Robotics Assembly

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Manufacturers of knives and tools gain a competitive advantage by assembling their products in the U.S.

ANN ARBOR, MI—Robot orders and shipments in North America set new records in the first nine months of 2015, according to Robotic Industries Association. A total of 22,427 robots valued at $1.3 billion were ordered from North American companies in the first nine months of 2015, an increase of 6 percent in units and 9 percent in dollars over the same period in 2014.

CAMBRIDGE, MA—Researchers at MIT have developed a 3D-printed robotic hand made out of silicone rubber that can lift and handle objects as delicate as an egg and as thin as a compact disc.

LEWES, DE—The worldwide market for welding robots is expected to grow 6.09 percent annually through 2019, according to a new forecast from Market Research Reports Inc.

KYOTO, Japan—OMRON Corp., a manufacturer of sensors and control technology, will acquire robotics pioneer Adept Technology Inc.

New technology allows assemblers and machines to work closer than ever.

GOTHENBURG, Sweden—The energy consumption of industrial robots could be cut by up to 40 percent thanks to new motion optimization techniques developed by researchers from Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden.

CAMBRIDGE, MA—Engineers at MIT have found a way to give robots more dexterity by using the environment as a helping hand. The researchers developed a model that predicts the force with which a robotic gripper needs to push against various fixtures in the environment in order to adjust its grasp on an object.

SPARTANBURG, SC—BMW is constructing a 527,000-square-foot body shop at its assembly plant here. The facility will include more than 650 robots.