision sensor specially adapted for robotic MIG and TIG welding applications. This unit, which can be adapted to any model MIG or TIG torch, adds variable compliance and shuts down the robot in the event...

Lincoln Electric Co. (Component Spotlight: Welding Components; Robotic Power Sources).
June 1, 2003... The new Power Wave 455M Robotic and 455M/STT Robotic are digitally controlled inverter welding power sources from the Lincoln Electric Co. The benefit of the machines' modular design is that both robotic, hard automation and semiautomatic...

Robot controller. (Robots & Vision Show Product Roundup).
June 1, 2003... Staubli's new CS8 and CS8M controllers feature a new operating system and a new generation programming language, VAL3. The CS8 and compact CS8M are intended for handling and assembly applications, and they're modular design make them open to...

Access control products. (Robots & Vision Show Product Roundup).
June 1, 2003... Fortress Interlocks launched the AmGard AS-i range of heavy-duty machinery access control products, which connect directly to "AS-i Safety at Work" control networks. AS-Interface (AS-i) is a new cabling system that allows machinery safety...

500kg robot. (Robots & Vision Show Product Roundup).
June 1, 2003... The newest robot in Nachi Robotic System's SC series is the SC500 super-heavyweight robot, which features a payload of 500kg and an additional payload of 30kg standard and up to 60kg allowed on the upper arm. Large, heavy parts are easily...

Low-Angle Ringlight. (Robots & Vision Show Product Roundup).
June 1, 2003... StockerYale has introduced the CLAR Low-Angle Ringlight, which uses chip-on-board technology to provide low-angle diffuse lighting for applications that require uniform, glare-free illumination. The compact illuminator is sealed to 1P67...

CMOS camera. (Robots & Vision Show Product Roundup).
June 1, 2003... Cognex Corp. unveiled the CDC-200, the newest member of the digital CMOS-based CDC camera series. With global shutter capability and faster frame rates, the CDC-200 brings high-resolution image acquisition to high-speed, moving applications,...

Flexible control cables. (Robots & Vision Show Product Roundup).
June 1, 2003... Leoni Tailor-Made Cable has added a new series of in-stock control cables to its North American product range. The Leoni L-FLEXX 290 cables can snake through a maze of tight curves and turns during installation in the most confined areas. They...

Programming software. (Robots & Vision Show Product Roundup).
June 1, 2003... The new easyrobot programming software from Bosch Rexroth makes programming easier and ensures fast start-ups and optimum productivity. Preset project templates, a user-friendly code editor, robust monitoring and debugging tools and integrated,...

Simulation software. (Robots & Vision Show Product Roundup).
June 1, 2003... Flow Software Technologies, a part of the CIS Robotics division of Flow International Corp., released the latest version of its Workspace5 robotic simulation software. Workspace 5.04 has numerous enhanced features, including tool bar...

Robotics Software Platform. (Robots & Vision Show Product Roundup).
June 1, 2003... Evolution Robotics has released the Evolution Robotics Software Platform SDK 2.0, a robust set of software components for robotics application building. The SDK allows OEMs to take advantage of functionality from vision, navigation, interaction...

How to select a cable carrier. (Motion Control).
June 1, 2003... The expanding use of automated equipment is prompting engineers to focus on the selection of efficient carrier systems. Cable and hose carriers link energy sources to moving mechanisms and machine parts. The following report offers insight on...

Tamron. (Robotics World Showcase).
June 1, 2003... Tamron offers a line of High Resolution lenses ideal for machine vision. The new 1.3-Megapixel series includes 16mm, 25mm and 50mm designed to meet today's imaging needs. Each lens is compact and includes locking mechanisms necessary for superb...

Robotic Accessories. (Robotics World Showcase).
June 1, 2003... Robotic Accessories has developed a variably compliant end-of-arm device, the UltiBurr, for burr removal, finishing and polishing operations on metals, plastics and other materials. The robot program can continuously vary the compliance force...

Lapp USA. (Robotics World Showcase).
June 1, 2003... OLFLEX[R] AUTO-X, a flexible, oil and UV resistant multi-conductor cable is designed for continuous flexing applications. It can withstand temperatures of up to 90[degrees]C. AUTO-X has worldwide approvals including UL Type TC, CSA AWM, and CE....

SICK, Inc. (Robotics World Showcase).
June 1, 2003... A New Level of Area Safeguarding. The New Flexible, Modular, Low Maintenance S3000 Safety Laser Scanner Introducing the revolutionary S3000 -- SICK's next-generation proximity laser scanner for horizontal and vertical safeguarding in...

The Fredricks Company. (Robotics World Showcase).
June 1, 2003... Affordable True Tilt MCI Series Tilt Sensors are available in two models and feature arc-second resolution, outstanding repeatability, a patented, field-proven metal design for durability and superior dimensional tolerances. The single axis...

Robotic Rotary Joint. (Robotics World Showcase).
June 1, 2003... ATI Industrial Automation has just released a new product that allows unlimited rotation of end-of-arm tooling without tangling or twisting robot lines. By utilizing advanced slip-ring technology the Rotary Joint passes electrical and pneumatic...

Schmalz Inc. (Robotics World Showcase).
June 1, 2003... NEW Spring Plungers type FSTI from Schmalz. Schmalz has developed a new series of short-stroke spring plungers "FSTI" with internal compensation springs for vacuum applications. The overall height and the weight of the plungers have been...

StockerYale Inc. (Robotics World Showcase).
June 1, 2003... Imagelite[TM] Model 21 DC Fiber Optic Illuminator. StockerYale's Model 21 DC, 150 watt halogen illuminator, has been designed specifically as a cost-effective, high-quality DC regulated light source for use in various machine vision...

Miller Electric Mfg. Co. (Component Spotlight: Welding Components; Robotic Power Sources).
June 1, 2003... Miller Electric Mfg. Co. offers the Auto Invision II, a robotic MIG/pulsed MIG welding power source that incorporates Miller's Invision 456P wire welding power source with the Robotic Interface II in one package for a seamless system of robotic...