A Belgian pork producer has installed robots as part of a just-in-time order fulfilment system that delivers customised products to supermarkets more quickly by disconnecting production from delivery.

While the many benefits that robots can bring in manufacturing applications are widely understood, misconceptions around complexity have deterred many manufacturers from investing in robotic automation. Julian Ware looks at how developments in software are helping to address this issue – making robots as easy to use as possible.

Dr Paul Rivers explains how small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can level the playing field with their larger competitors by embracing automation with an approach that best suits their business needs. 

Ease of programming was a top request for the robot chosen for use as a part of an innovative new packaging cell.

POSIMAT, the Barcelona-based world leading producer of bottle handling systems, brings another innovation to the market with the POSIROBOT. This solution, developed with OMRON's Delta Quattro robots, provides a solution to constant format changes and the complex designs of some bottles. Its delicate handling means that this is a versatile, easy to use, highly flexible and super competitive solution.

Jordi Artigas explains the mobile robot options on offer today and the benefits they are bringing in a growing range of applications.

Stuart Coulton offers his thoughts on robotic trends and the growing importance of robotics across the manufacturing sector.

Nigel Smith highlights some of the main trends for robotics in 2022 and examines the latest developments in artificial intelligence (AI) and more.

ZND UK, a fencing and barrier manufacturer, has within 10 years moved from a mostly manual manufacturing set up to having two automated production lines and a variety of robots. This has resulted in a five-fold increase in productivity.

Universal Robots has helped Stanley Engineered Fastening to introduce robotic quality inspection using cobots in its Warrington facility in the UK.

Stuart Coulton explains how the adoption of robotics in the manufacturing sector can affect jobs – and how can it result in the creation of new and upskilled jobs.

Integrating a single, motion-centric coordinator to control a machine and robots can provide advantages in development time, cost and performance compared to separating PLC and robot control functions. Dave Greensmith explains. 

Automation of a packaging operation with robotics has increased productivity by 40% at BOLÇI.

To allow products to be tailored more closely to customer demand requires a reduction in batch sizes which has led to the rise of 'high-mix, low-volume' (HMLV) production. Find out how cobots can be a key enabler for high-mix automation needs.

Historically HMLV production lines have relied heavily on manual labour, with automation representing something of a programming challenge. However, Oliver Giertz believes that the latest developments in programming are set to change this.

As companies look to diversify to help improve sustainability, Nigel Smith explains the importance of robot programming that is simple enough to be refigured to any kind of manufacturing environment.

Robots are becoming a more familiar sight in food manufacturing plants today, but mostly undertaking end-of-line or packaging functions. In this application, however, robots are being employed to accurately cut blocks of cheese.

Mark Gray believes that, to shore up operations and boost productivity, manufacturers should be looking at robots.

2021 could be a pivotal year for industry in the UK, and the extent to which manufacturers adopt automation may determine its long-term success, says Tom Bouchier.

Neil Ballinger explores the open source Robot Operating System (ROS), which he believes will become a common language for industrial automation.