It’s National Boss’s Day, when we naturally start thinking about … our robot overlords. It sometimes seems as though there are so many things that can go wrong with machinery that we don’t really need to worry about having to answer to robot bosses. They’d have heatsink over temperature faults and shut themselves off before… Read more »
It’s National Farmers Day, and you can be sure that farmers aren’t worrying about losing their jobs to robots. Robots are currently not very good at many farm tasks. They can’t plant seedlings. They have trouble distinguishing ripe fruit or even recognizing leaves. They don’t have the delicacy to work on one particular plant out… Read more »
Additive manufacturing, or 3-D printing, is one of the most appealing new technologies. The idea of printing out a new body part, a rapid prototype airplane part, or a lunchtime pizza captures the imagination. But there have been obstacles to integration of additive manufacturing into the manufacturing process in the average factory. Every subsequent piece… Read more »
JAXA, Japan’s space program, has landed two robots on the surface of an asteroid. The asteroid, Ryugu, is roughly 200 million miles away. The Guardian described the robots as looking like biscuit tins. For our fellow Americans, we offer this picture of a biscuit tin: Now that you have a clear mental image, you can… Read more »
99% of manufacturers expect to have trouble finding qualified workers, according to a new SME report. The Skills Gap is not getting any smaller. 36% of respondents said that they were budgeting for training. Only 40% were investing in trainers. Only 31% offered structured training programs. SME concluded that manufacturers are still worrying about the… Read more »
The 2018 hurricane season is underway, but disasters can include wildfires, earthquakes, and plenty more natural and man-made events. Plan for the obvious If you’re in hurricane country, you know that high winds and flooding could be an issue. You have plans for coping with those issues, and you must make sure that responsible individuals… Read more »
The World Economic Forum has released new predictions about job loss and creation in Industry 4.0. First, they’re predicting that 70 million jobs may be lost to automation. On the other hand, 135 million new jobs may be created along the way. The net gain of 50+ million jobs will require different skills than the… Read more »
If there’s one industry that stands out in its need for automation, it’s agriculture. In the United States, agriculture relies heavily on immigrant labor. Agriculture involves a lot of jobs that Americans aren’t willing to do. It also involves jobs that are dangerous and difficult. That’s not a coincidence. But automation is supposed to solve… Read more »
Programming is obviously essential for Industry 4.0 innovation. But Rexroth is doing away with programming for many machine users. Just as the Personality Modules of the 20th century allowed an engineer on the floor to replace a faulty component with minimal downtime, the new alternatives to programming allow Rexroth motion control users to keep their… Read more »
Nearly eighteen years after joining forces with Bosch, Rexroth is getting a new branding look. A multicolored logo with the tagline “A Bosch Company” is designed to have animation enlivening its look online. The new look will come to printed materials, too, relying on the liveliness of the design to convey the idea of movement…. Read more »
