Purpose – To report on a workshop, “Future UK Robotics Research Opportunities and Challenges”, held at Salford University in November 2005. Design/methodology/approach – The driver for the workshop was fear that the UK could miss out on future opportunities in the robotics market, which...

Examines the history of Clares Merchandise Handling Equipment Limited, the UK’s leading manufacturer of supermarket shopping trolleys and its long connection with robotic welding technology. Its first robot was installed in 1976 and it has recently installed the 25th robot at its Somerset...

Hozelock is a major user of plastics in its garden equipment products, and since flotation in 1993, has spent £26 million on new facilities at its Aylesbury moulding plant and its Birmingham assembly plant and warehouse. Investments have included new injection moulders with robot take‐out on...

Shows how a leading supplier of robots to the plastics industry, ATM Automation, has extended its Leicester factory to incorporate a new Automation Centre. It has also formed a new Automation Division that is enabling the company to offer complete systems incorporating “downstream”...

The British Association for Robotics and Automation (BRA) has announced the 1996 statistics on the installation of robots in the UK. The report reveals that it was a record year surpassing the previous best in 1994. It is also forecasting an even larger market in 1997. The report compares the UK...

Examines the challenges facing the shipbuilding industry today and details the solution offered by a consortium of three German companies. It is based on the prefabrication of sub‐assemblies on production lines in which automation is critical to the economics. Describes welding robots playing...

A report on robots at the Manufacturing Week exhibition, highlighting some of the developments on show in the man‐machine interface field. This reveals that the Windows environment is becoming increasingly popular for robot manufacturers. Special attention is given to the exhibits of two robot...

Report of a lecture by Mr Koh Kikuchi, Chairman of Yaskawa Electric Corporation of Japan, which reviews the development of mechatronics by Yaskawa. It traces the history of the company in its involvement with robotics from the first simple single‐function hand in the 1960s to the latest...

The benefits and advantages that robots bring to the grinding and polishing of complex and awkward shaped components is reviewed. They are illustrated with examples from industries as varied as automotive and medical engineering. In the first of these, laminated glass windows for armed vehicles...

British toolmakers are not renowned for their investment in advanced manufacturing technology. In spite of this mould and die maker, Fletcher & Hamilton has taken the ultimate step and installed the first robotic EDM cell in the UK at its Cheltenham plant. This new facility was introduced...