Blog

Rethink Robotics, a pioneer in collaborative robots, has shut down under mysterious circumstances surrounding heavy debts and a botched buyout. What, if anything, does this mean for collaborative robots in general? If you’re thinking the shutdown proves cobots are a passing fad, the evidence suggests otherwise. While the demise of Rethink Robotics might initially put collaborative robots on shaky ground in the eyes of manufacturers, the innovator was followed by several strong companies int …

Cobots from Universal Robots give companies access to all the benefits of advanced robotic automation, with none of the extra costs associated with traditional robot programming, set-up, and dedicated, shielded work cells. This makes robotic automation affordable for SMEs, small-batch production runs, and other setups where it would otherwise be too expensive. Easy ProgrammingPatented technology lets operators with no programming experience quickly set up and operate our cobots with in …

Functional safety (FS) impact assessments are vital to determine the potential risk any operational change may have on a safety related system. However, pressures stemming from lean management and budget constraints may result in some solutions not being adequately tested, which can compromise overall operational safety.It is often said that change is good, finding new ways to deliver improvements through thinking and doing things differently.In the industrial world, most companies have a strict …

Stopping a pneumatic cylinder in emergency situations or during regular operations is essential to machine safety. Although there are many ways to solve this challenging application, stopping the flow of compressed air using an air circuit combined with a mechanical locking cylinder will be the most enhanced level of safety. The energy in compressed air can be controlled and directed by solenoid valves to produce cylinder motion, but it can also be harnessed to abruptly stop cylinder motion. …

Eliminating human error from manufacturing is one of the primary goals of industrial automation. Advances in robotic technology have introduced a more flexible, less expensive robot that mimics the actions of a human.Traditional robots are typically single-purpose uses, such as stacking pack boxes on a pallet. New collaborative robots can be programmed to perform a variety of tasks and can be easily moved around a factory floor when a change is needed and do not require a complete floorplan chan …