INDUSTRY NEWS AND RESOURCES

As part of its R&D activities, Daimler AG has acquired a minority stake in US battery materials specialists Sila Nanotechnologies Inc. (Sila Nano).

In industrial fans, radial impellers are used to transport process gases. At TU Dresden (Dresden Technical University), a radial impeller of this sort has been made in a metal-fiber composite design. It runs twice as fast as conventional impellers and is

Prices for electricity from photovoltaics and onshore wind power have fallen considerably again. Green electricity is also likely to become cheaper than electricity from coal, oil or natural gas almost everywhere in the coming years.

Using 3D printing, the German company Parare has integrated the cooling channel directly into the housing of electric engines. This results in significant savings in weight and costs.

Scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute and Karlsruhe Institute of Technology want to make electric motors lighter, whereby cooling poses the biggest problem.

A different take on flying Dutchmen: Rotterdam The Hague Airport and a European consortium want to create the world’s first commercial system producing aircraft fuel made from air.

A world premiere in Spain: German company Heliatek has now installed its solar film at a wind power plant in Albacete. This will prevent the turbines from drawing power from the grid when there is no wind.

In the field of lightweight construction of automobiles, weight-reducing mixed compounds of steel and aluminum have been in use for a long time now. But now a new joining process will make particularly thick mixed compounds possible as well – especially

A new insulating material, designed specifically to meet the requirements of the automotive industry, is set to further advance lightweight construction. The new material combines good acoustic insulation and low weight.

Wind turbine rotor blade bearings are subjected to tremendous force. A consortium of research institutes and industry partners therefore plans to develop more robust versions of these central units.

The logistics company is investing in the second generation of these “smart glasses”. They enable virtually supported picking that functions more efficiently than traditional processes.

The creation of a digital twin enables all processes to be designed as efficiently as possible before the construction and setup of a warehouse. The Schiettinger Group, based in Brand/Oberpfalz in Bavaria, has successfully implemented the simulation.

What sort of opportunities do blockchain and cloud computing offer logistics and supply chain management? The innovation radar recently published by the competence network Logistics.NRW and the consulting firm TMG takes a close look at this question.

Although companies have recognized the potential of optimized supply chains, many of the projects nevertheless fail because they underestimate the complexity of the task. This is demonstrated in the latest edition of the Hermes barometer.

Although most logisticians hold transport management to be one of their company’s core competencies, a study conducted by BearingPoint shows that companies are not sufficiently equipped with the corresponding resources and digital tools.

Barcode and blockchain, RFID and RTLS: Today, track and trace technologies offer logistics providers a multitude of options. A study has presented the advantages and disadvantages of various systems for the sector.

Although consumer confidence in driverless cars is still low, acceptance values are expected to double in the next five years. There is also an increasing willingness to spend more money on technology.

Automobile manufacturer Ford is set to test whether parcels can be delivered without human employees: autonomous delivery vans do the driving while a robot plays the role of the parcel carrier.

Einride’s driverless, electrically powered vehicle is already underway on public roads. It is transporting goods in an industrial zone in Sweden.

Far from as absurd as it sounds, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Germany can now determine their maturity when it comes to digitization. This will help them take suitable steps towards further digital transformation.

The Boston Consulting Group estimates that advanced robotics could replace 300,000 jobs in German industry by 2025. This may at first sound like bad news, but given the current shortage of skilled workers, for many companies it is good news.

The Japanese electronics and mechanical engineering company FANUC is poised to take HANNOVER MESSE 2019 by storm. In addition to its latest developments in integrated production, the company's fleet of collaborative robots is set to be a particular hit wi

Humans and robots are increasingly working side-by-side in production. A 74-page report states recommendations for these interactions based on ethical and social criteria. For good reason: If the employees do not accept their presence, little will functio

Brexit - if it ever comes - is already casting a long shadow. As reported by the International Federation of Robotics (IFR), the number of newly installed industrial robots in the UK fell by 3% last year.

Human or robotic teams - which are superior? The answer is mixed teams! They are more efficient and cause fewer accidents, as a research team found out based on a practical simulation of production logistics.

The mechanical engineering industry is one of the leading networked production pioneers. This also applies to medium-sized companies, because many are open to the idea of using machine-to-machine communication technologies.

The Motion Terminal from FESTO is the world's first pneumatic automation platform controlled using an app. Its motion apps can coordinate up to 50 different movement and control functions using just one type of valve.

Although by international standards German plant construction is still too often based on traditional, technology-oriented business models, in many other areas plant manufacturers are well equipped for the future.

A Fraunhofer research group is working on a new approach to contactless communication between human beings and machines. Ultrasound converters are designed to capture three-dimensional distances, movements and gestures in this context.

Quickly and easily marking production flaws directly on components is now possible with QSelect, an innovation based on augmented reality (AR) and developed by the Fraunhofer Institute of Optronics, System Technologies and Image Exploitation (IOSB).

Embedded systems in many machines ensure that processes run smoothly. Researchers from Kaiserslautern have developed an award-winning method to reduce the effort of checking the systems.

From Omron comes a complex controller that enables comprehensive predictive maintenance of machinery through artificial intelligence (AI). No additional programming is necessary.

Edge computing brings data analysis closer to smart manufacturing facilities. The approach has the potential to prevent machine downtimes and thus save costs.

Remote maintenance with data glasses, real-time communication and seamless data management - infinIT & HÄUSLER have combined all these elements in their brand-new service concept, D MORITS, an out-of-the-box solution that made its debut at HANNOVER MESSE

The energy provider has commissioned 3D visualization of a substation and integrates the digital twin into its information system; additional plants are to follow. Rheinenergie hopes this will help simplify maintenance in particular.

A company based in Swabia has combined digital simulations with additive manufacturing in its production processes for precision investment castings. This reduces the time to market while saving money for the company.

Schaeffler wants to standardize digitized data transfer in the development of gear systems with an interface standard. As the basis for simple generation of digital twins, the new standard should reduce development times significantly.

By linking up all core IT systems, digital twins can create genuine transparency in production, as N+P Informationssysteme GmbH is keen to demonstrate. The company is at HANNOVER MESSE 2019 to open up new routes to intelligent applications.

According to a recent survey, more and more companies are establishing digital twins of their facilities. 2019 could mark a turning point for digital twins.

HEITEC AG is at HANNOVER MESSE 2019 to demonstrate how the process of commissioning new machines can be made much quicker and more efficient with the help of HeiVM and a corresponding digital twin.

To facilitate and improve collaborative developments across companies, the digital twin model needs to be refined. This is the finding of a study conducted on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi).

What sort of opportunities do blockchain and cloud computing offer logistics and supply chain management? The innovation radar recently published by the competence network Logistics.NRW and the consulting firm TMG takes a close look at this question.

Using 3D printing, the German company Parare has integrated the cooling channel directly into the housing of electric engines. This results in significant savings in weight and costs.

Ottobock, a global market leader for med-tech products and fitting concepts specializing in prosthetics, orthotics and human mobility, is making its debut at HANNOVER MESSE with exhibits including the Paexo Thumb – the world’s smallest exoskeleton.

Using a special glove, operators can control a new robotic hand remotely across the Atlantic – with realistic touch feedback.

The Swedish machine and tool maker Sandvik has developed an innovative diamond composite material. This makes additive production of the extremely hard material possible.

What opportunities does artificial intelligence (AI) present for manufacturers, and how to take advantage of them? The Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering IAO is offering companies a general overview of the possible areas of application

Additive manufacturing enables complex geometries in the fabrication of hard metal tools, but has so far been limited in terms of hardness and component size.

With new monitoring functions for additive manufacturing, the Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems IKTS wants to detect irregularities during the printing process: The automatic stop of component assembly should cut costs.

In additive manufacturing, metal-based processes recorded the highest growth rates last year. The number of providers of industrial printing systems also continues to rise.

With the IDAM project, partners from science and industry want to integrate metallic 3D printing in an industrialized, highly automated series process in the automotive sector.

Flexible electronics from 3D printers have come within close reach thanks to a new concept from a team of researchers. Now, however, conventional additive manufacturing needs to keep pace with these developments.

3D printing has already established a niche in the industrial production of prototypes and small series. It is now expected to get a new boost by connecting to automated production in digital factories.

Aerotec, Daimler and Eos have all reached the decision to reduce the costs for the additive manufacturing of metal components in automobile and aircraft construction by up to 50%. The key to success is fully automated production processes.

Siemens is integrating US manufacturer HP's Jet Fusion 5200 3D printing system into its digital enterprise offering. The two companies are planning to leverage this cooperative project to help their industrial customers manufacture components more efficie

The HP Jet Fusion 3D 4200 Printer and the 3D Processing Station with Fast Cooling being exhibited together at HANNOVER MESSE 2019 are set to deliver 3D printing at record speeds while also slashing costs.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Information Technology FIT sees potential for the blockchain in both logistics and production: as a cooperation tool for autonomous machines and product supply.

What opportunities does artificial intelligence (AI) present for manufacturers, and how to take advantage of them? The Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering IAO is offering companies a general overview of the possible areas of application

At HANNOVER MESSE 2019, Balluff GmbH is focusing firmly on the concrete benefits of Industry 4.0 solutions - based on IO-Link, industrial network technology, machine vision, industrial identification and the company’s proven sensor technology expertise.

The technology sector is engaging ever more closely with other areas of industry. This is revealed by a report from Deloitte, which has also identified some megatrends: IoT and 5G, analytics and artificial intelligence, together with as-a-service business