Robotics World articles from October 2003

Robotics World archives from October 2003

EPSON Robots.(Quick Takes)
October 1, 2003... EPSON Robots has become the latest company to add a six-axis robot to its product offering of SCARA robots and linear modules. The new robots will be introduced in 2004.

Calmont Wire & Cable.(Quick Takes)
October 1, 2003... Calmont Wire & Cable has passed the audit for the ISO 9001:2000 quality standard.

De-Sta-Co Industries.(Quick Takes)
October 1, 2003... De-Sta-Co Industries has launched De-Sta-Co University, a new training resource for customers. The program is composed of three main schools: Clamping, Robotic Automation and Productivity Improvement, and Cost Reduction.

A new exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago features Motoman robots performing a variety of interactive demonstrations designed to capture the imaginations of children and spark their interest in careers in automation.(Quick Takes)
October 1, 2003... A new exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago features Motoman robots performing a variety of interactive demonstrations designed to capture the imaginations of children and spark their interest in careers in automation. Eight...

Lapp Cable Works has achieved ISO 9002: 2000 certification.(Quick Takes)
October 1, 2003... Lapp Cable Works has achieved ISO 9002:2000 certification. Lapp USA, the sister company of Lapp Cable Works, received its ISO 9001:2000 certification in January.

Annual DVT Global Business.(Quick Takes)
October 1, 2003... The Annual DVT Global Business meeting (Nov. 2-6, Phoenix) will focus on end-users and their system integrators. The meeting will be followed by three days of product training and vertical market breakout sessions.

Melles Griot.(Quick Takes)
October 1, 2003... The OEM industrial optics portion of Melles Griot's Photonics Components Group, previously in Carlsbad, Calif., has relocated to the Optics Group business unit in Rochester, N.Y. The two will operate under a single leadership and management...

Redlake has completed the consolidation of its manufacturing operations within two existing facilities of the Roper Scientific and Industrial Imaging group at Roper Industries.(Quick Takes)
October 1, 2003... Redlake has completed the consolidation of its manufacturing operations within two existing facilities of the Roper Scientific and Industrial Imaging group at Roper Industries. Redlake Worldwide Headquarters will relocate to a new facility in...

The ISA Training Institute.(Quick Takes)
October 1, 2003... The ISA Training Institute has released its latest course catalog, which details more than 300 instructor-led, CD-ROM, online, web-based and video courses. The catalog "also includes the August 2003 to March 2004 schedule of instructor-led...

Thales Computers.(Quick Takes)
October 1, 2003... Thales Computers is relocating its U.S. headquarters to an updated facility in Raleigh, N.C.

According to an article in the N.Y. Times, Houston neurosurgeon Philip Gildenberg has invented a hair-implant procedure that uses a vision-guided KUKA robot to perform the implant procedure.(Quick Takes)
October 1, 2003... According to an article in the N.Y. Times, Houston neurosurgeon Philip Gildenberg has invented a hair-implant procedure that uses a vision-guided KUKA robot to perform the implant procedure. Gildenberg has started Restoration Robotics to...

Braintech Inc. has been awarded the Henry Ford Technology Award by Ford Motor Co.(Quick Takes)
October 1, 2003... Braintech Inc. has been awarded the Henry Ford Technology Award by Ford Motor Co. in recognition of Braintech's 3D-Vision Guided Robotics parts-handling technology at Ford's Windsor and Essex auto manufacturing plants.

Toshiba Corp.(Quick Takes)
October 1, 2003... Toshiba Corp. said it has developed an active camera system that can detect and track a fast-moving object in ambient light conditions. The company expects the new system to be applied in such areas as robotics and intelligent video cameras for...

Starthis has been awarded a $2M grant from the National Institute of Standards and Technology's Advanced Technology Program to develop software infrastructure that engineers in manufacturing companies can use to design and deploy flexible control systems.(Quick Takes)
October 1, 2003... Starthis has been awarded a $2M grant from the National Institute of Standards and Technology's Advanced Technology Program to develop software infrastructure that engineers in manufacturing companies can use to design and deploy flexible...

NEMA.(Quick Takes)
October 1, 2003... According to NEMA's Primary Industrial Control Index, sales activity increased by one-half point in the second quarter of 2003, reaching an index value of 72.4. However, second-quarter 2003 is down nearly 10 percent from the same period last...

The Association for Laboratory Automation and the Laboratory Robotics Interest Group have announced a partnership enabling both organizations to develop new initiatives.(Agreements)
October 1, 2003... The Association for Laboratory Automation and the Laboratory Robotics Interest Group have announced a partnership enabling both organizations to develop new initiatives. With LabAutomation2004, Feb. 1-5, in San lose, Calif., and ALA LabFusion...

FABTECH 2003, co-sponsored by the SME and the FMA, returns to Chicago's McCormick Place Nov. 16-19.(Trade Shows)
October 1, 2003... FABTECH 2003, co-sponsored by the SME and the FMA, returns to Chicago's McCormick Place Nov. 16-19. For information, visit www.sme.org/fabtech or www.fmafabtec.com.

New England Automated Manufacturing Exposition.(Trade Shows)
October 1, 2003... The New England Automated Manufacturing Exposition is slated for Oct. 21-23 at the Worcester (Mass.) Centrum Center. This year's event will also include Bio-FAB, a biotechnology pavilion dedicated to medical device technologies. For...

For several months, the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, has been in talks with three plastics industry trade groups to introduce plastics in to EASTEC 2004 Advanced Productivity Exposition, May 24-27, in West Springfield, Mass.(Trade Shows)
October 1, 2003... For several months, the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, has been in talks with three plastics industry trade groups to introduce plastics in to EASTEC 2004 Advanced Productivity Exposition, May 24-27, in West Springfield, Mass. All...

Lincoln Electric Holdings Inc.(People)
October 1, 2003... John Stropki Jr. has been appointed executive vice president and COO of Lincoln Electric Holdings Inc. A Lincoln Electric employee for more than 30 years, he has been executive vice president and president, North America, since 1996.

Tamron.(People)
October 1, 2003... Robert DeMoss has been named Southeastern regional sales manager of Tamron USA's Industrial Optical Division. He will cover the region from eastern Pennsylvania to Florida, as well as Latin and South America, Mexico and the Caribbean.

Magtrol Inc.(People)
October 1, 2003... Barry Myers has joined Magtrol Inc. as a field sales/system specialist....

Robot safety: a top concern at RIA.(RIA update)
October 1, 2003... One of the most important considerations in the use of robotics is safety. At the Robotic Industries Association, great care was taken to ensure that companies that use or plan to use robots know about and understand the ANSI/RIA R15.06 Robot...

Free admission to RIA's fall events in Orlando.(RIA update)
October 1, 2003... If you are with a manufacturing company using or considering the use of robots, you may be able to qualify for free admission to RIAs "State of the Industry" events in Orlando: the Robotics Industry Forum and Robotics User Discovery Day, Nov....

Forum brings together Robotics Industry captains.(RIA update)
October 1, 2003... Now in its 11th year, RIA's Robotics Industry Forum, Nov. 5-7 in Orlando, continues to be the premier gathering of industry leaders. Top executives, including a delegation from General Motors, make a special point to attend this dynamic...

Discover how to succeed with robots.(RIA update)
October 1, 2003... The second annual Robotics User Discovery Day, Nov. 5, is slated as a special symposium before the Robotics Industry Forum, and both are at the same location: Portofino Bay Hotel, Orlando, Fla. Take full advantage of all the outstanding...

RIA calendar of events.
October 1, 2003... Robotics User Discovery Day Nov. 5, in conjunction with the 11th Annual Robotics Industry Forum 11th Annual Robotics Industry Forum Nov. 5-7 Portofino Bay Hotel at Universal Studios Orlando, Fla. AIA Business...

Robots offer speed and flexibility in packaging applications.(Feature Story)
October 1, 2003... When products need to be packaged and then case packed, a manufacturer needs either a large pool of workers willing to put in shift after shift of boring, repetitive labor or some type of automation. And, in many parts of the country, too many...

RealTime Balancing and damping technologies provide solutions for a world in motion.(Motion control)
October 1, 2003... RealTime Balancing is defined as correcting all imbalance in machinery while in operation, in contrast to conventional offline balancing techniques. By controlling vibration at its origin, RealTime Balancing systems can eliminate motion control...

ThinGap Motor Technologies.(People)
October 1, 2003... Richard Noling has been appointed CEO of ThinGap Motor Technologies.

Glacier Garlock Bearings.(People)
October 1, 2003... Bernd Fischer has been appointed president of Glacier Garlock Bearings, assuming the responsibilities previously held by Tom Piesch, who was left the company.

ACS Group.(People)
October 1, 2003... ACS Group has promoted Mike Mueller to product manager for the Economizer product line and Mauro Apostoli to product manager for the the ACS Automation division.

AMT-The Association for Manufacturing Technology.(People)
October 1, 2003... John Bryd has been named president of AMT-The Association for Manufacturing Technology. He replaced Albert Moore, the retired president of AMT who had served as interim president since last November.

Case palletizing.(Robotics Case Studies)
October 1, 2003... Rich Products, a frozen food company, needed three, and eventually four, automated case palletizing lines for the three-shift operation in its Winchester, Va., plant. The area's labor pool was small, with many manufacturers competing for it....

Pharmaceutical packaging.(Robotics Case Studies)
October 1, 2003... A major pharmaceutical company needed a fully automated packaging system to load tablets into cavity blister packs. When packaged manually, scrap rates as high as 25 percent were common because of the tablets' soft exterior finish. ...

Jar palletizing.(Robotics Case Studies)
October 1, 2003... Stretch-wrapped pallet loads of Noxzema and Olay skin care jars and lids have just come off the palletizing line at Wheaton Pharmaceuticals in Puerto Rico, an end-of-line solution designed and built in 2001 by Schneider Packaging Equipment Co....

Force-torque sensor.(Component Spotlight: Sensors)
October 1, 2003... SCHUNK Precision Workholding Solutions has introduced the new FTC compliant force-torque sensor to help simplify difficult automated component assembly in robotic applications. The combination of mechanical compliance and the opto-electric...

Pressure sensor.(Component Spotlight: Sensors)
October 1, 2003... Festo Corp. has introduced its new generation of intelligent pressure sensors and pressure switches, Type SDE1, a low-cost modular system for pressure measurement, monitoring and sensing. Quick and simple commissioning of the sensor is ensured...

Fiber-optic sensors.(Component Spotlight: Sensors)
October 1, 2003... Pepperl+Fuchs' new SU15 Series fiber-optic sensors offer glass or fiber-optic cable adaptability in a half-inch-wide package. Sensitivity is programmable by membrane push buttons or by an optical link. Other enhanced parameters, such as timing...

Laser Twin Sensor.(Component Spotlight: Sensors)
October 1, 2003... LMI Technologies' new Long Range Laser Twin Sensor tracks object displacements or running profiles at extremely high speeds of up to 200kHz. The sensor can automatically compensate for differences in an object's color and surface; track the...

Ultrasonic Sensors.(Component Spotlight: Sensors)
October 1, 2003... The new series of RPS-409A Ultrasonic Sensors by Migatron cover ranges from 4 inches up to 18 feet, depending on the model. This unit, which needs no setup adjustments or calibration, is designed to take advantage of PLC and computer analog...

Photoelectric sensors.(Component Spotlight: Sensors)
October 1, 2003... SICK has introduced its W.9 Laser series of photoelectric sensors, designed for precise, long-distance object detection, positioning and verification of very small objects. The W.9 Laser sensor can be used for wafer positioning and wafer...

Analog position sensor.(Component Spotlight: Sensors)
October 1, 2003... Balluff has introduced a new type of analog, absolute linear position sensor that uses proprietary magnetoinductive technology to provide highly accurate, noncontact, continuous positioning information. The BIL sensor allows existing...

Ultrasonic sensor.(Component Spotlight: Sensors)
October 1, 2003... Banner Engineering Corp. has introduced its new QT50U series programmable ultrasonic sensors, which feature an extended sensing range up to 8 meters (26 feet). This addition to the U-GAGE family of products is available in both analog and...

Photoelectric sensors.(Component Spotlight: Sensors)
October 1, 2003... IFM Efector has introduced the OJ family of sensors, which incorporate advanced features in housings that measure 24mm by 45mm by 11mm. The sensors are available with either a visible light or a laser light source and have two configurations:...

Pressure transducer.(Component Spotlight: Sensors)
October 1, 2003... Setra Systems Inc. has introduced the Models 546 and Model 547 strain gauge pressure transducers. With submersible or general purpose enclosures, including optional intrinsic safe explosion protection, and pressure measurement with 5:1 range...

New Mitsubishi robots.(Products)
October 1, 2003... The Mitsubishi RV-S Series of high-speed, enhanced-precision and increased-payload robots is now available from Rixan Associates, the authorized North American distributor for Mitsubishi robots. The RV-S Series end-of-arm is rated for IP65,...

PLC-controlled robots.(Products)
October 1, 2003... Adept Technology has introduced a new family of PLC-controlled robots, the four-axis Adept Cobra PLC600 and the Adept Cobra PLC800, which allows direct programming of the robot from the Allen-Bradley family of PLCs. Many employees on factory...

Simulation software.(Products)
October 1, 2003... Compucraft Ltd. has released version 3 of RobotWorks, the robotics interface for SolidWorks. The program now enables coordinated motion with external axes (positioner or turntable). The motion for the positioner is calculated automatically...

Ultra-heavyweight robot.(Products)
October 1, 2003... Nachi Robotics' SC700DL ultra-heavyweight robot has a tool payload of 700kg, vertical stroke of 4.8 meters and horizontal stroke of 7 meters. The SC700DL was designed to transfer large, heavy workpieces that previously could not be handled with...

Robotic feeder.(Products)
October 1, 2003... SIG Doboy has launched its latest robot innovation that can pick randomly scattered products and place them accurately into containers, even on the fly. The Paloma Feed Placer picks up and places products directly into cartoners or wrappers...

Linear actuator system.(Products)
October 1, 2003... Robohand, a De-Sta-Co Industries company, has introduced a new Smart Linear Actuator (SLA) Modular Automation System using Smart Motor technology. The SLA series features a modular design that allows for a multitude of system configurations in...

Offline programming.(Products)
October 1, 2003... Acme Manufacturing Co., a designer, builder and integrator of robotic grinding, polishing, buffing and deburring systems, now offers SimPRO robotic offline programming for Acme polishing systems. This Fanuc Robotics-developed software provides...

Dispensing system.(Products)
October 1, 2003... Sealant Equipment & Engineering has designed its Program-A-Bead 692 servo-driven meter/mix/dispense system for the high-volume, automated application of high-viscosity, two-component structural adhesives. The stainless-steel system is designed...

Light curtains.(Safety Products)
October 1, 2003... Dolan-Jenner is introducing the SafeScanEZ safety light curtain, featuring compact size (50mm square) and ease of installation, alignment and maintenance. The SafeScanEZ is UL/CUL listed and certified compliant with Safety Category 4 per...

Safety enclosures.(Safety Products)
October 1, 2003... Direct-Line Products offers modular enclosure cages that allow manufacturers to design their own enclosures in-house and build them on-site. The manufactured panels are available in a range of sizes, allowing cages to he built as large or small...

Safety relays.(Safety Products)
October 1, 2003... RIESE Electronic's SAFE L.2 series of safety relays, offered by Norstat Inc., are designed for use as emergent-stop relays for safety light curtain and light barrier applications. Upon interruption of a light beam, an emergency stop is...

Light-curtain system.(Safety Products)
October 1, 2003... Dunn Sales Inc. offers comprehensive safeguarding solutions for pick-and-place robot applications. One such solution is an STI safety light curtain and mirrors to provide three sided protection of the robot's restricted space. The parts feeder...

E-stop button.(Safety Products)
October 1, 2003... Pilz Automation Safety's PIT emergency stop button, which guarantees maximum safety to protect both man and machine, is suitable for applications up to Category 4 in accordance with EN 954-1 and meets the requirements of IEC/EN 60947-5-5 and EN...