MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY
Barcodes, Inc. | March 09, 2023
Barcodes Group recently released its new portfolio for Autonomous Mobile Robotics (AMR) platform, offering businesses an intelligent and straightforward way to automate their operations while achieving a quick return on investment. The upgraded platform is versatile and suitable for various applications, from Warehousing-Fulfillment to Manufacturing, enabling increased efficiency and speed without requiring significant infrastructure or cost changes.
Barcodes Group has introduced its platform to meet the rising demand for efficient supply chain operations and address the challenge of labor cost control due to a shortage of skilled workers. The portfolio comprises a 12-robot hardware fleet, integration software that can be deployed rapidly, interoperability fleet-management software, and end-to-end deployment services. Under Barcodes Group's Robot-as-a-Service (RaaS) model, companies can rent robots for as low as $2 per hour.
Customers can expect to reap numerous advantages from the solution, which include:
A 12-robot Autonomous Mobile Robotics (AMR) fleet capable of handling over 20 material handling workflows
With integration software linking Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) to AMRs, businesses can deploy robots within hours
Cost savings from the very first day through monthly Robot-as-a-Service
Ability to adapt and scale workflows effortlessly using cloud-based software
Increased productivity by eliminating material movements that do not add value
Manthan Pawar, Barcodes Group Product Manager – Robotics, said, "Our wide-ranging AMR applications and ability to integrate with almost any WMS, Voice, and IoT is industry-leading. With costs as low as $2 per hour and day one savings, the adoption of modern technology like robotics is easier than ever."
(Source - CISION PR Newswire)
Daniel Nettesheim, President & CEO of Barcodes Group, said, "Our new robotics platform will ease the labor shortage pain our customers face today. It will bring better throughput and speed with higher scalability, so businesses can focus on their growth.”
(Source - CISION PR Newswire)
About Barcodes, Inc.
Barcodes, Inc. is North America's leading supplier of barcode scanning and printing, ID card printing, mobile computing, mobile robotics, point-of-sale, and RFID products, and solutions. Since its establishment in 1994, Barcodes, Inc. has become a highly regarded value-added reseller and integrator in the auto ID and data collection industry. With over 70 product categories for asset management and inventory tracking, the company aids in boosting efficiency and decreasing costs by delivering rapid, accurate electronic information flow solutions customized for any budget or business size. Barcodes, Inc., offers an array of services, including design, OS mitigation, deployment, support, and Barcodes EDGE.
Read More
MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY
PR Newswire | May 25, 2023
UltiMaker, a global leader in 3D printing, today announces the launch of Method XL, the ultimate 3D printing solution for engineering applications, offering precision printing with industrial-grade materials without compromising on part size. The UltiMaker® Method™ XL 3D printer is designed to deliver the accuracy and performance of industrial production alongside the flexibility and affordability of a desktop 3D printer.
The latest printer release from UltiMaker's professional offering bridges the gap between desktop and industrial 3D printers by delivering a perfect fusion of accessibility and performance. With a spacious 305 mm x 305 mm x 320 mm build volume and a dimensional accuracy of ± 0.2 mm1, it allows customers to tackle ambitious projects—from functional prototyping to end-use parts.
Method XL is engineered to create large, complex parts that are durable using industrial-grade materials like ABS-R and ABS Carbon Fiber. The heated chamber, which can reach up to 100°C, is designed to enable optimal results when printing with ABS, one of the most popular and challenging materials to successfully print on a desktop 3D printer due to its tendency to warp and deform. New to the Method series is Method XL's heated build plate, a bonus for customers who want an extra layer of security to avoid warping and layer adhesion issues. Both the heated build plate and the temperature-controlled heated build chamber combine to create a stable environment for printing accurate and strong parts of any size.
"UltiMaker's mission is to grow the adoption of 3D printing in manufacturing. We saw that there was a lack of production-level industrial capabilities in more accessible and easy-to-use 3D printers," said Nadav Goshen, CEO at UltiMaker. "With Method XL, we believe we are bringing customers the best 3D printing solution in the market for engineering applications. Method XL is the only 3D printer in its price class with a heated chamber and heated build plate to print large and accurate parts with injection molding plastics like ABS. With the ability to print larger parts, customers can achieve greater output and efficiency, making Method XL an excellent choice for those looking to take their 3D printing to the next level."
With its expansive build volume, high dimensional accuracy, heated build chamber and heated build plate, Method XL can print production plastics at a fraction of the cost of industrial machines and with the ease of desktop 3D printers. Combined with RapidRinse™, a fast-dissolving water-soluble support material, Method XL makes printing with ABS an even simpler and smoother process. RapidRinse enables one of the fastest support removals for complex FDM parts, resulting in a more refined surface finish. For a seamless CAD file to printed part workflow, Method XL syncs directly with CloudPrint™ software, allowing customers to easily upload, monitor, and track their print jobs from their web browser.
Method XL expands the arena of possibilities, with compatibility with a wide range of industrial-grade materials through its open materials platform and the LABS Experimental Extruder. Materials currently available through the LABS program include Jabil SEBS, a soft material with flexible, rubber-like properties; Polymaker PolyMax™ PC, a polycarbonate material that combines strength, toughness, and heat resistance, and LEHVOSS PAHT 9891, a carbon fiber-reinforced nylon able to withstand high temperatures. Method XL also offers an external moisture-controlled material case, ensuring peak performance from professional-grade materials. The printer comes equipped with a HEPA filter and an activated carbon filter for safer 3D printing indoors.
About UltiMaker
UltiMaker is a global leader in 3D printing, focused on shaping the future of manufacturing and product development. With a wide range of cutting-edge 3D printing solutions, including the popular S and Method series, and an extensive portfolio of 3D printing materials, UltiMaker is paving the way for innovation across industries. As part of its dedication to advancing education, UltiMaker also offers the MakerBot sub-brand and Sketch series, providing one of the most comprehensive 3D printing ecosystems for classroom learning. With a focus on reliability, precision, and innovation, UltiMaker is empowering customers to push the boundaries of what's possible. Learn more at www.ultimaker.com.
Read More
MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY
Prnewswire | April 13, 2023
Siemens and Microsoft are harnessing the collaborative power of generative artificial intelligence (AI) to help industrial companies drive innovation and efficiency across the design, engineering, manufacturing and operational lifecycle of products. To enhance cross-functional collaboration, the companies are integrating Siemens' Teamcenter® software for product lifecycle management (PLM) with Microsoft's collaboration platform Teams and the language models in Azure OpenAI Service as well as other Azure AI capabilities. At Hannover Messe, the two technology leaders will demonstrate how generative AI can enhance factory automation and operations through AI-powered software development, problem reporting and visual quality inspection.
"The integration of AI into technology platforms will profoundly change how we work and how every business operates," said Scott Guthrie, executive vice president, Cloud + AI, Microsoft. "With Siemens, we are bringing the power of AI to more industrial organizations, enabling them to simplify workflows, overcome silos and collaborate in more inclusive ways to accelerate customer-centric innovation."
Connecting shop floor workers with teams across business functions through AI-powered collaborative apps
With the new Teamcenter app for Microsoft Teams, anticipated later in 2023, the companies are enabling design engineers, frontline workers and teams across business functions to close feedback loops faster and solve challenges together. For example, service engineers or production operatives can use mobile devices to document and report product design or quality concerns using natural speech. Through Azure OpenAI Service, the app can parse that informal speech data, automatically creating a summarized report and routing it within Teamcenter to the appropriate design, engineering or manufacturing expert. To foster inclusion, workers can record their observations in their preferred languages which is then translated into the official company language with Microsoft Azure AI. Microsoft Teams provides user-friendly features like push notifications to simplify workflow approvals, reduce the time it takes to request design changes and speed up innovation cycles. The Teamcenter app for Microsoft Teams can enable millions of workers who do not have access to PLM tools today to impact the design and manufacturing process more easily as part of their existing workflows.
Keeping factories running with AI-powered automation software engineering
Siemens and Microsoft are also collaborating to help software developers and automation engineers accelerate the code generation for Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC), the industrial computers that control most machines across the world's factories. At Hannover Messe, the companies are demonstrating a concept for how OpenAI's ChatGPT and other Azure AI services can augment Siemens' industrial automation engineering solutions. The showcase will highlight how engineering teams can significantly reduce time and the probability of errors by generating PLC code through natural language inputs. These capabilities can also enable maintenance teams to identify errors and generate step-by-step solutions more quickly.
"Powerful, advanced artificial intelligence is emerging as one of the most important technologies for digital transformation," said Cedrik Neike, Member of the Managing Board of Siemens AG and CEO Digital Industries. "Siemens and Microsoft are coming together to deploy tools like ChatGPT so we can empower workers at enterprises of all sizes to collaborate and innovate in new ways."
Finding and preventing product defects with industrial AI
Detecting defects in production early is critical to prevent costly and time-consuming production adjustments. Industrial AI like computer vision enables quality management teams to scale quality control, identify product variances easier and make real-time adjustments even faster. In Hanover, teams will demonstrate how, using Microsoft Azure Machine Learning and Siemens' Industrial Edge, images captured by cameras and videos can be analyzed by machine learning systems and used to build, deploy, run and monitor AI vision models on the shop floor.
This collaboration is part of the longstanding strategic relationship between Siemens and Microsoft, built on over 35 years of joint innovation with thousands of customers. Other areas of collaboration include Senseye on Azure, enabling companies to run predictive maintenance at enterprise scale and support for customers that seek to host their business applications in the Microsoft Cloud to run solutions from the Siemens Xcelerator open digital business platform, including Teamcenter, on Azure. Siemens is also partnering with Microsoft as part of its zero trust strategy.
About Siemens AG
Siemens AG (Berlin and Munich) is a technology company focused on industry, infrastructure, transport, and healthcare. From more resource-efficient factories, resilient supply chains, and smarter buildings and grids, to cleaner and more comfortable transportation as well as advanced healthcare, the company creates technology with purpose adding real value for customers. By combining the real and the digital worlds, Siemens empowers its customers to transform their industries and markets, helping them to transform the everyday for billions of people. Siemens also owns a majority stake in the publicly listed company Siemens Healthineers, a globally leading medical technology provider shaping the future of healthcare. In addition, Siemens holds a minority stake in Siemens Energy, a global leader in the transmission and generation of electrical power.
In fiscal 2022, which ended on September 30, 2022, the Siemens Group generated revenue of €72.0 billion and net income of €4.4 billion. As of September 30, 2022, the company had around 311,000 employees worldwide.
About Siemens Digital Industries (DI)
Siemens Digital Industries (DI) is an innovation leader in automation and digitalization. Closely collaborating with partners and customers, DI drives the digital transformation in the process and discrete industries. With its Digital Enterprise portfolio, DI provides companies of all sizes with an end-to-end set of products, solutions and services to integrate and digitalize the entire value chain. Optimized for the specific needs of each industry, DI's unique portfolio supports customers to achieve greater productivity and flexibility. DI is constantly adding innovations to its portfolio to integrate cutting-edge future technologies. Siemens Digital Industries has its global headquarters in Nuremberg, Germany, and has around 76,000 employees internationally.
Read More