Exotec manufactures milestone 5000th robot

Exotec, a global warehouse robotics provider, has manufactured its 5000th robot, just three months after the production of its 4000th model. This is the shortest time yet between manufacturing milestones, signifying a growing business momentum driven by the increasing demand for warehouse automation. The 5000th robot carries the name ‘Monu’ (short for ‘Monumental’).

Romain Moulin, CEO and co-founder at Exotec says: “We continue to see a strong demand for scalable and proven warehouse robotic solutions. We have a track record of serving the world’s largest brands, which places Exotec at the heart of the explosive growth of the global warehouse robotics market, which is expected to be worth $16bn by 2031.”

In 2022, Exotec signed its first major UK customer – multichannel fulfilment and returns expert iForce – and is already deploying two additional large customer projects in the UK.
Exotec has made significant strides in making warehouse jobs easier and less physically demanding. To this day, Exotec robots have saved warehouse workers from having to walk at least 16 million miles, which is the equivalent of going to the moon and back 33 times.

This year, Exotec is continuing its track record of innovation by investing in R&D. Since its inception, Exotec has doubled its R&D spend every year, and the company also commits 10% of all sales towards the development of new products.As of today, Exotec holds 26 granted patents with 68 patent applications still pending. The company filed almost 50% of all patents in the past six months.
For further information www.exotec.com

Four new energy-saving ABBrobots in 22 variants

ABB Robotics is expanding its large robot range with four new models and 22 variants, offering more choice, increased coverage and greater performance. The next-generation models include the IRB 6710, IRB 6720, IRB 6730 and IRB 6740, suitable for payloads ranging from 150 to 310kg, with a reach from 2.5 to 3.2m.

“Sustainable production is a major priority of automotive manufacturers, with 78% of companies identifying it as important to their business and a further 77% identifying it as a priority for their customers,” says Marc Segura, president of ABB’s Robotics Division. “ABB’s four new robots offer 22 variants and energy savings of up to 20%, responding to our customers’ needs; offering greater choice and flexibility for more sustainable production. These new robots will help our customers build resilience across a range of industries including automotive, general manufacturing and foundries.”

ABB’s OmniCore controller and lighter robot design lead to energy savings of up to 20%. Featuring ABB’s TrueMove and QuickMove motion control technology, ABB says the robots can achieve class-leading repeatability with a minimum of 0.03mm deviation. These capabilities make the new series of robots suitable for complex tasks such as spot welding, laser welding, screwdriving and riveting.

“Our new robot range meets the needs of the rapidly growing electric vehicle (EV) industry,” says Joerg Reger, managing director of ABB Robotics Automotive Business Line.“As manufacturers ramp up the production of EVs and batteries, they can choose from a wide range of ABB robots to ensure they have the right variant to handle batteries of different sizes, from individual cells and modules to complete packages.”
For further information www.abb.com

Double milestone for Guhring

Cutting tool manufacturer Guhring is celebrating twice in 2023, as the company sees in its 125th anniversary andreaches half a century since inaugurating its UK subsidiary in Birmingham.To mark the occasion, Guhring is paying tribute to Prime Accountants Group, a long-term supporter and advisor to the German firm since its arrival on UK shores in 1973. Guhring’s Birmingham team uses the accountancy services of Prime, also based in the Midlands, for several key functions, including its year-end audit and reporting financial results back to its headquarters in Germany.
For further information www.guhring.co.uk www.primeaccountants.co.uk

Robotic solution for complex aerospace parts

Q5D Technologies is delivering a £1.7m project in collaboration with the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) to accelerate automation within the aerospace industry by using a novel robotic solution to add embedded wiring into complex aircraft components.

Project LiveWire, led by Bristol-based Q5D, aims to automate the manufacture of airline seating components and control systems by embedding wiring into the structures that make up these parts, helping reduce costs and build lighter, higher-quality components.

Wiring in aircraft currently takes place by hand, making it an expensive and laborious process that is prone to errors and can cause failures and sometimes even fires. As part of the project, Q5D created a five-axis robotic tool that can add wiring to a complex shaped component in a new, improved way.

For its part, the AMRChad to devise a proof-of-concept solution to calculate the position and rotation of a workpiece that would enable the robot to automate the process of embedding wiring. In addition, the AMRC had to create integrated validation processes for quality inspection.

The benefits of automating the robot path using a vision system will provide Q5D’s robotic technology with greater flexibility to adapt to dynamic environments. Making automatic adjustments to the robotic path on the fly will also increase productivity as it will decrease the manual programming required.

Even though the project looked at a pathway for use in the aerospace sector, the concept is transferable to any robotics automation system.
For further information www.bit.ly/3QM6svA

300 new JLR jobs in Midlands

JLR is recruiting 300 new technicians and test engineers in the West Midlands. The roles will support the continued growth of Range Rover production and development of next-generation electric vehicles (EVs).Of the 300 roles, the UK-based car manufacturer is recruiting around 100 maintenance technicians for its Solihull plant to operate and maintain automated production facilities in a new body shop costing around £130m.

In addition, JLR is recruiting around 200 technicians and test engineers for its Gaydon Engineering Centre and Whitley Powertrain facility, where they will support with testing and development of JLR’s next-generation EVs as part of a global family that exceeds 38,000 colleagues. The company will upskill all technicians and test engineers with electrification training as part of JLR’s ‘Future Skills Programme’, to ensure they are equipped with vital skills for the production and maintenance of EVs.
For further information www.jaguarlandrover.com