Last month at Automate 2013 in Chicago, the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) hosted its IFR CEO Round Table discussion where participants reviewed industry growth. John Dulchinos, IFR executive board member, and president and CEO for Adept Technology presented highlights of latest industry research on the impact of robots on employment in various manufacturing industries including automotive, electrical & electronics, food & beverage, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, rubber & plastics, metalworking and foundries. In 2011, robot sales grew 35%, making it the most successful year in 50 years. In this article, Automation.com Editor Bill Lydon highlights key findings in the discussion that include why businesses should adopt robotics for production, and how they create jobs and enable small companies to compete worldwide.
This paper examines highly sensitive piezoelectric sensors for precise vibration measurement which is critical in semiconductor production to prevent quality and yield issues....
Motor encoders are rotary encoders adapted to provide information about an electric motor shaft's speed and/or position. Like rotary encoders, motor encoders are most commonly...