September, 2023

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Recommendations for Managing Cybersecurity Threats in the Manufacturing Sector

Foley

In the hyper-connected era of smart manufacturing, accelerated by “Industry 4.0,” the manufacturing sector is undergoing a digital revolution. By leveraging technologies such as advanced automation, artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things (IoT), blockchain, and the like, manufacturers continue to optimize production, increase efficiency, and drive innovation.

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How to Use Conversational AI to Improve Your Customer Service

Robotics Automation News

In 2023, customer service has become a focal point in the business world, with exceptional customer experiences being more crucial than ever. A PwC study reveals that 73% of individuals consider customer experience a vital factor in their purchasing decisions.

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What reviewing scholarships taught me about future manufacturing professionals

The Fabricator

The WELDER editor Rafael Guerrero shares his experience reviewing Nuts, BoltsandThingamajigs (NBT) scholarship applications and what the process says about future manufacturing professionals.

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Carlo Gavazzi 2-Phase and 3-Phase compact power supplies

Design World

Carlo Gavazzi is excited to introduce the new SPDE Power Supply Series, which are very compact 2-phase (bi-phase) and 3-phase DIN-rail mount power supplies designed for electrical panels with limited space. This series offers power ratings from 120 to 480 W with 24 and 48 VDC output, and input voltage range with AC voltage, (2-Ph… The post Carlo Gavazzi 2-Phase and 3-Phase compact power supplies appeared first on Design World.

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Navigating the Future: Generative AI, Application Analytics, and Data

Generative AI is upending the way product developers & end-users alike are interacting with data. Despite the potential of AI, many are left with questions about the future of product development: How will AI impact my business and contribute to its success? What can product managers and developers expect in the future with the widespread adoption of AI?

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UK CV production up again in August

SMMT

UK commercial vehicle (CV) manufacturing grows 8.6% in most productive August since 2012. 6,660 units leave factories in August, pushing year-to-date volume 62.2% above pre-pandemic levels. CVs made for the domestic market up by 24.4%, while exports fall slightly, down -2.0%. British commercial vehicle (CV) manufacturing grew 8.6% in August as 6,660 units rolled out of UK factories, according to new figures published today by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

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New UK projects grow nuclear sector workforce by 20 per cent in one year

E&T

The annual jobs map from the Nuclear Industry Association (NIA) shows that the sector employs 77,413 people across the UK, a 20 per cent year-on-year increase. However, the NIA warns that the UK must train tens of thousands of additional workers to deliver the government’s 24GW nuclear target by 2050. The first project on course to be completed is the oft-delayed and over-budget Hinkley Point C.

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WPI researcher receives $600,000 grant to develop 3D printable robots for search-and-rescue operations

Robotics Automation News

Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) researcher Markus Nemitz is the recipient of a $599,815 CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation to develop an innovative architecture for low-cost custom robots capable of traversing challenging terrains by swimming, crawling, climbing, and diving through hostile and confined spaces as part of search-and-rescue operations.

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Distributed ZTNA enables simple and scalable secure remote access to OT assets

Cisco Smart Manufacturing

Zero trust network access (ZTNA) is the ideal alternative to cellular gateways and VPN solutions for remote access. But in OT environments, ZTNA needs to be distributed.

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An engineer since childhood

Design World

Norberta Lu started disassembling and rebuilding things at an early age. Today, she uses her skills to improve how things work. By Martin Rowe, senior technical editor, EE World “I like to destroy things and rebuild them,” said Zhuofan (Norberta) Lu. Spoken like a true engineer. After all, who doesn’t like taking things apart? Currently… The post An engineer since childhood appeared first on Design World.

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August boost for EV market but regulatory uncertainty threatens future ambitions

SMMT

New car market enters second year of growth as August registrations rise 24.4%. Battery electric cars take highest monthly market share for the year, accounting for 20.1% of new cars reaching the road. Industry warns delay on Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate details puts decarbonisation goals at risk. SEE CAR REGISTRATIONS BY BRAND DOWNLOAD PRESS RELEASE AND DATA TABLE The new car market grew 24.4% in August with 85,657 new vehicles registered, according to the latest figures from the Society of Mo

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Manufacturing Sustainability Surge: Your Guide to Data-Driven Energy Optimization & Decarbonization

Speaker: Kevin Kai Wong, President of Emergent Energy Solutions

In today's industrial landscape, the pursuit of sustainable energy optimization and decarbonization has become paramount. Manufacturing corporations across the U.S. are facing the urgent need to align with decarbonization goals while enhancing efficiency and productivity. Unfortunately, the lack of comprehensive energy data poses a significant challenge for manufacturing managers striving to meet their targets.

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Rolls-Royce nozzle breakthrough brings hydrogen plane engines closer to reality

E&T

The firm is working with partner easyJet to develop hydrogen combustion engine technology capable of powering a range of aircraft from the mid-2030s onwards. It said it completed tests on a full annular combustor of a Pearl 700 engine, which was running solely on hydrogen fuel. The test proves that the fuel can be combusted at conditions needed to achieve maximum take-off thrust.

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Ultra-low voltage motor, motor drive industry growth driven by mobile robotics, increased flexibility

Control Engineering

Motor and drive insights The ultra-low voltage motor market is projected to reach nearly $6.5 billion by 2027, driven by demand from battery-driven applications and increased flexibility in manufacturing and logistics processes. Larger industrial conglomerates are acquiring ultra-low voltage motor companies to enhance their versatility. Growth is particularly strong in North America and Asia, with China leading due to the mobile and industrial robotics sectors.

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Nail It the First Time: Your Roadmap to Intelligent Contact Center Automation

Frost & Sullivan Manufacturing

In the last article, we explored automation’s potential to deliver swift query resolution while carving out multi-million-dollar savings for contact centers. Companies know this and are investing heavily in AI and automation solutions. Yet many consumers are not happy with the state of affairs. Why is it that most automation projects fail to deliver on expectations?

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ERIKS welcomes its first apprentices

Manufacturing Management

ERIKS has welcomed the first apprentices to its newly designed apprenticeship programme. The new programme demonstrates its commitment to fostering a new generation of engineers and bridging the engineering skills gap.

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Modernizing MES: A Guide for Complex Manufacturers Adapting to Industry 4.0

As engineers push the boundaries of innovation with groundbreaking hardware products, their success depends largely on the speed and efficiency of production. The challenge? Manual processes and disparate systems lead to multiple versions of documents, incomplete records, and duplicated work, creating a chaotic system of records that is difficult to manage.

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Carlo Gavazzi’s new Single Phase AC Energy Meter for Level 1 and 2 EV Charging

Design World

Carlo Gavazzi announces the launch of its EM511 Series 1-Phase Energy Meters, which are simple, intuitive, self-contained, easy-to-install, remotely accessible energy meters suitable for load balancing in EV charging or PV and storage applications. They are suitably designed for 1-phase energy metering for Level 1 and 2 EV charging applications meeting all global certification requirements… The post Carlo Gavazzi’s new Single Phase AC Energy Meter for Level 1 and 2 EV Charging appear

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UK car manufacturing falls in August as factories gear up for next gen models

SMMT

UK car production declines by -9.7% to 45,052 units in August, following six months of growth. Production for home market falls -25.2%, as exports also decline by -5.5%. Electrified vehicles represent nearly two in five of all cars produced in August, equivalent to 16,511 units. UK car production fell -9.7% in August, following six consecutive months of growth, as 45,052 models rolled off factory lines, according to the latest figures published today by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Tra

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Heat pumps outperform fossil fuel heating even in icy conditions, study finds

E&T

A heat pump takes heat at a low temperature from the air or ground and increases it to a higher temperature, before transferring it into homes for central heating and hot water. This heat extraction method means that the efficiency of heat pumps declines in colder temperatures. However, experiments from researchers at Oxford University and the Regulatory Assistance Project think tank have shown that, even at temperatures as low as -30°C, heat pumps still outperform fossil-fuel-powered systems.

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Virtual twins as a service can help manufacturers thrive

Control Engineering

Global management consulting firms agree that digital twins add substantial business value to a company’s performance – value that, once achieved, turbo-charges business indicators for customers, investors and other stakeholders. Unlike single-purpose digital twins created from data locked in one application, virtual twins draw on a pool of consolidated data to deliver consistent insights from concept to testing, sourcing, purchasing, manufacturing, supply chain management, service after the sal

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Mastering Digital Transformation: Your Guide to a Successful MES Implementation

70% of digital transformation projects fail (BCG, 2020). In an industry where most large software implementations falter, we recognize the importance of planning, optimization, and execution. With over 25 years of industry experience and countless successful implementations, MASS Group is opening the vault of tips and tricks to provide a complimentary step-by-step guide in implementing a Work-In-Progress (WIP) tracking software.

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An 8,000-ton dream for Milacron, 20/20 Custom Molded Plastics

Plastics News

One of the largest injection molding machines ever built in North America — an 8,000-ton Milacron press that's 94 feet long with 38 miles of wiring — is now installed at 20/20 Custom Molded Plastics LLC in Holiday City, Ohio.

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Fernride raises $50 million in Series A funding to scale autonomous yard trucking

Robotics Automation News

Germany-based autonomous trucking innovator Fernride has closed a further $19 million in its Series A funding, pushing the total round amount to $50 million. This comes as the company strengthens its focus on advancing the transition towards automated and sustainable logistics by creating the world’s leading human-machine collaboration technology.

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Reinventing heuristics for design and risk management

Design World

By Jeff Morang | Director of Human Factors Engineering • BlackHӓgen Design Incorporating Human Factors Engineering and Usability Engineering (HFE/UE) processes during medical device development greatly increases the chances that devices will be safe and effective for intended users in the intended use environments and meet the expectations and requirements of regulatory authorities.

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5 Bioplastics That Meet Today’s Food Packaging Needs

Plastics Today

Three drop-in bio-derived replacements for fossil-fuel-sourced polymers and two enhanced-barrier polymers made from biomass provide brands with responsible packaging options.

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Future Focus: Constructing Unshakeable Stability in Your Manufacturing Supply Chain

Speaker: Jay Black, Senior Account Executive

We’ve all heard the buzzwords to describe new supply chain trends: resiliency, sustainability, AI, machine learning. But what do these really mean today? Over the past few years, manufacturing has had to adapt to and overcome a wide variety of supply chain trends and disruptions to stay as stable as possible. Stability has become key in this post-COVID world, and will remain key moving forward.

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Ship begins laying 440km cable to link world’s largest offshore wind farm to UK energy grid

E&T

The 1.4GW Sofia offshore wind farm is being built by energy firm RWE and, once complete, will be one of the world’s largest single offshore wind farms. Expected to be operational in 2026, Sofia forms part of the Dogger Bank wind farm project that will boast a combined energy output of 4.8GW. The Leonardo da Vinci vessel, built by Prysmian, is laying the first sections of high-voltage direct current export cables, which will be used to transport green electricity from the wind farm back to the UK

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How robotics-as-a-service can help manufacturers with operations challenges

Control Engineering

Robotics insights The consumer packaging industry faces significant challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain disruptions, and a worker shortage, leading to a need for increased automation. Robotics-as-a-service (RaaS) offers a cost-effective solution for companies to implement automation, with lower upfront costs and faster ROI compared to traditional manufacturing methods.

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Material Insights: UAW strike impacts resin market; exports, outages drive up PE prices

Plastics News

The UAW strike against the Detroit 3 is already impacting the resin market. PN 's Sarah Kominek talks with Matt Zessin, global director of automotive for M. Holland, at the Detroit auto show. Also, a surprising price increase for polyethylene, driven by exports to China and supply issues at Chevron Phillips and Nova Chemicals.

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Empowering Your Online Presence: WordPress Web Design Essentials

Robotics Automation News

In today’s digital age, establishing a robust online presence is vital for businesses, bloggers, and individuals alike. Your website is often the first point of interaction between you and your audience. Therefore, ensuring that it not only looks visually appealing but also functions seamlessly is of utmost importance.

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A Low-Risk, Incremental Approach to Smart Manufacturing for Small & Medium Manufacturers

This guidebook discusses how small/medium manufacturers have implemented Smart Manufacturing initiatives and realized benefits such as increased productivity as well as higher levels of coordination and speed within the enterprise and supply chain.

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The 2023 September/October digital edition of Manufacturing AUTOMATION is now online!

Automation Mag

The September/October 2023 digital edition of Manufacturing AUTOMATION is now available. Our cover story focuses on how Lifetime Achievement Award winner Michal Goc solves challenging automation problems with an innovative mind and perseverance. Also in this issue, you’ll find: Behind the scenes: Robot integration Navigating challenges when implementing robots to achieve desired results.

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Metal fabrication trends to watch at FABTECH 2023

The Fabricator

It’s show time for FABTECH 2023. Get ready for new levels of fabrication power and new levels of programming and planning simplicity, all driven by the almighty algorithm.

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How mechanics found in nature could make quantum computing a reality

E&T

The travelling salesperson problem does not sound like a major quandary. The task? Compute the shortest possible route between a list of destinations and return to base. Unfortunately, although it’s conceptually simple to work it out, no one has come up with an algorithm that is efficient enough to run at speed for tasks with more than a short list of destinations.

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Centennial College opens LEED Gold, zero carbon, mass timber building

Canadian Manufacturing

Photo credit: Riley Snelling. CNW Group/Centennial College TORONTO — Centennial College is opening the doors to its A-Building ─ Canada’s first LEED Gold, zero carbon, mass timber, higher-education building. A-Building, formerly known as A-Block, establishes a new gateway to Centennial’s flagship Progress Campus in Scarborough that supports Indigenous ways of being and teaching.

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How Embedded Analytics Gets You to Market Faster with a SAAS Offering

Start-ups & SMBs launching products quickly must bundle dashboards, reports, & self-service analytics into apps. Customers expect rapid value from your product (time-to-value), data security, and access to advanced capabilities. Traditional Business Intelligence (BI) tools can provide valuable data analysis capabilities, but they have a barrier to entry that can stop small and midsize businesses from capitalizing on them.