Sumitomo Drive Technologies is expanding its range of precision gear products and upgrading its ECY series with higher torque and a plug & play drive for motor connection. The ECY series comprises high-precision shaft gears, used for example for surface machining in dental technology or in collaborative robots (cobots). Thanks to their internal cylindrical roller bearings, the gear units provide both high rigidity and higher performance in a smaller design envelope.

ABB Robotics has released its new modular OptiFact software platform, which streamlines data collection, visualization, and analysis in automated production facilities. The platform enables users to collect, manage, and analyze data from hundreds of factory devices, including ABB robots, to determine key performance indicators including cycle time and overall equipment efficiency (OEE). By speeding up diagnostics and decision making, OptiFact increases the production line uptime with less engineering effort, ensuring production can keep pace with customer demand.

Stäubli officially inaugurated the Yinhai R&D and Intelligent Manufacturing Base only a few minutes away from its existing production site in Hangzhou, China. The substantial extension to its Chinese main base marks a milestone on the company’s growth path in the region.

ABB Robotics is expanding its education offering with the launch of the IRB 1090. The 1090 industrial education robot, authenticated by the globally recognized education institute STEM.org, is designed to upskill students and provide them with a competitive advantage in securing employment. The new education robot forms a key part of ABB’s wider education offering, which includes additional industrial robots, as well as education packages, next generation controllers and market leading programming and simulation software.

The Canadian Manufacturing Technology Show (CMTS), Canada's largest industry event, makes its return at its new home – the Toronto Congress Centre – from September 25-28, 2023. Over 500 suppliers and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), more than 8,000 manufacturing professionals and 250,000+ square feet of manufacturing excellence, housing 500,000+ pounds of live equipment are featured.

A slow U.S. economy and high interest rates have taken a toll on robot orders in North American, resulting in a decline for the second quarter in a row after record purchases in 2021 and 2022. According to the latest report from the Association for Advancing Automation (A3), companies ordered 7,697 robots valued at $457 million from April to July 2023, a 37% decline in robot orders and 20% drop in value over the same period in 2022.  

New research by market intelligence firm Interact Analysis shows that the ultra-low voltage motors market is experiencing a period of growth. By 2027 the market will be worth almost $6.5bn driven by demand from battery driven applications and a need for greater flexibility in manufacturing and logistics processes. The increased use of mobile robots is having a huge impact on the market for ultra-low voltage motors and, as a result of this, the supplier landscape will change significantly. 

The most comprehensive packaging and processing event in North America this year, Pack Expo Las Vegas 2023 (Sept. 11–13; Las Vegas Convention Center), will be the largest in its history. Produced by PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, Pack Expo Las Vegas will feature more than 2,000 exhibitors showcasing the newest innovations for more than 40 vertical markets, spanning nearly 1 million square feet of exhibit space.

Advanced Motion Controls (AMC) is proud to announce the addition of six new CANopen servo drives with Extended Environment capabilities to their FlexPro line. These new drives join AMC's existing EtherCAT Extended Environment FlexPro drives, making the FlexPro line the go-to solution for motion control applications in harsh environments.

In several working demonstrations, KUKA Robotics will showcase various innovative automation solutions for specific handling applications during Pack Expo 2023 in booth C-3236 Central Hall.