Reed Switch Developments Corp. (RSD), a woman-owned manufacturer in Racine, WI, specializes in magnetic reed switches and sensors. Recognized as last year’s Quality Plant of the Year, RSD has achieved a 25% increase in sales year-to-date, leveraging in-house technical expertise and automation to manage growth amid rising costs and economic uncertainty.

Initially seen as science fiction, machine vision in manufacturing faced hesitance due to high costs and lack of awareness. However, interest has surged, shifting the focus from "Can it be done?" to "How will we do it?" This reflects significant transformative changes in the industry.

Automated processes are vital in industrial production, with robots handling finished products and sorting parts for quality assurance. Equipped with 3D cameras and machine vision, they accurately identify and grasp items from disordered bins.

As robots gain prevalence in manufacturing, emphasizing their safe use is vital. This includes understanding safety features, challenges, and best practices across all robot types, such as industrial, collaborative (cobots), autonomous mobile (AMRs), and humanoid robots, to navigate their complexities effectively.

ABB Robotics announced its sponsorship of MassRobotics, a leading innovation hub and startup accelerator for robotics in the United States.

The recent Boeing door plug failures highlight the urgent need for better quality control. Utilizing AI, particularly Large Vision Models (LVMs), offers a promising solution for enhancing quality assurance by providing unparalleled precision, efficiency, and scalability.

We explore two critical applications of AI and ML in quality management: predictive quality analytics and automated quality inspections.

For automation-focused companies, Autonomous Process Control (APC) isn’t just a tech advancement—it’s essential for achieving six sigma quality and boosting yields and profitability.

Quality assurance (QA) meets artificial intelligence (AI). How can they coexist safely? Integrating AI into QA brings opportunities and risks, especially in safety-critical environments. Balancing rigorous standards and human oversight is crucial.

In today’s industrial landscape, IO-Link enables seamless data exchange for efficient operations.