Automatica came to an end on June 30, 2023 after four days of trade fairs. "A brilliant comeback after just one year," Messe München, the organizer, proudly sums up.

From July 1, 2023, the Executive Board of the ifm Group will have one more newly created function, that of Chief Operating Officer (COO).

Kontron has signed an asset deal with Telit Cinterion. The acquisition of Telit Cinterion's Cellular Automotive Module Unit is a strategic step for Kontron to expand its Internet of Things portfolio with proprietary software technology.

Interest in the topic of artificial intelligence continues unabated and is also reflected in our most-read article of the month of June: two youngsters who have set out to overcome fears of AI technologies lead the ranking. The top 10 at a glance.

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The Lapp Group is planning a comprehensive expansion and modernization of its logistics center in Ludwigsburg, near the A8 motorway. This will be the largest single investment in the company's history.

The EU institutions have agreed on the "Data Act", which regulates the use of collected data. The VDMA takes a critical view of the agreement.

Industry associations, including the ZVEI, are critical of the EU Data Act. The Data Act falls short of its potential, they say.

On June 29, 2023, the "Machinery Regulation (EU) 2023/1230" (hereinafter: Machinery Regulation) was published in the Official Journal of the European Union. Machine manufacturers and operators have 42 months to comply with the new requirements for machines and systems.

Ulrich Engenhardt has been the new Chief Business Units Officer (CBO) on the Rittal Management Board since June 1, 2023. The 49-year-old is responsible for the global expansion of the Industry, IT, Energy & Power, Cooling and Service business units.

Despite warnings from large companies, the EU has agreed on the "Data Act". The aim is to make better use of data from all kinds of devices, from coffee machines to wind turbines. Not everyone is happy with the planned regulations.

Modern production technology relies on smooth data transmission - ideally in real time. How well equipped are German companies in terms of connection standards? Reichelt Elektronik got to the bottom of this question in a survey.

Almost 72,000 industrial robots were installed in the 27 member states of the European Union in 2022 - an increase of 6% compared to the previous year. These are the preliminary results presented by the International Federation of Robotics.

Omron has announced the release of 'Fleet Operations Workspace (Flow) Core 3.0' software. The platform extends the operational capabilities of LD and HD series autonomous mobile robots (AMR) and facilitates AMR deployment and fleet management.

Robot arms must not drop or fall uncontrollably after the power is switched off, in the event of a power failure or emergency stop. Brakes hold the servo axes securely in position. There is now a new modular system for servo brakes from mayr power transmission.

A payload of up to 8 kg and a reach of 1018 mm are among the features of the 'Horst1000' robot kinematics system that fruitcore robotics is launching on the market.

In recent years, so-called lightweight robots have been developed. They are also known as collaborative robots or cobots. A group of scientists at RWTH Aachen University has researched how these mechanical helpers can be integrated into a system.

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Autonomous systems are about to revolutionize factories and warehouses. This article shows how Simulink is used to set up a continuous pick-and-place workflow for a mobile manipulator such as the Kinova Gen3 on a mobile Husky robot.

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The federal and state digital ministers are calling for rapid but moderate regulation of artificial intelligence in Europe. Without AI, there would be no competitiveness in the future, said Federal Digital Minister Volker Wissing (FDP).

The 'Mynitron' series for 16.2 mm installation openings from Georg Schlegel has been extended by a push-button version with spade terminals.

The 'DimensionControl Metal Profile Gauge (MPG)' from Micro-Epsilon is used for automatic profile measurements of long products made of steel, aluminum and non-ferrous metal and can be easily integrated into the production line thanks to its horseshoe-shaped frame.