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New CAM software cuts robotic machining deployment

At Automate (Booth #4476), RoboDK will showcase RoboDK CAM, which generates robotic machining programs directly from CAD files. Designed for easy deployment, it cuts setup time by up to 40%. Live demonstrations will show users how to create collision-free robot motion straight from CAD data, eliminating manual line-by-line coding.
Learn more about RoboDK CAM.

AI Tools You Can Use: What is OpenClaw? How do I get it and use it?

OpenClaw is trending big time right now, but what is it? The YouTubers over at Create a Pro Website run through the basics of what you need to know and how to implement it. Basically, OpenClaw is a next-gen 24/7 AI assistant that lives on your computer and can perform actions for you. You talk to it through a chat app. You can set it up to do real work such as alert you to important emails, answer emails for you, manage your calendar and travel, and so much more. There is a great intro video here and also a longer, very thorough step-by-step video to setting up OpenClaw.
View the OpenClaw intro video.
View the OpenClaw setup video.

New! 6-digit programmable display/controller

Bristol Instruments has released the OM 403UNI Series displays/ controllers, allowing users to monitor two or three simultaneous functions. Configured via OM Link software or front-panel buttons, they feature four- or six-digit displays with +/-0.05% of f.s. range accuracy. They function as numeric/bar-graph displays, controllers, data recorders, or accumulators. Additionally, they detect and alert users to error conditions like broken sensor wires.
Learn more.

Mini edge AI systems for vision, generative AI

As enterprises transition from PoC to real-world edge AI deployment, Aetina has launched its Mini Series Edge AI systems. Powered by NVIDIA Jetson Orin Nano and NX modules, these compact, fanless systems deliver high-performance vision and generative AI inference. Engineered for demanding industrial environments, they offer flexible camera connectivity, space-saving designs, and long-term reliability to accelerate smart infrastructure.
Learn more.

Thermal imaging on the quality control line

On a high-speed food and beverage line, what you can see is not always what is happening. Thermal imaging adds a different layer of control. Instead of relying on surface appearance, it measures heat distribution as seals are formed and products move through the line, providing continuous, 100% in-line inspection instead of just sampling.
Read the full article.

Built for the test bench, ready for the field

FUTEK's IDC150 Signal Conditioner packages high-performance signal conditioning in a rugged aluminum enclosure. Built for engineers needing accurate, synchronized data from strain gauge sensors, it fits prototyping and lab environments. The device connects seamlessly to existing setups and pairs with SENSIT software and Python APIs. It is ideal for compact, high-performance digital sensor evaluation.
Learn more.

Automotive lighting systems simplified, optimized

The new MLX81119 from Melexis is an 18-channel LIN RGB LED controller with an integrated DC/DC converter, designed to simplify and optimize automotive lighting systems. By generating the LED supply voltage locally on chip, this unit significantly reduces power dissipation, external components, and space requirements in increasingly dense vehicle applications such as door panels, dashboards, and charge-port lighting.
Learn more.

How healthy is your machine? Moisture-in-Oil Sensor

iST's Moisture-in-Oil Sensor is a compact, digital RH/T module that accurately and continuously monitors the water content in oils and fuels. This sensor does not simply measure the absolute water content -- it measures the relative saturation level in % RH or water activity aw in %. This means you get a direct picture of the current oil quality and can react in time. Applications include: marine engines and gearboxes, commercial and rail vehicles, wind turbines and generators, drilling and paper machines, and more. Eval kit available.
Learn more.

World's first native color lidar sensors

Ouster Rev8 features the world's first patented native color lidar sensors. For the first time, a single lidar sensor can understand road signs, interpret brake lights, or simply capture the richness of planet Earth in survey-grade, colorized maps. Based on patented Ouster Silicon with embedded Fujifilm color science, the L4 chip boasts 42.9 GMACs of processing power, detection of up to 20 trillion photons per sec, and a 40-kHz measurement rate with picosecond timing precision. Sees up to 200 m.
Learn more.

Real-world applications: 3D camera ensures precise aircraft cabin drilling

In modern aircraft production, precision is everything. In this application article, learn how an Ensenso 3D camera integrated into an automated process chain ensures accurate detection and alignment of drilling positions in aircraft cabin assembly using the CAD data of the aircraft frame.
Read the full article.

What are Onshape Custom Features?

Certified Onshape Professional Too Tall Toby explains how to supercharge your workflow using community-created tools. In this insightful tutorial, he dives into the world of FeatureScript -- the powerful coding language behind Onshape. Learn where to find new scripts and how to use them. Save time. Learn new skills, shortcuts, and maybe even better ways to do things. Incorporate Custom Features into your everyday work. Very useful.
View the video.

What can you do with touchless magnetic angle sensors?

Novotechnik has put together an informative video highlighting real-world applications for their RFC, RFE, and RSA Series touchless magnetic angle sensors. You may be surprised at the variety of off-highway, marine, material handling, and industrial uses. You'll learn how they work (using a Hall effect microprocessor to detect position) and their key advantages, including eliminated wear and tear on these non-mechanical components. We love when manufacturers provide such useful examples.
View the video.

What can the new Autodesk Inventor AI Assistant do for you?

Autodesk Assistant brings industry-specific context to help execute tasks and orchestrate actions across your 3D models -- not just answer questions. Designed to understand your workflows, Assistant appears as a dockable panel alongside your Inventor workspace and includes the ability to perform complex tasks or gather information from your designs without writing a single line of code. Find out what this new AI "colleague" can do for you.
Watch this informative Autodesk video.

Useful! Snap-together LED enclosure lighting

Seifert StripLite SL 4000 Series LED enclosure lighting provides bright illumination to 700 lumens. On/off switch and motion sensor models are available. Easily daisy chain up to 16 light strips. Magnetic or clip mounting. See video/info on website or contact Bristol Instruments for more information.
Learn about snap-together lighting.

Next-gen multi-touch panels

Beckhoff's Next line of multi-touch control panels and panel PCs is engineered for demanding human-machine interface and control tasks. These panels offer convenient operation with advanced multi-touch technology, a high-quality look and feel, anti-glare and anti-ghosting effects, and a wide choice of formats (from 7 to 23.8 in.) and options. A main draw is the line's attractive pricing.
Learn more.

Partnership aims to create a U.S. domestic gallium supply from aluminum production

Ames National Laboratory and Indium Corp. have announced a research and development (R&D) partnership that seeks to expand production of gallium -- an indispensable material for semiconductors and LED lighting -- in the United States. Leveraging the automation and artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities at Ames Lab, the partnership aims to strengthen domestic supply chains for this critical element, which currently relies almost exclusively on foreign imports. Ames is a U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science National Laboratory operated by Iowa State University.

"There is currently no domestic gallium production and no complete U.S. gallium supply chain," said Ames Lab scientist and project leader Long Qi, an expert in chemical separations and catalysis. "The partnership goal is to change that, and the effort aligns well with the Department of Energy's mission to develop critical materials production here."

Gallium is a byproduct of the first step of the well-established and high-volume method of producing aluminum. Called the Bayer process, it uses caustic liquids and high temperatures to extract and refine alumina from bauxite ore. Gallium is typically present in the waste from the refining process in very low concentrations (about 100 parts per million).

While the concentrations are low, Ames Lab and Indium, a materials refiner and manufacturer, see an opportunity to innovate a process that efficiently separates and extracts gallium as an additional high-value material during aluminum production.

"This collaboration brings together advanced research capabilities and deep materials expertise to address a critical gap in the U.S. supply chain," said Ross Berntson, president and CEO of Indium. "By focusing on scalable, data-driven solutions, we're working to enable more reliable access to gallium for the industries that depend on it."

Liquid-based refining methods typically use specialized polymers, called resins, which can separate and concentrate metals from mining solutions. For this project, a team of researchers at Ames Lab will design and develop a heat-stable and efficient resin that is selective for gallium.

In the past, the R&D stage for new materials has taken 10 to 20 years. However, Ames Lab has developed innovative robotic lab capabilities that can carry out a large number of experiments and generate high-quality data quickly. When paired with AI tools, the data can be rapidly analyzed to uncover patterns, optimize processes, and guide the iterative design of materials. These accelerated workflows can shrink the development timeline from decades to as little as two to three years.

"By using our automated chemistry capabilities and AI tools, we can generate over 100 data points daily for our AI model. This dramatically accelerates our timeline for developing a solution that surpasses current industry-leading materials." said Qi.

Scaling the technology is a joint effort, which will be done through a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA): Indium will provide a U.S. resin testbed that mirrors high-volume production and techno-economic models to define the required material properties, and Ames Lab will synthesize materials up to the hundreds-of-grams scale. Future scale-up to kilograms and tons will continue collaboratively.

In addition to Qi, the Ames National Laboratory team consists of Ames Lab scientists Lun An and Zachery Crandall, and joint faculty member Theresa Windus, department chair and distinguished professor in the Department of Chemistry at Iowa State University. Robert Ploessl, product manager for metals and compounds, leads the CRADA partnership for Indium.

"This work is an important step toward unlocking new value for existing industrial processes," said Ploessl. "By combining innovative materials development with practical scale-up pathways, we are laying the groundwork for more resilient and sustainable sourcing of critical elements." Source: Ames National Laboratory

Published June 2026

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