When industrial robots work like they should, they are perfect. They work harder than humans, they’re more affordable than people, and most importantly, they don’t make mistakes. When there’s a problem with the machinery that goes unnoticed, however, industrial robots can botch tasks, or worse, break. Defective products are bad enough, but downtime is a… Read more »
National Robotics Week is a time to celebrate the accomplishments that have been made in the field of robotics, but it’s also a time to educate people about robots, and encourage young people to pursue careers that will advance robotics in the future. It’s interesting to think about mankind’s past relationship with robots, as well… Read more »
The encoder has an important job in industrial motion control. You can think of a motor encoder as a translator. It takes information about the position or motion of a shaft or axle, and converts that information into an analog or digital code. Indramat offers single-turn and multi-turn encoders. Indramat absolute encoders An Indramat rotary… Read more »
Unscheduled downtime may literally be a manufacturer’s worst nightmare. Downtime means losses in revenue and productivity, but you also have to pay employee wages – even though they can’t work. And, of course, there’s also the added cost of repairs. Quite simply, unscheduled downtime is a frustrating financial burden that nobody wants to deal with…. Read more »
A recent study from the National Bureau of Economic Research provides data for what many people have been saying for a long time. According to the research, hundreds of thousands of American jobs have disappeared specifically because of industrial automation. Automation’s impact on American employment is distinct from offshoring and importing The number of manufacturing… Read more »
What do light bulbs and Indramat equipment have in common? This isn’t the the start to a bad joke that only Indramat repair specialists will find funny. Like light bulbs, Indramat components can burn out too quickly if you’re not using the right one. Your average incandescent light bulb provides you with roughly 1,200 hours… Read more »
Artificial intelligence took automation to a new level. There are numerous benefits of automation, and AI allows us to further improve upon those benefits. So far, the more sophisticated the artificial intelligence, the greater the benefits. Is there a tipping point when AI starts doing humankind more harm than good? Artificial intelligence improves automation Take… Read more »
According to a recent report from the Robotic Industries Association industrial robot sales reached an all-time high in 2016. This isn’t a surprise to anyone who works with industrial robots. Hearing that the world uses more industrial robots than ever before is almost like hearing that the sun rose again this morning. That is to… Read more »
It’s not always easy knowing when it’s time to upgrade your industrial motion control system. You don’t want to upgrade prematurely, after all. Replacing factory machinery is expensive, and replacing those machines before it’s necessary wastes money, time, and resources. Of course, sticking with an old system that’s holding you back is wasteful as well…. Read more »
Legacy Indramat drives may sound like a regal and lavish thing, but they’re really kind of annoying. Not the drives themselves, mind you. Indramat made some of the greatest servo drives and motion control products the world has ever seen. It’s the fact that those drives are now legacy drives that causes the annoyance. Legacy… Read more »