Posts Categorized: Blog

Rexroth Active Assist

Should people change their behavior to conform to the needs of industrial automation, or should automation take shape based on the needs of human beings? For most of the history of automation, people have adjusted to the needs of the machinery. For modern factories, that mindset often carries on, but it doesn’t have to. The… Read more »

Walmart Rolls out the Alphabots

Walmart, the world’s second largest retailer, is trying out robots at one of its New Hampshire stores.  The robots, called Alphabots, are teamed up with a large warehouse space. They are essentially self-driving shopping carts which will go around the warehouse and collect items from online orders. Humans will put the orders together, adding in… Read more »

The (Retro)future of Automation

In the 20th century, people had expectations about the 21st century. We were supposed to have flying cars by now. Robots were supposed to be cleaning our homes and doing all the menial labor. We were supposed to be getting food from slots in the wall — well, the microwave might be something like that,… Read more »

Automation for Politicians?

What can you automate? For manufacturers, this is an important question. If you can automate gluing your packages together or carrying produce from one machine to the next, you’re saving time and money. Automate everything you can, and you have a real advantage over your competition. A recent survey in the UK found that 25%… Read more »

Electric Servos Growing in Popularity

A major maker of thermoforming solutions recently switched to electric servo motors. Why? Using electric servo motors allowed them to remove a number of mechanical components, reducing the cost and the footprint of their machines. The switch led to a 40% increase in productivity, according to an article in Packaging World. More manufacturers are making… Read more »

Rexroth Goes PC

When clients worry that their legacy Rexroth electric industrial motion control systems are using an outdated operating system, we reassure them. You’re not planning to play Assassin’s Creed with your servomotor, right? It really doesn’t matter. We keep devices with the appropriate operating system around for communication, and otherwise it’s just not an issue. But… Read more »

Third Party Cables for Rexroth Systems

Third party repairs are bad news for your Rexroth motion control systems. Check out some cautionary tales: The True Cost of Third Party Repairs Third Party Repair Report Why’d You Choose Third Party Repairs, Again? Third party cables are also bad news. In fact, they will completely void your warranty. If you use a Brand… Read more »

Rexroth Makes Laser Cutting Precise and Protected

Rexroth has been controlling CNC machines — machines designed to cut materials according to precise programming — for many years. Now Rexroth has stepped it up to laser cutting machines. The key to perfect laser control is in the IndraDrive systems and IndraDyn servo motors. These are the latest generation of Rexroth’s powerful motion control… Read more »

Machine Learning: It’s All about the Data

Machine learning is one of the most exciting areas for innovation in industrial automation. Predictive maintenance and process optimization are the two areas with the strongest traction and the highest degree of usefulness, but a fully autonomous factory isn’t impossible. Machine learning means that machines use the data they receive to improve their results and… Read more »

The Rust Belt or the Robot Belt?

While some worry about robots snatching away their jobs, the robotics industry is celebrating growth in the U.S. So where are the robot makers? At least half are in the Midwest, where the Steel Belt became the Rust Belt. Top robot cities Detroit is the leader in robot-related industry, with 66 companies employing 3,012 human… Read more »