Wenzel/Nikon

Wenzel to offer Nikon laser scanners

Distribution agreement adds scanning equipment to Wenzel CMMs.

July 26, 2020

Nikon Metrology Inc. is partnering with Wenzel America, allowing Wenzel to distribute Nikon laser scanning products in North America.

The partnership combines Wenzel’s strengths in coordinate measurement machines (CMMs) with Nikon’s laser scanners, allowing Wenzel to market CMMs with multiple measurement strategies.

Learn more about Wenzel’s approach to metrology and how to recover from COVID-19 shutdowns, attend the free Aug. 6, 2020, webinar “Flexible 5-axis probing for restarting manufacturing.” Presented by GIE Media, experts from Wenzel and Renishaw will discuss how shops can make the most of their existing tools to adapt to rapidly changing needs from customers.

Wenzel America president Drew Shemenski said, “One of our core philosophies at Wenzel is working with market-leading technology partners to offer broad solutions to our customers. Nikon is a clear leader in laser scanning technology.”

He added that “combining the power and capability of Nikon sensors with the accuracy and reliability of Wenzel systems will give the market unparalleled solutions to the metrology challenges faced by modern manufacturing.”

Robert Martin, vice president of sales, Nikon Metrology (Americas) said, “This partnership certainly has a head start because both brands are passionate solution providers offering premier products and best-in-class support for today’s metrology market demands.”

An online North American trade fair as productive as any of the top international tradeshows is scheduled for August 5 and 6.

Festo

Upcoming event: The Festo Experience

The virtual trade show includes interactive booths in both English and Spanish, presentations, and Festo employees on hand from all three countries.

July 25, 2020

Posted by Michelle Jacobson

Automation/Robotics People/Facilities

Islandia, New York — The Festo Experience – Automation for Tomorrow is an online North American trade show to be held 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. EDT on August 5 and 6. Designed to approximate the experience of attending a major trade fair in terms of the large number and range of products on display, this event also includes live technical sessions, networking opportunities, and technical personnel available to discuss solutions for upcoming projects. Many Festo employees – five times the usual number assigned to a major trade show – will be on hand to chat with attendees in both English and Spanish.

“We are thrilled to host the first North American virtual trade show where our customers can fully immerse themselves in the online Festo experience,” said Kristine Inserra, Director of Marketing Communications for Festo North America. “Though we enjoy connecting in person, we’re excited by the opportunity to bring everyone together online. Trade shows foster an environment where we can showcase products, engage in fruitful discussions about upcoming projects, and educate through technical sessions. We’ve done our utmost to emulate the same atmosphere attendees would find at any top international trade show and hope our customers enjoy the experience.”

Registration is free. On the days of the event, an attendee will login and then see the Festo Experience trade show lobby. The lobby features an information desk, entrances to the exhibit halls, the auditorium for live and on-demand presentations, and a networking lounge. No special software is required. Chrome or Firefox browsers are recommended. Communication is via chat-based dialogue.

Themed booths feature product displays, on-demand video, literature, and the opportunity for chat, either publicly or privately, with booth staff.

Booths

About Festo	Automotive
Continuous Processes	Didactic
Didactic Mexico	Electric Automation
Electronics and Assembly	Engineering Tools
Chemical Industry	Fabco-Air
Food Processing	Life Sciences
Packaging	Paper, Printing, and Converting
Pneumatic Automation	Process Automation

Event Schedule

Wednesday, August 5

Festo Core Products, Ready for You (Spanish), 11 a.m. EDT
How to Select a Robot, 1 p.m. EDT
Influence of Digitalization for Motion in Manufacturing, 2:30 p.m. EDT
FSMA and Festo, 4:30 p.m. EDT
Festo Core Products, Ready for You (English on demand)

Thursday, August 6

Process Automation Product Overview, 11 a.m. EDT
Trends in End-of-Arm Tooling, 1 p.m. EDT
Energy Conservation for Pharma, 2:30 p.m. EDT
The Festo Motion Terminal VTEM, (Spanish) 4:30 p.m. EDT
The Festo Motion Terminal VTEM, (English on demand)

Speakers will be available in the networking lounge for chats following their presentations. The networking lounge will also be available for meeting with other attendees and Festo personnel in public or private chats.

Siemens, SAP partner on Industry 4.0 technology

Software/equipment giants to integrate products, simplifying offerings.

July 25, 2020

Posted by Elizabeth Engler Modic

Software/IoT/Apps

Siemens and SAP are partnering on software for product lifecycle, supply chain, and asset management.

Through this agreement, SAP and Siemens will be able to complement and integrate their respective offerings to offer customers integrated and enhanced solutions for product lifecycle management (PLM), supply chain, service, and asset management. This will enable customers to form a true digital thread integrating all virtual models and simulations of a product or asset with real-time business information, feedback and performance data over the entire lifecycle.

“Digital transformation will be critical for the manufacturing industries to increase productivity, flexibility, and accelerate innovation, so companies must come together in new ways to enable the digital enterprise,” said Klaus Helmrich, Member of the Managing Board of Siemens AG and CEO of Siemens Digital Industries. “This exciting collaboration between two industry leaders is about more than just interoperability and interfaces; it is about creating a truly integrated digital thread that unites product and asset lifecycle management with the business that enables customers to optimize production of products.”

The companies say the partnership will help customers to break down siloes so manufacturers, product design teams, and service managers have the information needed to quickly create and manage customer-centric product and service offerings.

“As manufacturers design and deliver smarter products and assets, access to real-time business information across networks is critical to bring new and improved innovations to market faster,” said Thomas Saueressig, member of the Executive Board of SAP SE and responsible for SAP Product Engineering. “Bringing together expertise from SAP and Siemens to offer Industry 4.0-enabled business processes allows enterprises to create a digital thread for the entire product and asset lifecycle. With this end-to-end solution, teams across the business network can efficiently work together to design and deliver innovative products productively, profitably and sustainably.”

As a first step in the partnership, SAP will offer Siemens’ Teamcenter software as the core foundation for product lifecycle collaboration and product data management. Siemens will offer SAP Intelligent Asset Management and SAP Project and Portfolio Management solutions to maximize the business value for manufacturers and operators across networks. Both companies will collaborate to develop applications from an end-to-end lifecycle perspective to help customers achieve a seamless digital thread that improves overall business performance.

“Combining Siemens’ Teamcenter and SAP S/4HANA software provides companies an end-to-end process capability from product design to decommission,” says Bob Parker, senior VP of Industry Research at IDC. “The IT benefits of pre-integration of PLM, ERP, asset management, and supply chain applications and the business benefits from having a more resilient response to changing market demand make this a compelling consideration for companies seeking a competitive advantage in the digital economy.

Schunk's Co-act EGL-C long-stroke gripper generates gripping forces up to 450N.

Schunk

Cobots and lightweight robots redefine human-robot collaboration

Grippers from Schunk handle weights beyond small parts assembly.

July 24, 2020

Posted by Mara Bahmer

Automation/Robotics

“The world of robotics and the necessary periphery for daily robot applications are going to be redefined,” says Henrik A. Schunk, Chief Executive Officer of Schunk, the specialist in gripping systems and clamping technology. “We are experiencing a real boom in collaborative robots (cobots) and lightweight robots, and they will shape the image of industrial production in the years to come.”

Direct human-robot collaboration can be achieved by Schunk’s new Co-act EGL-C long-stroke gripper, a milestone in human-robot collaboration. It surpasses the typical force-limited 140N used by most collaborative grippers today, generating gripping forces up to 450N. An integrated, patent-pending safety algorithm protects employees working alongside their robotic coworkers, opening the potential in human-robot collaboration for handling weights well beyond small parts assembly.

The Schunk EGH has a freely programmable stroke and can be quickly commissioned.

“New robots offer enormous freedom of design in the field of handling and assembly, both in terms of the degree of interaction with humans and the gripping technology used,” Schunk says.

The EGL-C gripper is the latest example of Schunk’s innovation in the world of cobots and lightweight robots. In 2019, Schunk introduced the EGH Co-act gripper. Easy to install and fully programmable, the EGH makes it easy for companies to implement automation with a cobot.

“The industrial transformation requires us to take a fresh and creative look at robotics,” Schunk explains. “Scenarios with lightweight robots and cobots must be easy and flexible, even playful to implement. At its heart, it’s all about a radical simplification – from the selection of components to configuration and assembly, up to ongoing operation.”

Melissa Gruszka prepares for AS9100 audit virtually with Ed Engelhard, vice president of corporate quality at Solar Atmospheres.

Solar Atmospheres

Solar Atmospheres of Western PA celebrates AS9100 anniversary

Successful, remote audit during pandemic marks 13 years of commitment to excellence.

July 23, 2020

Solar Atmospheres of Western PA celebrated 13 years of AS9100 certification. Like the complexities of ever-changing customer needs, 2020 proves to be challenging businesses. Impacts to daily routines, course of business, personal liberties, and even audit scopes bear the brunt of ushering in a new era.

This new era is intricately woven with COVID-19, populous instability, and intertwined with increasingly stringent standards, revised industry specifications, and customer requirements.

Even with these new complexities, Solar passed this milestone for more than a decade of accreditation without any major findings. The live audit was conducted for the very first time using a combination of email, telephone, and video conferencing to grade Solar’s quality management system (QMS) on recent aerospace work. The comprehensive review addressed recent events as risk and Solar’s response as effective.

Melissa Gruszka, quality manager and recent addition to Solar Atmospheres of Western PA, states, “We have a great team that can pull together, under any circumstances, to get work done. Solar maintains the highest standards by keeping safety, quality, and efficiency in check and our customers in the foreground. Solar exercises a proven value system, integral to society, and empowers people, shaping a bright future.”