For decades, automakers have primarily used robots for welding and painting. Final assembly lines were considered too complex and too unsafe for automation. However, that is changing.
Justifying automation has never been easier. The Covid pandemic, coupled with a severe worker shortage, a widening skills gap and the "great resignation," has increased demand for automated guided vehicles, conveyors, robots and other types of equipment.
Does this sound familiar? Management envisions "a sea of robots" on the shop floor. They haven't deployed robots before, and they don't have a specific goal in mind. They just want "automation." The next thing you know, there's a collaborative robot on the loading dock. Your job: Find something to do with it.
Alabama is home to a variety of manufacturers that employ thousands of people, including Airbus, Austal, Boeing, Daimler, GE Appliances, Honda, Hyundai, Lear, Polaris and Toyota.
BEIJING—The Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has released the latest five-year plan for the country's robotics industry, with the goal being to ensure that China remains a global leader in robot technology and industrial advancement.
At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the healthcare industry faced a large-scale shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE), which put frontline workers at risk of infection.
An automatic screw feeder can greatly increase the efficiency of a manual screwdriving operation. However, to reach the next level of productivity, assemblers should consider a robot. Screwdriving is a great application for Cartesian, SCARA, six-axis robots and collaborative robots. Now, several suppliers have introduced robots for installing large screws and bolts. Here’s a look at some of the latest developments.
DETROIT—Propelled by a surge in demand from non-automotive manufacturing sectors, sales of industrial robots in North America set a new record in 2021, totaling $2 billion, a 14 percent increase over the previous high in 2017, according to the Association for Advancing Automation (A3).
TURKU, Finland—Industrial automation giant Kuka is set to build a smart factory for construction company Admares, which specializes in digitalizing the manufacturing of buildings.