Robotics World articles from March 2002

Robotics World archives from March 2002

Robotics Industry's strength lies in reinvention. (To the Point).
March 1, 2002... This recession is deeper than expected. Before 9-11, some of the indicators had turned north, driving predictions of a return to growth in Q1. Most predictors now say we will have to wait until at least Q3 for the upturn. As a result,...

First tele-assist surgery performed using Robotic System. (News).
March 1, 2002... Santa Barbara, Calif. -- Approximately 400 surgeons attending the Third Annual International Workshop on Advanced Digestive Oncology in Rome on Dec. 14 were present for the world's first use of Computer Motion Inc.'s SOCRATES Robotic...

Annual FIRST Robotics Competition kicks off. (News).
March 1, 2002... Manchester, N.H.--Thousands of high school students in the United States, Canada and Brazil have been tasked with the challenge of designing and building an original robot in the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology)...

ABB. (Mergers and Acquisitions).
March 1, 2002... ABB plans to sell its air handling equipment business to Global Air Movement SARL for $225 million and its railway electrification project business to Balfour Beatty Plc for $38 million as part of its strategy to foucs on power and automation...

The SICK Group. (Mergers and Acquisitions).
March 1, 2002... The SICK Group, a privately held manufacturer of sensor technology, has acquired Robotic Vision Systems Inc.'s material-handling business, which supplies advanced barcode reading systems for high-speed sortation.

World Wise Technologies Inc. (Mergers and Acquisitions).
March 1, 2002... World Wise Technologies Inc. has singed an agreement to acquire Acutec Plastic Ltd. of Toronto

TenAsys and Annasoft. (Mergers and Acquisitions).
March 1, 2002... TenAsys and Annasoft have announced an agreement in which they will work together to provide a combination of deterministic, hard real-time control with Microsoft Windows operating systems.

Hathaway Corp. (Mergers and Acquisitions).
March 1, 2002... Hathaway Corp. has been selected as the lead bidder to acquire the business and related assets of the Industrial Devices Division of Automation solutions International LLC.

Inspection/Material handling. (Robotics Case Studies).
March 1, 2002... A leading manufacturer of solar panels is enjoying the benefits of upgrading from an existing handling and vision system that limited both the reliability and production volume of the panels. The new system, designed and installed by Boston...

Cimetrix. (Quick Takes).
March 1, 2002... Cimetrix has its global sales and technical support network with a European office in Archamps, France, just outside of Geneva, Switzerland. The office will operate under the name Cimetrix Europe Inc. and will be directed by Bruce Febvret and...

Berkeley Process Control Inc. (Quick Takes).
March 1, 2002... Berkeley Process Control Inc. has been issued its fourth U.S. patent for Autocalibration technology. The patent describes the company's Self-Teaching Robotic Carrier Handling System.

Photonics Components Group. (Quick Takes).
March 1, 2002... Melles Griot has purchased the facility housing its laser manufacturing operations in Carlsbad, Calif., along with an adjacent 102,000-square-foot space. The company will relocate its Photonics Components Group to the new site in the second...

Zymark. (Quick Takes).
March 1, 2002... Zymark has entered into an agreement with RW Johnson to develop automation for DNA array processing in support of RW Johnson's foray into DNA hybridization and genomics research.

Brooks Automation Inc. and Unaxis Semiconductors. (Quick Takes).
March 1, 2002... Brooks Automation Inc. and Unaxis Semiconductors have signed a long-term partnership agreement for the supply of Brooks' integrated cluster tool platforms to Unaxis Semiconductors. Under the agreement, Unaxis commits to using the Brooks...

Genesis Systems Group. (Quick Takes).
March 1, 2002... Genesis Systems Group has formed a new business unit, New Dimension Tooling, which serves manufacturers with products such as weld fixtures, fixture certification, dimensional management of parts design and manufacturing and related services....

Parker Hannifin Corp. (Quick Takes).
March 1, 2002... Parker Hannifin Corp. has opened its Tube Fabrication Unit in Cleburne, Texas, dedicated to producing custom tube and compound assemblies.

Laser Systems Product Group of the Association for Manufacturing Technology. (Quick Takes).
March 1, 2002... At $105.2 million for the third quarter of 2001, shipments of industrial laser equipment and systems for North America and U.S. exports were down 37 percent from year-earlier levels, according to the Laser Systems Product Group of the...

Hyde Park Electronics. (Quick Takes).
March 1, 2002... Hyde Park Electronics has named Chartwell Electronics Inc. as Canadian representative and master stocking distributor.

RI/SME brings Robotic Challenge to RIT. (RI/SME Update).
March 1, 2002... Dearborn, Mich. -- Future manufacturing engineers have an opportunity to launch a career at the Robotic Technology Engineering Challenge, sponsored by Robotics International of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, May 4-5 at the Rochester...

Three-Position enabling device safer than traditional on-off switch. (RIA Safety Corner).
March 1, 2002... (Editor's note: This is the first in a series of columns on robotic safety presented by the Robotic Industries Association.) I want to thank the editors of Robotics World for the opportunity to talk about robot safety, a topic I think is...

Louisville Robot Safety Workshop set for April. (RIA Update).
March 1, 2002... That rumble you hear isn't from Churchill Downs as horses race to the finish line of the 128th Kentucky Derby; it's the sound of robot users and suppliers headed to Louisville, Ky., for the Robot Safety Workshop, set for April 23-25, and...

RIA preparing 2002-2003 Directory. (RIA Update).
March 1, 2002... RIA is now working on the 2002-2003 Robotics Industry Directory, which features profiles of more than 200 companies, along with in-depth articles on key issues of concern to robot users and potential users. New for the upcoming RIA directory is...

Speakers sought for next Robots & Vision Conference. (RIA Update).
March 1, 2002... Speakers are being sought for the next International Robots & Vision Conference, set for June 3-5, 2003, at the Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Ill. Topics to be covered include "Fundamentals of Robotics,""Fundamentals of Machine...

Robotics Online to change its look. (RIA Update).
March 1, 2002... Some 10,000 manufacturing leaders receive the Robotics Online electronic newsletter each month, and RIA is preparing to launch a new look for the www.roboticsonline.com website in April. Navigation bars will be simplified by the addition of a...

Vision Show West set for Nov. 19-21. (RIA Update).
March 1, 2002... The Vision Show West, the machine-vision industry's leading event, will take place Nov. 19-21 at the Santa Clara (Calif.) Convention Center. Alternating between the East and West coasts, The Vision Show provides an annual showcase of the...

Got a Dirty, Dangerous, Dull Job?: Let a Robot do it and keep your workers safe.
March 1, 2002... Ever since Joe Engelberger's first Unimate robot was powered up to tend a die-cast machine in a General Motors plant, robots have been put to work in Three D jobs (dirty, dull or dangerous, or a combination of the three), allowing workers a...

Vacuum System overview.
March 1, 2002... By John M. Westbeld Design Manager >SAS Vacuum cups often are the best solution for workpiece handling in robotic or automation applications. Typical applications include removing injection-molded plastics from molds, sheet metal...

Vincent Petrella. (People).
March 1, 2002... Vincent Petrella, corporate controller for Lincoln Electric, has been elected an officer of the company...

Chuck Keibler. (People).
March 1, 2002... Chuck Keibler has been named vice president and general manager of the newly formed engineering business unit of Genesis Systems Group, and James Anderson has been named chief operating officer for the systems integrator.

Michael Fascia. (People).
March 1, 2002... Michael Fascia has resigned as president, CEO and board member of World Wise Technologies Inc., due to health reasons. Micheal McLaren has been appointed as the new president and CEO and he will replace Fascia on the board. The board has also...

Bill Lydon. (People).
March 1, 2002... Bill Lydon has been named product manager, electronic products, for WAGO Corp.

Richard Morin. (People).
March 1, 2002... Richard Morin has been promoted to senior vice president of finance and administration at Cognex Corp., in addition to his current positions of chief financial officer and treasurer.

Anton DeProft. (People).
March 1, 2002... Anton DeProft. Anton DeProft has been named chief operating officer of ICOS Vision Systems Corp. Jos Verjans, president, CEO and chairman, will retire March 31, and Deproft will take over the role of president and CEO. Verjans will continue to...

Sheri Aws. (People).
March 1, 2002... Sheri Aws has been appointed manager of proposal and contracts administration for Robotic Workspace Technologies Inc.

Leuze-Lumiflex Inc. (People).
March 1, 2002... Leuze-Lumiflex Inc. has made the following appointments: William Reilly, president; Ken Naughton, vice president; Dr. Brian Telesz, director of marketing; and Vincent Orrico, CEO. Dr. Harald Grubel has replaced H. Belke as director of Leuze...

Carl Battista. (People).
March 1, 2002... Carl Battista has been appointed, vice president of sales and customer service for Lamb Technicon Body & Assembly Systems.

Don Naab. (People).
March 1, 2002... Don Naab has been named president of Lambda, which manufactures power supplies.

Robotic grinding. (Robotics Case Studies).
March 1, 2002... Manually grinding welds is tough, dirty and noisy work, and the metal dust produced by grinding is harmful to workers' eyes and lungs. When Special Products & Manufacturing Inc. (SPM) in Rockwall, Texas, needed to increase productivity and...

Injection molding. (Robotics Case Studies).
March 1, 2002... Problem: A company that builds electronic components for the automotive industry had only 30 seconds to unload molded circuit plates from a four-cavity mold, inspect each cavity to ensure that no debris was left behind, load a new insert into...

Suction Cups. (Component Spotlight: End-of-Arm Tooling).
March 1, 2002... The new Dual Durometer Suction Cups from PIAB Vacuum Products are made with DURAFLEX, a polyurethane material that combines the elasticity of rubber with the wear resistance of polyurethane. The cups were developed for handling parts with flat...

Tool changers. (Component Spotlight: End-of-Arm Tooling).
March 1, 2002... ATI Industrial Automation offers patented Quick-Change tool changers that give robots the flexibility to automatically change end-effectors or other peripheral tooling. The tool changers consist of a master plate mounted on the robot arm and a...

Modular vacuum pumps. (Component Spotlight: End-of-Arm Tooling).
March 1, 2002... Schmalz Inc.'s modular vacuum pumps, type SCP and the miniature SCPM version, provide a complete integrated vacuum solution using optimized venturi nozzles (in seven sizes), control solenoid valves for turning the compressed air on and off,...

EOAT components. (Component Spotlight: End-of-Arm Tooling).
March 1, 2002... >SASSAS For free literature, circle 118, page 29.

Collision Sensor. (Component Spotlight: End-of-Arm Tooling).
March 1, 2002... The Ultimatic Robotic Collision Sensor from Robotic Accessories provides protection and flexibility in robotic or pick-and-place workcells. It offers the unique feature of automatic reset following rotational, angular and axial compliance. By...

Weld gun changer. (Component Spotlight: End-of-Arm Tooling).
March 1, 2002... EOA Systems Inc. has introduced the Model 1000 PC spot welding trans gun changer. Features include a modular design, allowing the customer to customize the I/O, air, water and DeviceNet modules; DeviceNet module available for communication on a...

Auto industry grippers. (Component Spotlight: End-of-Arm Tooling).
March 1, 2002... Among IPR Automation's grippers for use in the automotive industry are Crankshaft Forging Grippers, double-sided grippers that pick up hot rods from the oven and load them into the forging press (after forging, the gripper picks up the crank...

O-ring grippers. (Component Spotlight: End-of-Arm Tooling).
March 1, 2002... American Grippers Inc.'s O-ring gripper is designed to pick and place O-rings on parts. The 12-jaw gripper has two independent pistons. When air pressure is applied to the first piston, six parallel jaws spread the O-ring. After the O-ring is...

Parallel grippers: Schunk. (Component Spotlight: End-of-Arm Tooling).
March 1, 2002... Schunk's new PGN-plus parallel grippers add higher forces, increased loads and better efficiency to the PGN series. With a newly designed jaw guidance, forces and moments are spread over several surfaces of a multiple-tooth guide, enabling...

Parallel grippers: Techno-Sommer Automatic. (Component Spotlight: End-of-Arm Tooling).
March 1, 2002... Techno-Sommer Automatic has introduced the new GP1800 series of two-jaw, sealed parallel grippers. Designed for use in machining environments where liquids and particles are a constant problem, these grippers feature fully sealed and watertight...

Externally locking cylinder. (Component Spotlight: End-of-Arm Tooling).
March 1, 2002... Robohand Inc., a division of DE-STA-CO Industries, has introduced an externally locking cylinder option to its DirectConnect thrusters and base slides. This VDMA (ISO) locking cylinder has bore sizes of 32 mm, 50 mm and 63 mm, and strokes up to...

Plastics industry robot. (Products).
March 1, 2002... Staubli is introducing a model variant to their RX range of robots for the plastics industry. The new Staubli RXplastics is available in three models (RX60plastics, RX90plastics and RX130plastics) with load capacity up to 25kg and a maximum...

Wafer-Handling system. (Products).
March 1, 2002... Brooks Automation Inc. has introduced the InLine Express, which transfers wafers from an EFEM directly into a process module without the need for a central vacuum chamber. InLine Express allows OEM customers with multiple-process products to...

Robotic palletizing machinery. (Products).
March 1, 2002... Automated Production Systems has introduced a full range of robotic system machines for use in palletizing. The machinery includes pallet unstackers, pallet transfer cars, bottom-layer pad placers, pallet conveyors, roller/chain or Mattop case...

Proximity sensors. (Products).
March 1, 2002... Phoenix America has introduced the Series P7000 digital proximity sensor, which can sense both permanent magnets and ferrous materials in the presence of non-ferrous materials. Its sensing range is virtually unaffected by mounting metals,...

Programming software. (Products).
March 1, 2002... Adept Technology Inc. has released Adept DeskTop software, which is used to graphically program, control and monitor Adept equipment using the V+ and Micro V+ programming languages. The Adept DeskTop software packages, available as Adept...

Laser trimming cell. (Products).
March 1, 2002... Robotics Production Technology offers a pre-engineered laser trimming system, RoboLase, for high-accuracy machining of plastic components, composites, vinyl skins and foam, paint films and other materials. The RoboLase family of turnkey...

Vision development kit. (Products).
March 1, 2002... Metrox Imaging's software development toolkit, the Matrox Imaging Library 7.0, features the new Geometric Model Finder tool for geometric pattern recognition to locate a model, or multiple models, at any position, at any scale, under the...

Safety switches. (Products).
March 1, 2002... IDEC Corp. Has released a new line of safety products. The HS series of door interlock switches was designed as an alternative to traditional limit switches. HS switches Are tamperproof, and each model features direct opening action, which...

Fluorescent Illuminator. (Products).
March 1, 2002... StockerYale Inc. Has introduced the Model 10 Circular Fluorescent Vision Illuminator with CE marking. The Model 10-CE conforms to all CE safety electrical standards and is ideal for many applications, including assembly, microscopy, industrial...

Indexing table. (Products).
March 1, 2002... The OSA-LATOR two-position indexing table from Fork-Levator Inc. Can increase the productivity of robotic work-cells. As the robot welds one part positioned on one side of the indexer, a human operator can remove completed parts and set the...