Metsä Wood UK’s head office in Boston, Lincolnshire is just one of many sites across the globe which specialise in providing sustainable, premium-quality wood products for many industries including the construction and industrial sectors. Metsä Wood employs around 1500 people and 2019 sales reached EUR 0.4 billion: its primary products are Kerto LVL (laminated veneer […]
A leading pharmaceutical manufacturer specialising in asthma inhalers has transformed its in-line testing operations thanks to an automated quality control solution developed by Mitsubishi Electric and leading system integrator Optimal Industrial Automation. The innovative system uses two Selective Compliance Articulated Robot Arms (SCARA) and system-matched components, such as a MELSEC-iQ platform PLC and MAPS SCADA […]
Automation just got easier for food and beverage and other “clean” applications such as cosmetics and pharmaceuticals that need to handle items from eggs to fruit, to bottles or irregular-shaped containers. The flexible OnRobot Soft Gripper uses three interchangeable silicon-molded cups in star and four-finger configurations to pick up almost any small object under 2.2 […]
CKF has been commissioned to install a robotic picking system featuring ABB’s IRB360 FlexPicker robots and PickMaster vision software into one of the UK’s largest food manufacturers in 2019 helping them to perfectly pick a consumable product at one of their major factories. The system is helping them to produce, pack and distribute a steady […]
OnRobot, has launched a compact, single-pad version of its innovative Gecko no-mark adhesive gripper. The new Gecko Single Pad (SP) gripper brings the previous model’s revolutionary adaptability to more varied applications with smaller payloads. It is available in three sizes, SP1, SP3 and SP5, indicating the different grippers’ lifting capacities in kilos. The new Gecko […]
Munch’s most famous work, The Scream has four versions in three different mediums. Each variant is unique yet unmistakably recognizable. Historically, brewing has been a mix of art and science, but with beer in high demand, optimizing the brewing process for a consistent product is key to meeting customer requirements. Here, Tatjana Milenovic, Group Vice […]
Canned drinks are big business worldwide and the numbers involved are staggering. For example, just one of the better-known soft drink brands claims to sell 1.9 billion cans every day across the globe, and around 2.5 billion are produced annually in the UK alone. In the manufacturing and supply chain, getting the cans to the […]
Astech Projects has recently worked on several projects that utilise SiLA2 and has had a chance to experience the benefits the standard brings. The SiLA Consortium is a non-profit organisation dedicated to bringing scientists and their data together.“Having worked with SiLA we felt it was important that we now joined the consortium,” said a spokesperson […]
Entire aircraft wing assemblies could be transported by intelligent, autonomous robots at the vast Airbus production facility in North Wales following a collaborative research project with engineers at the AMRC’s Integrated Manufacturing Group. The ambitious project began by developing safe, automated means of delivering tooling supplies internally within the Airbus factory at Broughton in Wales, […]
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 […]
Application phase for 10th vector award is now open
The application phase of the igus vector award 2026 has begun. Now in its tenth year, a joint initiative is honouring designers worldwide who use high-performance plastic energy chains to create cable guides that set new technological standards, with winners to receive up to 5,000 euros in prize money. The vector award has gained international […]
Powering the factories of the future
The combination of collaborative robotics and in-process digital metrology represents a strategic convergence for the manufacturing industry and factories of the future. On the one hand, collaborative robots make it possible to automate handling and assembly tasks flexibly and safely without the need for physical barriers and, on the other hand, digital metrology integrated into […]
Cobot installed at steering systems manufacturer
Steering systems manufacturer, Pailton Engineering, continues to modernise its manufacturing processes with a new collaborative robot (cobot) at its facility in Coventry. After a successful trial period, the company is installing a FAIRINO FR10 on the induction hardening ball pin cell, where it works alongside existing team members to support production. Designed to work alongside […]
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 […]
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
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Automating the food sector: efficiency in action
The food and beverage industry has been slower to adopt automation than some other areas of manufacturing. Short-term supplier contracts and a reliance on cheap labour have proved obstacles to investment for some food producers, limiting their ability to grow their production capabilities. Fortunately, automation systems incorporating robotics from leading suppliers such as FANUC are […]
Robotics and digitalisation in food manufacturing
In this workshop at Food Manufacturing Live, Dr Bhavnita Patel, business development manager at The MTC, explores how automation, robotics and digitalisation are reshaping food manufacturing, unlocking efficiency, improving quality and reducing waste. Bhavnita explains why companies must adopt these technologies now, despite barriers like cost and legacy systems. She looks at where these tools […]
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 […]
The robot revolution that’s upgrading surgery
Large swathes of industry are implementing powered and robotic applications to ensure high-quality repeatable processes. Hospital and medical professionals are also keen to implement these applications, especially with the current pressure on the medical system. Here, Stewart Goulding, managing director at precision drive system supplier EMS, discusses the rise of robotics in surgery. There are […]