Motion control and robotics specialist Yaskawa is continuing its expansion and investment in its European production capacity with new manufacturing facilities in France and Sweden. This is in addition to the new facilities recently announced for Slovenia and Allershausen near Munich. Commenting on the expansion, Bruno Schnekenburger, president of Yaskawa Europe Robotics Division said: “These […]
As part of its YES (Young Engineers Support) programme, Igus has backed many universities for several years with free engineering advice and products – supporting university teams participating in the Eurobot challenge is one such programme. The winning team of the Eurobot UK final are from the Faculty of Engineering and the Environment at the […]
Leading bridge and engineering services specialist Mabey has put its new robots to work at its Mabey Bridge site in Lydney, Gloucestershire. Forming one complete cell, the new robots support the manufacture of the Mabey Compact 200 (C200) – the world’s most widely used modular steel bridge. Investing £2.6m in the new robots, they will […]
Munich-based AL-KO, parent company of the internationally active AL-KO Kober SE, has acquired 75.04% of the shares in Stemmer Imaging from the company’s founder Wilhelm Stemmer. The successful management team acquired a share of 24.96% in the company as part of the transaction. AL-KO Kober SE, founded in 1931 by Alois Kober as a small […]
Automation specialist, RARUK Automation, will be showing the full extent of its products and systems for the processing and packaging sectors at PPMA 2017 but several areas of its stand have already been earmarked for new introductions. Among the first to be confirmed is a new Robotiq gripper system that enhances the productivity of the […]
As part of its continued investment in product development, Edinburgh-headquartered Zonal Retail Data Systems has introduced a robotic arm to aid R&D and ensure the company meets the highest demands in product testing. Selected for its nimble movement and adaptable configuration, Zonal opted for a Universal Robot UR3 table-top robotic arm and Robotiq 2-finger adaptive […]
SCHUNK recently demonstrated why its product range is the industry benchmark at the Advanced Manufacturing and Subcon exhibition. At the Birmingham NEC, the German manufacturer showed a host of new and established Gripping, Toolholding and Workholding product lines that delighted international visitors to Advanced Manufacturing and also the subcontract exhibitors at Subcon. SCHUNK used the […]
Bottling is an important stage in many manufacturing processes where liquid products are packaged as part of the final stage of production, for example in the brewing, distilling and beverage industries. The physical ‘bottle lifting’ process is a key part of this process and a new combination of an air gripper tool and sophisticated robot […]
Hearing aid device manufacturer Oticon required a more flexible robot to handle the tiny hearing device components in its production. The company had been using robot technology for the past 10 years. But, as the minute components became increasingly smaller in order to make the hearing aids more comfortable, the existing two- and three-axes robots […]
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 […]
Cobot completes one millionth PCB quality check
Hanover Displays, a UK-based manufacturer of passenger information systems for the public transport sector, has reached a major manufacturing milestone: the completion of its 1,000,000th automated quality test of printed circuit boards (PCBs) using Techman collaborative robots from LG Motion. The automation programme began in 2018, when Hanover introduced its first collaborative robot to improve […]
UR and Scale AI launch imitation learning system
Universal Robots (UR) unveiled the UR AI Trainer at GTC 2026 in Silicon Valley. Developed in collaboration with Scale AI, the AI Trainer marks a tectonic shift as robots move from pre-programmed applications to fully AI-driven tasks. These systems are powered by robust data generated in AI training cells where robots imitate humans. “Our customers, ranging from […]
The beverage palletising shift is accelerating
Martin Ray Winery in Napa Valley has deployed its first lean cobot palletising workcell and achieved a 16-month ROI, with the system installed in just two days. You can find out all about it in a webinar hosted by Robotiq on 19 March. Across Europe and North America, beverage producers, from kombucha and bottled water […]
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 »
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, […]
The beverage palletising shift is accelerating
Martin Ray Winery in Napa Valley has deployed its first lean cobot palletising workcell and achieved a 16-month ROI, with the system installed in just two days. You can find out all about it in a webinar hosted by Robotiq on 19 March. Across Europe and North America, beverage producers, from kombucha and bottled water […]
Robotics, vision and AI combine for dairy processes
Automation solutions provider Eberle Automatische Systeme has developed a breakthrough in quality control with a focus on the cheese-ripening process, combining AI with machine vision software from MVTec. The food industry is experiencing a transformative shift in quality control, due in part to advances in artificial intelligence (AI). When combined with rule-based machine vision, AI […]
Food factory cobots are coming… or are they?
Advancements in collaborative robots, or cobots, are creating a bit of a buzz in manufacturing and the way humans and robots interact safely alongside each other. Yet, food processing, packaging and palletising lines remain largely cobot-free zones. Paul Wilkinson, commercial and information systems manager at Pacepacker Services explains why cobots, which currently account for an […]