Minarik Drives Announces Distribution Agreement with Kaman Industrial Technologies
Minarik Drives is very pleased to announce that it has signed and implemented a National Distribution Agreement with Kaman Industrial Technologies. This agreement will further enhance a partnership that will provide Minarik Drives with 200 new locations and will provide Kaman Industrial Technologies a premier DC drive and drive systems product line.“We are very pleased to add Kaman Industrial’s selling capability and the value added approach they brings to their customers to our already strong distribution channel.” said John Hegel, President of Minarik Drives. “Kaman’s penetration into the user and OEM markets will open doors for us that had been ...

ABB adds midrange robot for the 12 to 20 kg payload class
ABB Robotics introduced the IRB 2600, the latest model in its medium capacity range of multipurpose robots. This robot is compact but with an ultra-wide working range and a payload capacity up to 20 kg. It also offers the best accuracy and speed in its class, improving productivity through increased output, faster cycle times and lower scrap rates. It is suited for arc welding, machine tending, material handling and a variety of process applications.The IRB 2600 is the second introduction from ABB’s fourth-generation of midrange industrial robots, a structured portfolio redesign that began with the 2009 introduction of the IRB ...

Landcrawler Robot Wobbles But Doesn’t Fall
This funny lookin’ fella weighs just 27 pounds, has 12 legs, and can carry you around on its back if you let it.The Land Crawler xTreme robot offers its master a ride on top of its square platform top, provided you don’t weigh more than 175 pounds. As it ambles around, it definitely doesn’t look like the smoothest or speediest way to get around the place, but it sure has got plenty of style doing it.Funny thing is the maker of the robot says he made the Land Crawler eXtreme as a toy for his 2-year old ...

Universal Gripper Utilizes Coffee Bean-Filled Balloon
Gripping and holding of objects are key tasks for robotic manipulators. The development of universal grippers able to pick up unfamiliar objects of widely varying shape and surface properties remains, however, challenging. Most current designs are based on the multifingered hand, but this approach introduces hardware and software complexities. These include large numbers of controllable joints, the need for force sensing if objects are to be handled securely without crushing them, and the computational overhead to decide how much stress each finger should apply and where.Here we find a completely different approach ...

Clean Room, Clean Robot
The consumer electronics market is expected to generate over $165 billion in revenue within the U.S. in 2010, thanks to cell phones, laptops, digital cameras, DVRs, and MP3 players. The sensitive components such devices contain require precise handling during manufacturing. The consumer electronic supply chain with its clean room requirements is growing and clean room robotics will play a key part in this growth. Following is a quick guide to all things clean when it comes to robots.Clean rooms are classified according to the number and size of the particles permitted per volume of air. For example, a Class 10 ...

Mechatronic Commentary
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Minarik Drives Announces Distribution Agreement with Kaman Industrial TechnologiesMinarik Drives is very pleased to announce that it has signed and implemented a National Distribution Agreement with Kaman Industrial Technologies. This agreement will further enhance a partnership that will provide Minarik Drives with 200 new locations and will provide Kaman Industrial Technologies a premier DC drive and drive systems product line. “We... [Read more]
As a follow on to the last post, I have been investigating the cost of manufacturing equipment. The classic machine tool is the most widely used piece of equipment for fabricating just about anything made out of metal. The machine tool has been quietly undergoing it’s own revolution since it’s inception in the 1950′s. The traditional... [Read more]
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