Complex graphics requirements, voice recognition, networked applications and more – the development of computer systems in all industries is increasingly moving in the direction of artificial intelligence and the demands on hardware and software are growing. With the PUMA series, BRESSNER has developed powerful hardware for particularly demanding applications such as factory automation, machine automation, artificial intelligence, machine vision, power supply and administration as well as smart...

Plant manufacturer’s product development relies on digitalization and solutions from Siemens. Turate near Milan, Italy. Zani S.p.A. forming machines (Zani) manufactures mechanical presses for cold forming sheet steel and has relied for years on Siemens as a technology partner when developing its presses. This was also the case for the Servo Master, the most recent press, and the largest in the company’s history to date, with a press force of 3,200 tonnes and a table length...

With the Mustang-MPCIE-MX2 card, ICP Deutschland expands its portfolio of AI accelerator cards with a Mini PCIe plug-in card variant.

Two KUKA KR 500 FORTEC robots manufacture innovative lightweight timber construction components for a pavilion for the Bundesgartenschau. The ICD of the University of Stuttgart has developed the robotic manufacturing solution in collaboration with system integrator BEC. Robotic solutions such as these have the potential to be a game-changer for the timber construction industry, which has only made limited use of automated production processes until now.

Wilhelm Niemann Maschinenfabrik guarantees the reliable operation of their machines with safe and efficient Ex protection solutions from Turck, consisting of accurate sensors and fast compact interface devices. The manufacturer installs space saving isolating switching amplifiers and temperature measuring amplifiers from Turck's IMX12 interface series in the control cabinet. These send the signals of the operator buttons to the field and transfer intrinsically safe digital and analog input...

The akYtec GmbH company has announced SMI200, a programmable compact controller which can be used either as an HMI in addition to a powerful PLC or as a local small PLC and HMI unit in combination with expansion modules.

For more than 40 years CONEC has been developing and producing high-quality connectors and connecting cables as well as housing technology. In this article we present some connectors for automation.

CONEC presents D-coded M8x1 connectors that meet the IEC standard 61076-2-114 for data transmission via Industrial Ethernet. The pole pattern is based on the M12x1 D coding and prevents mating with all other M8x1 codings on the market.

Weidmüller has added a universal digital I/O module, the PushPull modules UR67 and a multifunctional stepper motor module for motor currents up to 2 amps to its u-remote family, already established on the market.

Inductive coupling systems are the ideal choice wherever fixed wiring of sensors and actuators gets in the way or is subject to premature wear due to fatigue. With their new BIC Q40 inductive couplers, Balluff now offers a solution for applications where the maximum transmittable power plays a central role.

Within about a year, TDK Corporation rolled out the new generation of its programmable power supply series TDK-Lambda GENESYS+™ and once again set new standards. In particular, the introduction of state-of-the-art DSP technologies (Digital Signal Processing) offers many new possibilities that the new GENESYS+™ power supplies translate into practical user benefits, such as doubling power density through higher efficiency (up to 92 percent), new functions such as arbitrary generator, internal...

Siemens is extending its Simatic RF600 ultra-high frequency (UHF) family in the RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) portfolio to include the new Simatic RF610R reader, which becomes the second compact reader available on the market.

The DM-F industrial monitor series from ICP Germany is growing literally. They can be used for HMI display devices in industrial automation applications and for POS/POI terminals.

Origami – the art of paper folding originated in Japan and is known worldwide. The art of robot-based corrugated board folding can be admired at Tricor Packaging & Logistics AG, which has its headquarters in the southern German city of Bad Wörishofen. The company specializes in the construction of heavy-duty corrugated board and packaging. And the highly productive and precise operation of the assembly machines can be credited to KUKA Customer Service.

Dynetics has cost-effective, efficient and high-quality complete solutions for drive technology in its portfolio – from standardized components to customer-specific solutions. The brushed DC motors of the DMN series have a service life of about 3000 hours in continuous operation.

The new Kontron COMe-bCL6 Computer-on-Module in the COM Express basic Type 6 form factor (125 x 95 mm) is equipped with Intel 9th Gen processors and up to four memory sockets enabling a maximum memory expansion of up to 128 GB.

Yamaichi Electronics is growing: Today, the company is laying the foundation stone for a new production site in the Markendorf business park in Frankfurt / Oder. The building in the Müllroser Chaussee will offer modern working environments for production, logistics and office space on around 7,000 square meters. For concept design, planning and building the new location, Yamaichi Electronics relies on Vollack, the expert in methodic building design.

Automated, computer vision-assisted systems objectivize quality control in automobile production. Fraunhofer IGD has developed a method for capturing the actual build of a component and comparing it to the design according to the CAD data – in real time.

With Sinumerik ONE, the first digital native CNC, Siemens is driving forward digital transformation in the machine tool industry. The new controller works with software to create the machine controller and associated digital twin from one engineering system and thus contributes to the seamless integration of hardware and software.

Since 1979 it has been blazing a trail through woods and fields, mud, gravel and snow: the Mercedes G-Class. To make this feasible, the manufacturer uses particularly stable ladder frames. These frames are built at MAGNA Presstec in the Austrian town of Lebring near Graz. Since 2017, production of the facelift model has been running fully automatically on a line from KUKA. Specialists from the two companies collaborated closely to resolve various challenges,...

Laser technology manufacturer SCANLAB is extending its premium-segment product family with the excelliSCAN 20. This new scan system targets exceptionally demanding applications such as micromachining and additive manufacturing (3D printing). The excelliSCAN family’s well-known advantages – smart servo control technology, a universal tuning and optimized cooling – will be supplemented via the new scanner with its larger 20-millimeter aperture.

Spectrophotometry, which examines the light spectrum emitted or absorbed by materials and analyzes their composition, is used in a wide variety of fields including food, agriculture and medicine. Up until now, spectrophotometry was typically performed in a chemical laboratory using large benchtop spectrometers. This SMD series spectrometer is expected to be used in hand-held instruments with limitations to their size or weight, simultaneous multipoint measurements, and other applications.

Infineon Technologies launches the XENSIVTM DPS368. The miniaturized digital barometric pressure sensor is capable of measuring both pressure and temperature. It offers an ultra‑high precision of ±2 cm and a low current consumption for precise measurement of altitude, air flow and body movements.

In many traditionally grown production networks, the focus is on free data exchange across all components and systems. However, if all paths are open, viruses and malware can spread unhindered in the entire network. To prevent this, it is recommended to segment the production network into manageable logical units – for example with the industrial firewall mbNETFIX from MB connect line.