Monthly Archives: August 2016

Lessons from a Bow-Tying Robot

Robots with the proper industrial motion control systems can do some amazing things, producing paper cups at a phenomenal rate or maneuvering heavy car parts into precise placement in seconds. But some actions are just too hard for robots. Getting a robot to open a door (by turning the handle, not just crashing through) or… Read more »

Forget Taking Human Jobs

China became the largest consumer of industrial robots in 2013. It could have been a reaction to the U.S. reshoring  initiatives, which have relied on increased automation. China could have been working to increase automation in their local factories in an effort to offset the rising labor costs that made multinational corporations think they might… Read more »

Consumers Infest the Factory

The title of this post may seem a little bit emotionally charged. But this is actually an emotionally charged subject. Consumers are gaining more power in the supply chain. There was a time when the factory could call the shots, telling brands what was possible and rejecting designers’ whimsical ideas in favor of more standardized,… Read more »

Machine Language Evolution

When human populations grew large enough to divide up into different groups and spread around the world, they took their language with them. As generations passed and the various human groups spoke within their own groups, their language changed. You could say the language evolved. But since its evolution took place in different environments, with… Read more »

Rexroth Controls Cruise Ships

Meyer Weft is building cruise ships, including the gigantic Quantum of the Seas. Rexroth is providing the stage technology, including electric motion control systems. Meyer Weft cruise ships are built of blocks, each of which can weigh 800 tons. Each one is constructed to precise dimensions, and electric systems and pipes are built in at… Read more »

Data from Smart Machines

One of the things that smart machines can do is gather data. Sensors are proliferating, and information is being gathered. So what will we do with that information? Rexroth’s Dr. Steffen Haack believes that industrial motion technology can use the same kind of algorithms that let Netflix offer you tempting movies or Google find the… Read more »

Robotics in the Cloud

A new study claims that the market for robotics — largely though not exclusively in industry — will grow by more than 17% in the next five years. Their other major claim? The big news for robotics in the next five years won’t be collaborative robots or VR or cyborgs, but robotics in the cloud…. Read more »

Machine Safety and the Future of the Factory

Rolf Najork, Chairman of the Executive Board of Bosch Rexroth AG, recently pointed out an issue with machine safety that will be unavoidable if we continue on our current path in factory technology. A machine which is correctly built and properly configured will be as safe as possible. It will continue to follow its programming… Read more »

Rexroth Lays Out the Costliest Maintenance Tricks

In a new article, Rexroth calls out the maintenance tricks that cost companies the most dough. We’ll talk about a couple of our favorites — or maybe we should say our least favorites, since these are the ones we see most often causing our clients trouble. Wait till the problem is already a problem Sometimes… Read more »

Optimism in Manufacturing?

Manufacturing in the United States seems to be suffering from a crisis of confidence. Reshoring has been up and down, on and off, in and out so frequently over the years that it’s hard to read any more predictions. Jobs in manufacturing increase and productivity rises, so we probably should be more optimistic than we… Read more »