Open Core Engineering allows a level of collaboration that makes a real difference in the potential speed of innovation. But the dream of consistent, standardized Open Source software for industrial automation is still a dream. While Rexroth’s Open Core project works with a library of software elements that seeks to reduce and even eliminate the… Read more »
Posts By: Rebecca Haden
Rexroth Adds a Wizard
National Instruments and Rexroth are getting together to make the configuration of measuring and testing machines fast and easy — really. Rexroth’s new pre-configured drives run some 200,000 different tasks without requiring any PLC code. Instead, Rexroth’s EasyWizard guides users through the initial commissioning in under three minutes. Using a visual interface and IoT strategies… Read more »
Rexroth Wave Power
Energy is not in short supply. We may be working our way through fossil fuels pretty briskly, but our entire world is one big, bright bunch of energy. Getting that energy to do things we want — like power machines and keep our buildings lit — is the challenge. One of the most interesting possibilities… Read more »
Made in China 2025
As reshoring continues to bring manufacturing jobs home to the U.S., China is figuring out how to leverage its impressive manufacturing chops with much less American investment. One way is to improve technical training in China. Instead of an army of low-paid workers, China is ready to focus on manufacturing innovation and highly skilled work…. Read more »
Google Glass for Manufacturing
Google Glass had some issues with its first version. People complained about the fact that users could secretly film and record people around them. People might have to get used to that, actually. It looks like they’re taking a selfie, but that phone next to you could totally be capturing the industry gossip you’re sharing… Read more »
Obsolescence
Is your Rexroth motion control system obsolete? It depends on how you define it — as well as which system you’re using. But let’s define “obsolete” before we get any further. There are three kinds of obsolescence: Functional, Economic, and Absolute. Functional obsolescence means the item isn’t being made any more. Your antique computer still… Read more »
Temporary Bridges
Julius Caesar could see the ancient Germans across a river. He had his troops build a bridge across that river. It took 10 days. The troops strolled around a bit, and then left, dismantling the bridge. The bridge wasn’t really the point, although that’s some impressive engineering. The point was to make sure that the… Read more »
It’s on the Internet so It Must Be True
We see some really amazing stuff from third party repair shops, and get some even wilder calls. We get calls about parts, which cannot be sold to third party repair shops. We get calls asking for technical information about the motors, which also cannot be released. These are pretty common. Third party repair shops naturally… Read more »
Electric Motion Control for Plastics
Two Rexroth experts, Neal Gigliotti , manager of Plastics Machinery Group and Paul Stavrou , manager of system applications, wrote an article for Plastics Technology on choosing the right drive. In plastics in the early 20th century, hydraulic pumps were the method of choice for driving motors powering extrusion machines. Later, the pumps… Read more »
Integration for Safety
Robots and people working together safely — it’s one of the big goals of industrial automation right now. Not because robots have evil plots directed at humans, but because they don’t have any awareness of humans at all. Out goes the heavy metal arm, and too bad for any people who happen to be in… Read more »