Blog
Why We Name Our Robots
At the BMW plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina, a collaborative robot was installed to apply insulation to doors. The first of 60, its human coworkers named it, or her, Charlotte. A similar story happened at the Johnson & Johnson plant where employees named their
Universal Robots helper Clio.
“The fact that the employees have named the robot says it all,” said a supplier to Johnson & Johnson. But what do these naming conventions really say about our relationship with collaborative robot
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Mar 15th 2018
Collaborative Robotics Increase Sales 40%
Universal Robots are quick and flexible cobots - collaborative robots - able to operate without safety fencing after risk assessment is conducted. They save a lot of time and money at Etalex in Montreal, Canada, where a UR10 robot now handles
pick and place tasks at a brake press.
Installing a UR robot has freed up 7 man hours per day and has cut the price of production. All in all, Etalex has invested in 25 robots, resulting in a 40% increase in sales with no layoffs in staff.
Challenge:
Et
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Jan 18th 2018
Increasing Production with Collaborative Robots
Walt Machine President Tommy Caughey waited years to pull the trigger on a collaborative robot for his high-precision optical parts business. He struggled with the suggestion that installing a robotic vision system might be more difficult than it was worth and require extremely specialized expertise to execute properly.Each year, the company receives a huge order for scientific camera assembly parts that strains his staff and creates a production bottleneck. Given the length of time it takes to
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Jan 5th 2018
Factory Optimization with Machine Tending Robots
The most common usage of the term “machine tending” is loading and unloading a machine with parts or materials. Since those entering the workforce are becoming less and less interested in positions with this activity, more companies are installing robots to compensate for the smaller pool of potential operators.
A robot can insert raw material into a machine, initiate the activity, and remove the finished item once the activity is complete. The robot does not need to take a smoke break, use
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Nov 1st 2017
Kobe Bryant's Bizzare Connection to the Future of Robotics
FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics was founded in 1989 with the mission to inspire young people in STEM fields and today provides a mentor-led program that promotes competition, creativity and teamwork.
This week, Automation Distribution representatives introduced collaborative robots to the FIRST Robotics team at Lower Merion High School, Kobe Bryant’s alma mater. The team participates in complex competitions each year, which require the time c
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Oct 27th 2017