Kurt ToolBlox feature an open-cage design weighing 30% less than a solid tombstone with Aluminum subplates, making easier handling for the CNC machine table and shuttle systems. The ToolBlox class 30 Grey Iron iron construction continues to provide the vibration dampening for a rigid setup even compared to much heavier tombstone alternatives. Each Toolblox face […]
Control Hardware, Software and Language
Control system hardware is a very diverse business. Siemens, ABB, Eaton, Rockwell and a universe of suppliers make up a marketplace of approximately $200 billion. At the supplier level the definition of control is pretty much anything from medium voltage switchgear, transformers, insulators and everything needed from the electric utility supply down to a 5 […]
Consumer Electric Car
The competition to bring a mass produced electric car to the market is really heating up. There is an underlying assumption that, like flat screen TVs, this thing is going to happen. Like seeing flat screens in science fiction movies, electric cars have been part of the cultural consciousness for more than 35 years, since […]
Mechatronic gripper for small part handling: EGP 25 speed version
The EGP from SCHUNK is the electric small part gripper with the most compact performance on the market. SCHUNK expanded the EGP series with a smaller size (25) which weighs 110 g and has a stroke of 3 mm per finger. Furthermore, SCHUNK has developed an optional “speed” version of the EGP 25. By reducing […]
The Future of Mechatronics
Mechatronics, like every other field of human endeavor, is undergoing rapid change driven in large part by the availability of increasingly more powerful processor technology. In the September 2013 issue of Design World the cover article features a “toy” robot based on an inverted pendulum control system. The robot is able to move on a […]
Take care of your machines and people with safety switches
by Andrew Waugh, Product Manager for Sensors and Safety at AutomationDirect.com Operator safety is a top priority for machine and robot installations, and safety switches help implement the desired level of protection. Protecting an operator from safety hazards should be at the top of the list for all designers of automated equipment such as machines […]
Interoperability, Complexity, Big Data
“The unknown future rolls toward us…” as Sarah Conner put it in the Terminator sequel, and so it is with the Internet of Things. The future of the internet is a great unknown, yet it rolls toward us with inevitability. One of the most important accomplishments is defining what the Internet is; communications backbone, […]
Flexible automation in industry 4.0, with Schunk sensors
Together with several partners, Schunk transforms the vision of the smart factory into reality. Condition and process monitoring and communication are directly done at the component level with Schunk sensors. The smart Schunk modules are closing the gap in handling objects, and allow a consistent flow of information from the gripper finger to the ERP system. […]
Electrically operated gripper efficiently handles small parts
The EGP from SCHUNK is more compact that typical electric grippers to grab small parts. Now, a new version, the size 25 EGP — weighing 110 g with a stroke of 3 mm per finger — can grab with 40 N to handle workpieces to 200 g. It’s as efficient as pneumatic alternatives and (with integrated electronics) acts in just 0.09 sec. Other features include […]
Five ways to get the most out of pneumatic grippers
Pneumatic grippers still dominate robotic and industrial-assembly applications. That’s because pneumatic grippers are reliable, come in myriad sizes, grip quickly, and produce considerably more force than similarly sized electric grippers. They’re also less expensive and simple to control, according to Peter Farkas, president of American Grippers Inc. (AGI). “Pneumatic grippers are the most common end-effector […]
End Effectors and Industrial Grippers: The Quiet Revolution
Industrial grippers have made headlines recently, mostly thanks to breathtaking new prosthetics, smarter material-handling machines and fairly brisk robotic innovation. However, traditional pneumatic grippers still dominate industrial-assembly and robotic applications. That’s because pneumatic grippers are reliable, come in myriad sizes and grip quickly. They’re also cost effective and simple to control, according to Peter Farkas, […]
How to convert energy into mechanical work
By Leslie Langnau / Managing Editor Actuators for robots range from the “tried and true” to newer versions of actuator muscles. Here’s a look at your range of options. In robot design, electric, hydraulic and pneumatic actuators are the typical choices available when developing the means to convert energy into mechanical work. However, a couple […]
KUKA acquires Swisslog for $357 million
Late last month KUKA made a public offer to Swisslog shareholders to purchase their shares at 8.9% above the market price. Swisslog’s Board of Directors have recommended that the offer be accepted. KUKA, one of the Big Four global robot makers, stated that the purchase price would be $357 million and that the transaction would…
At RoboBusiness, start-up contest chooses 3 winners
At RoboBusiness this week in Boston, Pitchfire – a Shark Tank-like pitch and question session – presented 14 start-up companies who pitched their wares to 5 judges. 3 winners were chosen. SoftRobotics Inc, a Boston-based start-up (not to be confused with SoftRobotics, a Los Angeles area software and systems developer), presented their new soft gripper, a…
Why was this man smiling at AUTOMATICA?
34,500 visitors from more than 100 countries came to Munich this June to visit AUTOMATICA 2014 and examine the robotics-related wares of 731 exhibitors from over 42 countries. But why was Esben Østergaard, CTO of Danish Universal Robots smiling? Perhaps it was because his company was one of the showpieces of AUTOMATICA’s focus this year on Service Robots?…
New-tech grippers hit the market
Empire Robotics, a Boston-based start-up, is beginning to sell their VERSABALL kits, a new-tech jamming gripper enabling adaptive gripping operations with a single inexpensive tool. Filled with a granular material, in one mode it is squishy enough to envelop an object. Then, when a vacuum is created inside the ball, the granules get pulled together,…
M2 – M is for Motion – Part 2
Let’s break down some of the terms pertaining to motion control. I am suggesting a definition along the lines of “An independently functioning system capable of converting energy to perform work”, or something to that effect. The notion being that the most central elements are that it is a system, the system performs work, energy […]
M is for Motion Control
During the last decade or so the controls industry has adopted the term “Mechatronics” as a replacement for the previously used phrase “motion control”. I will respectfully break with the current trend and suggest that motion control is the proper term because it better defines the field of knowledge. For one thing, the term […]
Coordinated Motion
An occasional topic of conversation in the control industry is understanding what is meant by coordinated motion. The topic is fairly ambiguous since we have many examples of complex pieces of machinery with high axis counts and which definitely give the impression of coordinated motion. The illusion of coordination is based on the fact that […]
Unique Solutions in Material Handling
Moving products around is mechanical work. When the work is done by a control system and actuators its mechatronics. Mechanical work, whether by humans, by horses, by hydraulics, electrics or whatever, is still work. Figuring out what technology approach will be the most cost effective way to get the work done is the challenge. Many […]
Bionic Joint Modules for Humanoid Robots
EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. – igus® introduced an innovative robot joint module system at the Hanover Fair 2010. Previously, robot developers were forced to put together complex, custom solutions from numerous individual components. igus is currently looking for beta testers for this new product. The joints in the Robolink system are controlled by cable tension, in […]
Norgren Recognized for Contribution to 2010 Colorado FIRST Robotics Competition
Littleton, CO – Norgren announced it has been recognized as a ‘Gold’ level contributor to the FIRST Robotics Organization for its donation of pneumatic valves and regulators. The FIRST Colorado Regional competition took place at the University of Denver Ritchie Center Thursday, March 25, 2010, through Saturday, March 27, 2010. Since 2006 Norgren has contributed […]