The latest version of LabVIEW from National Instruments delivers speed improvements, development shortcuts, and debugging tools. LabVIEW 2015 continues to standardise the way LabVIEW users interact with almost any hardware through the reuse of the same code and engineering processes across systems, saving time and money as technology advances, requirements evolve, and time-to-market pressure increases. […]
Leading industrial imaging distributor, Scorpion Vision is now distributing an innovative range of PixeLINK industrial cameras using new CMOS sensors for affordable superior image quality. As the major PixeLINK distributor in the UK, Scorpion Vision is set to start distributing the highly popular PixeLINK USB 3.0 Camera line to customers in the machine vision, life […]
Engineering solutions provider Altec Engineering, based in County Durham, has become the latest company to secure investment from BGF (Business Growth Fund). Altec Engineering designs and manufactures special purpose equipment and manufactures high precision CNC components for the automotive, aerospace, mining, defence and oil & gas sectors. The company has received a £6m investment to […]
Following completion of a £1.5m expansion programme earlier this year, which saw floor-space increase by 75%, Altec Engineering Group has now acquired a further 10,000 sq.ft of factory space behind its existing Durham facility. This additional floor-space is required to meet future investment plans in special purpose machine building, precision engineering and specialist coatings. In […]
Fourteen secondary students from two schools in Colchester – Stanway and Thomas Lord Audley – got the chance to showcase their robotic skills during a recent open day hosted at packing automation designer and manufacturer Pacepacker Services. During a tour of the Essex-based factory on the 14th July, the students were encouraged to investigate the […]
Canon has signaled its intention to tap into the 3D machine vision systems market for industrial robots, by bringing 3D Machine Vision systems to Europe. The Canon RV300 and RV500 and RV1100 3D machine vision Systems will go on sale in Europe in August 2015. 3D machine vision for use with industrial robots is estimated […]
LMI Technologies has introduced the firmware 4.2 update for the entire range of Gocator displacement, profile, and snapshot 3D smart sensors, in order to further enhance the ease, efficiency and productivity of the 3D inspection process. New features include part matching, a profile mode, emulator and a suite of 2D measurement tools. The new geometric […]
A single cable receptacle for robot spot welding connectors has been introduced by Multi-Contact. The empty flange-mounted receptacle is angled downwards at 30 degrees to reduce stress on the connectors, helping to direct the cables into the cable tray and making them easier to connect. The RobiFix B-ID range can house RobiFix male or female […]
3D Stinger Camera products from Scorpion Vision have been designed to provide production lines with a superior 3D imaging system. Now the company has introduced its latest 3D Stinger Camera technology, giving factory robots pin-point ‘mammalian’ vision. Thanks to innovative technology developed by Tordivel AS of Oslo, Scorpion Vision’s 3D Stinger Camera enables production-line robots […]
Motion plastics and low-cost automation at MACH 2026
igus returns to MACH with a comprehensive range of engineering innovations designed to improve machine reliability, reduce downtime and deliver long‑term cost savings for manufacturers across all industry. With the UK operation based in Northampton, igus develops lubrication‑free motion plastics that replace traditional metal components, increasing performance while eliminating the need for grease and maintenance. […]
RBTX DOBOT partner launch hailed a success
igus UK marks a major milestone in accessible automation with the successful launch of its RBTX partnership with DOBOT Robotics. The event brought together engineers, system integrators, manufacturers and automation specialists to explore how flexible robotic solutions can be deployed quickly and cost-effectively, without the complexity traditionally associated with industrial automation. Live demonstrations showcased collaborative […]
What role does AI play in art?
The River of Light festival in Liverpool showcased ‘Face Value’, a captivating installation co-created by PhD student Emma Brass from the University of Liverpool and Venya Krutikov, co-founder of The Kazimier and Invisible Wind Factory. Blending artificial intelligence, robotics, and visual art, Face Value invites visitors to confront how technology perceives and redefines reality. The […]
Annual robot shipments to top 760k units in 2030
The industrial robot industry saw 5.1% growth in 2025, following a contraction of -2% in 2024, Interact Analysis reports. The market is now forecast to record steady growth out to 2030, at an average annual rate of 6.7%, rising from 549,555 units in 2025 to 761,303 units in 2030. The latest industrial robots report from […]
Universal Robots hosts Food & Beverage Masterclass
The Food & Beverage Masterclass, hosted by Universal Robots in June, 2026 at Riseholme Park in Lincoln, brought together industry professionals for a practical and engaging half-day event focused on end of line automation with collaborative robots (cobots). Designed to give attendees a clear understanding of how automation can be successfully implemented in food and […]
Cobot shipments will more than double by 2030
The collaborative robot market is entering a phase of sustained but uneven growth. Interact Analysis‘ latest Collaborative Robots – 2026 report points to a market that is maturing in some respects, particularly pricing, but volatile in terms of regional and application demand. Collaborative robot shipments reached nearly 58,000 units in 2025, having grown 14.5% over […]
Customised robotics and automation systems: Astech Projects is an award-winning provider of advanced automated solutions. We work with clients worldwide to design and build robotics and automation systems that meet
... Read More »
Gourmet-food-maker automates packaging process
Rockwell Automation has announced that Cranswick, one of Britain’s leading manufacturers of premium gourmet foods, has commissioned a new robotic end-of-line pick-and-place system using autonox Robotics. Every year, Cranswick produces millions of “pigs-in-blankets” (sausages wrapped in bacon) for the Christmas market. The final stage of the process – picking the sausages off the conveyor belt […]
Universal Robots hosts Food & Beverage Masterclass
The Food & Beverage Masterclass, hosted by Universal Robots in June, 2026 at Riseholme Park in Lincoln, brought together industry professionals for a practical and engaging half-day event focused on end of line automation with collaborative robots (cobots). Designed to give attendees a clear understanding of how automation can be successfully implemented in food and […]
Universal adaptive gripper for faster, gentler picking
Festo has introduced the HPSX Universal Adaptive Gripper, a pneumatic soft gripper engineered to improve speed, hygiene and flexibility in demanding food, pharmaceutical and cosmetics applications. Combining robust design, food-safe materials and adaptive silicone fingers, the HPSX directly addresses long-standing automation challenges where rapid, precise and gentle product handling is essential. “In developing the HPSX, […]
Robot drive components impact on performance
Talking about the qualities and capabilities of today’s industrial robots, Harmonic Drive managing director Graham Mackrell argues that the whole is only as good as the sum of its parts. Pictured right: Harmonic Drive’s SDH is a shorter gear component for use in robotics, addressing the trend for smaller, lighter rigs “After reading a recent […]