Automation Articles for Manufacturers and Engineers

Igus has introduced self-serve shopping for their online store, RBTX.

Igus Introduces Self-Serve Shopping to RBTX Online Store

Consultation support still available for those who want it.

Igus’s robotics storefront, RBTX, has started offering self-serve shopping. Previously, RBTX would not allow customers to purchase components without first checking that they were compatible, a safeguard to prevent costly mistakes when purchasing components worth thousands. For those who wish to skip that, Igus has lowered the guardrails to let industry experts quickly order parts the same as they would most anywhere else.

INDUSTRIAL AUTOMATION

From left to right: Dr Mathias Kammüller (Chief Digital Officer and Managing Partner, TRUMPF SE + Co. KG), Alexander Lewinsky (Managing Director, IDS Imaging Development Systems GmbH), Jan Hartmann, Managing Partner, IDS Imaging Development Systems GmbH, Jan Kistner (Head of Corporate Purchasing TRUMPF SE + Co. KG)

IDS Receives Trumpf Supplier Award for Innovation

After developing a new modular camera platform and “flexible technology architecture,” IDS received an award for excellence from tech client Trumpf for going “above and beyond the everyday.”

EcoStruxure Foxboro Software Defined Automation (SDA) delivers openness, embedded cybersecurity, and real-time intelligence.

Decoupling Automation Software from Hardware

For decades, Foxboro DCS has served as the "brain" of many industrial operations, enabling real-time control and coordination of complex processes. But today's landscape demands more – greater agility, fewer costly upgrades, and simplified compliance. To answer those needs, Schneider Electric has introduced EcoStruxure Foxboro Software-Defined Automation to deliver flexibility, scalability and cost efficiency without sacrificing reliability.

ROBOTICS

Comau robots are being monitored by an automatic system to enhance operational visibility and improve maintenance efficiency. The system captures production and process data, identifies performance deviations, signals anomalies, and verifies user-defined KPIs to help the engineering team optimize robot utilization, reduce unplanned downtime, and strengthen overall process reliability.

Intelligent Robot Monitoring

Comau robots are being monitored by an automatic system at Iveco's Valladolid plant in Spain. Developed to enhance operational visibility and improve maintenance efficiency, the cloud-based system monitors robots on Iveco's assembly lines. Comau’s system autonomously captures production and process data, identifies performance deviations, signals anomalies, and verifies user-defined KPIs. This statistical and trend-based analysis helps Iveco’s engineering team optimize robot utilization, reduce unplanned downtime, and strengthen overall process reliability.

The Humanoids are Coming

Tens of thousands of humanoid robots are in the works for deployment at Hyundai Motors, Google DeepMind and other manufacturing facilities, as announced by Boston Dynamics at the 2026 CES show in Las Vegas.

MOTION CONTROL

A diagram of a Nord gear unit installed in a bucket elevator. Nord will be showing off several such gear units at GEAPS Exchange 2026.

Nord To Feature Mainline Electric Motors and Gear Units at GEAPS Exchange 2026

Nord gave a brief preview of what they'll be bringing to GEAPS Exchange 2026, a prominent trade show for the grain industry in North America. Their Maxxdrive line of high torque gear units will be front and center at their booth. Accompanying them will be several helical bevel gear units, electric motors, and a screw conveyor package, all highly customizable to tackle various environmental conditions.

AMKmotion presents the new synchronous servo motor DIP – offering high power density, compact construction, up to three times the acceleration, and reduced use of rare-earth elements.

More Torque with Fewer Magnets

AMKmotion has launched its new DIP series of synchronous servo motors. Delivering up to three times the acceleration of comparable drives, they combine high power density with a compact footprint. The integrated reluctance torque component significantly reduces the use of rare-earth materials.

AI

The A8 is designed for advanced industrial manufacturing applications, with a particular focus on the rapidly evolving semiconductor manufacturing equipment market. Its high-performance architecture and flexible engineering environment make it ideally suited for industries requiring precision control, scalable integration, and accelerated development cycles.

Yokogawa Introduces OpreX A8 Intelligent Edge Controllers

The semiconductor manufacturing industry continues to advance at an unprecedented pace, driven by rapidly increasing precision requirements and growing system complexity. As equipment configurations and control targets diversify, engineers are often required to modify or completely rewrite control software to accommodate new specifications or design changes. Because traditional controllers tightly couple software behavior to hardware, even small adjustments can lead to lengthy redevelopment cycles, slowing innovation and delaying equipment rollout. To overcome these limitations, Yokogawa has introduced a mechanism that enables software development centered on data rather than hardware dependencies. This architecture allows the control software to seamlessly absorb variations in equipment design, functionality, and operating conditions.

The Smart Robotic Canopy Sanding System will target maintenance and repair operations for acrylic and polycarbonate parts that accumulate scratches and surface damage on both interior and exterior surfaces throughout their service life.

GrayMatter Robotics to Develop AI-Powered Robotic System for Air Force

GrayMatter Robotics has been awarded a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II contract by AFWERX, the innovation arm of the Department of the Air Force, to develop an autonomous robotic system for the precision sanding of canopies.