Indramat servo drives and servo motors revolutionized the motion control industry nearly 60 years ago. Now, the company is no longer known as Indramat, but servos are still instrumental in manufacturing, and a recent report predicts that servo drives and servo motors will become even more important over the next 5 years. Servo motors are… Read more »
Halloween is just around the corner, making this a perfect time to talk about all things spooky. Monsters are scary, and zombies are scary. Even downtime can be scary if you work in manufacturing. But are robots scary? Industrial robots have always been regarded as a friend of the manufacturer. Industrial automation has made some… Read more »
If you work in manufacturing, you probably read that title and said, “Yes. Labor costs absolutely matter, and why would you ask such a question?” Labor costs have long been an important factor in manufacturing, and have even dictated where things are made. Countries with lower labor costs tempt manufacturers into offshoring production, even if… Read more »
When you were growing up, your parents probably taught you to be kind to others. There are a lot of reasons you should be nice to people: society has rules, you might hurt someone’s feelings, you might get into a fight, it’s wrong, etc. Many people would take this advice a step further and say… Read more »
Servo motors have made some pretty amazing things possible over the years. You don’t fully appreciate servos until you consider that most robots, or anything that incorporates motion control, use servo motors. Not only are robots cool, but they make life easier for human beings, and that’s made possible by servo motors. Just think about… Read more »
There have been some pretty incredible “predictions” made in science fiction over the years. Space travel, the Internet, robots, genetic engineering — these are just a few of things that have left their ink and paper origins to become a part of the real world. Science and science fiction have always walked hand in hand…. Read more »
People have different ideas about robots depending on what their interests or experiences are. Movie-goers and sci-fi fans think of robots as mechanical beings that can walk, talk, and feel human emotions. If you live in Japan you might think about the robotic, bear-shaped caregivers designed to assist the aging population. If you work in… Read more »
Most consumers don’t really put much thought into packaging. They won’t notice the subtle changes made to a plastic bottle that could literally save tons of waste material in a year. In fact they might not even notice that the packaging for their favorite brands has probably changed a dozen times since they started purchasing… Read more »
There’s an army of hideous spike-covered creatures, each with 21 arms, looking to destroy Australia. Well, army might be a bit of an exaggeration, and it’s not like they’re actively trying to destroy Australia, and the aforementioned hideous creatures are actually starfish. But these starfish do pose a real threat to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef,… Read more »
When it comes to military prowess and Olympic basketball teams, few countries can compare to the United States; however, performance in math and science is quite a different story. A survey released earlier this year from the Pew Research Center reported that less than 30% of Americans rate U.S. K-12 science and math education above… Read more »
