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Bosch to build gigantic semiconductor production plant in Germany

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German industrial giant Bosch is building a massive semiconductor production plant which would represent the single largest investment in the company’s 130-year history. 

The high-tech facility, to be located in Dresden, would employ around 700 staff working on 300-millimeter semiconductor chips which Bosch says has growing applications in the automotive market, smart cities and on the industrial internet, all strong markets for Bosch.

The construction of the high-tech factory is to be completed by the end of 2019, says Bosch, and production is expected to begin at the end of 2021 after a start-up phase. Overall, the investment volume for the site is estimated to be around $1.1 billion.  [Read more…] about Bosch to build gigantic semiconductor production plant in Germany

China says its Belt & Road initiative is a way out of the global economic slump

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China is planning to create what looks like will be the largest, longest and most complex logistics network in history – at a cost to itself of almost $1 trillion. 

The so-called Belt & Road Initiative will virtually encircle China, most of Asia and much of Europe, and will mostly consist of interconnected roads, but will also include sea lanes and railways, and possibly some airways.

In total, it will connect approximately 60 countries, and cost anything between $4 trillion and $8 trillion. And the timescale is anyone’s guess.

The northern parts of the Belt & Road network will include the revival of the ancient Silk Road, which connected China to Persia and the Mediterranean Sea to the north, and India, Indonesia and Arabia via sea lanes to the south.  [Read more…] about China says its Belt & Road initiative is a way out of the global economic slump

Got milk? How a Swiss company builds filling and packaging systems for milk, coffee and other products

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Scaled technology and functioning interfaces are essential for Swiss Can Machinery, which is why the company’s filling and packaging systems have a modular design throughout, and why it uses a product program with a scaled structure for the drive technology. 

The filling and packaging systems at Swiss Can Machinery – which was established by brothers Marc and Michael Grabher – shows how this objective can be achieved.

The company turns to stainless steel motors for the actuators; for example, when these systems are used for filling and packaging pharmaceutical products.  [Read more…] about Got milk? How a Swiss company builds filling and packaging systems for milk, coffee and other products

Audi autonomous car tech boss chats with humanoid robot as though it were entirely natural

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Audi has demonstrated its autonomous car – which it calls “Jack” – in a road test featuring a humanoid robot called Sophia, developed by Hanson Robotics.

Audi’s head of concept development, automated driving, Klaus Verweyen, was sitting in the driver’s seat of the car, while Sophia was in the passenger seat.

Verweyen chatted away to Sophia as though it was the most normal thing in the world. Meanwhile, Jack drove itself from Audi’s facility onto a main highway and back again.  [Read more…] about Audi autonomous car tech boss chats with humanoid robot as though it were entirely natural

The advantages of automation in medical diagnostics

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ats automation medical diagnostics

Technology in the fields of life sciences and medicine is constantly evolving. New manufacturing techniques have made it possible to make more effective therapies, and advances in research have led to more cost-effective solutions to conditions that were once considered too expensive to treat.

One of the most interesting aspects of the evolution of medical technology is the constantly increasing involvement of automation in various medical operations, particularly in diagnostics.

Back then, essential diagnostic procedures relied on manual procedures. While conventional methods were successful to a certain degree, they are hampered by certain limitations.

For instance, manual testing of specimens is slow and prone to mistakes caused by poor human judgment. Automation helps get rid of these limitations to achieve more accurate results in less time.  [Read more…] about The advantages of automation in medical diagnostics

Engineering companies struggling to find and keep talented young workers

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Picture courtesy of WonderfulEngineering.com

To anyone looking for work, it might sound strange to hear that some sectors of the economy are struggling to find and retain workers, but that’s the situation many engineering companies find themselves in. 

Finding, educating, training and retaining talented young people is not just a dilemma for engineering companies in one region or country, it’s a global issue.

But, paradoxically, while companies in some countries say there’s a problem finding engineering graduates, in other countries such as India, large numbers of engineering graduates are reportedly not having much luck finding jobs.

In those countries where there is a shortage, such as Germany and maybe the US, it’s not at crisis levels yet, but it’s a complication that large industrial companies are trying to alleviate in a variety of ways.  [Read more…] about Engineering companies struggling to find and keep talented young workers

Comau provides glimpse into Maserati plant in Italy

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Comau has provided RoboticsAndAutomationNews.com an insight into its production processes at the Torino, Italy plant of the prestige car marque Maserati. 

Comau is part of the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles group, which also owns Maserati, along with a number of the world’s most famous and celebrated marques such as Ferrari and Alfa Romeo.

In this picture story, Comau shows its industrial robots performing complex tasks relating to body-in-white operations, spot welding and other crucial assembly functions.  [Read more…] about Comau provides glimpse into Maserati plant in Italy

FemtoPrint signs up new partners ahead of important microtechnology event

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FemtoPrint, which specialises in the production or printing of 3D microdevices out of glass and other transparent materials, has signed up new partners ahead of EPHJ, one of the most important microtechnology exhibitions in the industry calendar. 

FemtoPrint has reached a distribution agreement with Japan Laser Corporation and, separately, a production deal with high-end mechanical watchmaker Ulysse Nardin.

The agreement between FemtoPrint and JLC involves a commercial collaboration which will result in the commercialization of FemtoPrint products and services into the Japanese market.  [Read more…] about FemtoPrint signs up new partners ahead of important microtechnology event

Perspective: Learning from urban mobility systems in the Middle East

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By Ralf Baron, Thomas Kuruvilla, Morsi Berguiga, Michael Zintel, Joseph Salem, and Mario Kerbage

The Middle East may have been late to urbanization, but this has provided a unique opportunity to shape its urban mobility strategies.

Rather than adopting a piecemeal approach, leaders such as Dubai are following an ecosystem model that addresses mobility holistically.

In this article, contributed by experts at consultancy Arthur D Little, the authors explain this new model and the lessons it provides for other cities across the world as they struggle to meet their own urban mobility challenges.  [Read more…] about Perspective: Learning from urban mobility systems in the Middle East

Why automated parts inspection is important in manufacturing

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precision ball actuators

Inspection in manufacturing is a process that involves the testing, gauging, measuring, and examination of a material or specimen, with the express purpose of determining whether or not it is in proper condition.

Typically, specified standards are set, against which the results of the inspection are compared to establish if the material being inspected is able to pass this stage of quality control.

In the past, inspection used to be performed solely by human agents, a special workforce that was commonly equipped with the necessary paraphernalia, and sometimes, simply by their bare senses.  [Read more…] about Why automated parts inspection is important in manufacturing