Automation Articles for Manufacturers and Engineers

Whether on the yard of a logistics center, along the perimeter of an airport, or in an industrial park, these areas do not follow standard traffic rules. At the same time, they are highly sensitive: vehicles often move near to pedestrians, forklifts, or machinery. A moment of inattention, combined with excessive speed, can have serious consequences, from personal injury to production downtime and high costs. For safety reasons, vehicle movements on industrial and traffic sites are increasingly monitored automatically.

Altech has released a new terminal block designed to help manage complications that stem from vibrating machinery such as connection failures and damaged wires. Targeting heavy-duty applications where such machinery is common, the STH5 is a no-nonsense solution built to solve these issues with minimal fuss and assembly.

Hybrid programming combines offline preparation with live work on the real robot in a single workflow. Offline programming on its own is rarely enough, because even a well-prepared program still needs adjustment on the shop floor. Online programming on its own is slower, ties up the cell, and leaves less room for advance verification. ENCY Hyper brings the two together: users can build and check a project in a digital environment, then connect to the real robot to refine motion and run the job. That makes robot programming faster to prepare and easier to bring into production.

Igus recently showed off what they will be bringing to Automate 2026: a new shopping tool that helps robotics professionals get their components quickly and smoothly and a user-friendly palletizing cobot.