Industrial robots, once the preserve of large-scale manufacturers, are increasingly being seen in small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Major technological advances have ushered in a new age of robotics, in which once-futuristic visions have either become realities or are on the horizon. Yet despite breakthrough applications in areas ranging from manufacturing to medicine, robots carry risk.

How do you handle the tiny components needed for constructing nanoscale devices? A European consortium has built two demonstrators that include microrobots equipped with microgrippers to automatically pick up and install carbon nanotubes thousands of times thinner than a human hair. They have even tackled that ever-present bane of nanotechnology - sticky fingers.

As the costs of fuels and consumables continue to rise, the ability to accurately measure the amount used in a process becomes significant in controlling costs and determining bottom line profits.

Shamic Sheetmetal has now become the first in Australia to sign for delivery and installation of a completely automated ‘lights-out’ materials handling system.

The ODVA EtherNet/IP network standard is gaining popularity as an industrial protocol, and wireless ethernet technologies have emerged that can now reliably reduce network costs while improving plant production.

Foodstuffs must be packaged precisely, safely and, above all, carefully. That final factor alone presents a particular challenge for packaging line manufacturers, whose machines need to meet increased standards when packaging delicate foodstuffs.

A compressed air auditing program developed by the Electricity Commission is set to play a significant part in achieving targeted energy savings of $2 billion a year for the New Zealand manufacturing sector within five to 10 years.

This article explores the challenges of developing telemetric SCADA systems and covers the seven most important features to look for in selecting a GPRS solution.

Along with the laws of physics, engineers have to be aware of the law of unintended consequences. Take, for example, something as simple as the 24 VDC power supplies that feed the control circuits in automation systems as a case in point.

Four high-definition precision plasma cutters used to help build new aircraft carriers for the British Navy use the latest in four-axis motion control.

Fieldbus transmitters must also be calibrated just like conventional instruments, and there are also industrial environments where the calibration of fieldbus instruments should not only be made accurately and efficiently, but also safely.

Operators of multiple compressors can achieve significant energy savings thanks to the Ingersoll Rand X-Series System.

While EtherNet/IP has many advantages, cable installation is often expensive, and communications to remote sites or moving platforms may not be reliable or cost effective. Wireless ethernet technologies have emerged that can now reliably reduce network costs while improving plant production.

A huge new machine called Oyster - designed to harness the power of ocean waves and turn it into green electricity - has been installed on the seabed off the Atlantic shores of the Orkney Isles north of Scotland. In contrast to many other wave power devices, it uses hydraulic technology to transfer wave power to shore, where it is converted into electricity.