OMRON has announced the creation of a dedicated global robotics organisation. This strategic step reflects OMRON's continued commitment to robotics as a core part of its value proposition and an essential pillar of its complete end-to-end automation solutions.

What really grinds manufacturers' gears? Costly downtime and worn-out machinery. Maglev technology takes friction out of the equation, reducing the need for both scheduled and unscheduled maintenance activity. Here, Mark Richards, UK sales manager at Beckhoff Automation UK, explains the long- and short-term benefits of maglev technology for maintenance engineering.

From 24 to 27 June 2025 Nabtesco will be among the exhibitors at automatica in Munich, presenting the company's diverse production and solution portfolio for robotics and automation under the motto "The Power at your Side".

ifm introduces the UGT3 - a full-metal ultrasonic sensor designed to excel in the most demanding industrial environments. Combining exceptional durability with advanced ultrasonic technology, the UGT3 combines precision, reliability and toughness in extreme conditions.

The Dplus designation means that a HEIDENHAIN encoder provides multi-dimensional motion feedback. This added functionality unlocks new potential in a variety of applications, including high-accuracy robots, safe cobots, continuous brake monitoring in elevators and finer structures in hybrid bonding and other electronics and semiconductor manufacturing applications.

Kempston Controls has signed a new distribution agreement with Mitsubishi Electric that will enable the distributor to now offer an end-to-end automation solution for customers.

IO-Link as a global standard for smart sensor integration opens up a wide range of possibilities for customers in automation. And this is exactly where SICK comes in. The new SIG300 IO-Link Master from SICK combines flexibility, connectivity and user-friendliness, making it a crucial component for efficient automation tasks.

In mechanical engineering, there are often several variants of a machine that differ in terms of their range of functions, configuration, and topology of the connected devices. The I/O Connection Manager in the LASAL automation software from SIGMATEK ensures that communication between the control and the connected I/O is flexible and scalable.

2025 marks a significant milestone for BPX, as it celebrates its 60th anniversary. To celebrate, BPX has planned a series of activities and events throughout the year with the first event taking place at the end of April at Oulton Hall, close to Leeds.

Machine builders are beginning to implement artificial intelligence (AI) for a variety of tasks, such as predictive maintenance and control systems. If AI is used within control systems, there can be safety implications. For example, AI might determine how a robot reacts when a person enters its operating zone. Derek Coulson, compliance specialist at Hold Tech Files, explains.