This Week In Brief: June 1, 2010

Ametek Inc. (Paoli, PA), which specializes in electronic instruments and electromechanical devices, has announced the acquisition of Technical Services for Electronics (TSE; Arlington, MN). As part of Ametek's Electromechanical Group, TSE will continue to provide interconnect products for such medical device applications as ultrasound and neurostimulators.

Robotic systems integrator Ellison Technologies Automation (ETA; Council Bluffs, IA) will host the 'Celebrate Manufacturing' technology forum at its facility on June 16 and 17. The event will combine robot system demonstrations, informative seminars, and operating systems for machine load/unload, arc welding, picking, packing, and palletizing applications. Other sessions will cover 2- and 3-D robotic vision, force sensing, offline programming, simulation, customer support services, and robot programs for education. 

Motoman Inc. (Dayton, OH) and Yaskawa Electric America Inc. (Waukegan, IL) announced today that they will combine to form Yaskawa America Inc. From an operational standpoint, both the Yaskawa Electric America's drives and motion division and the Motoman robotics division will continue to operate as independent business units, retaining the same management structures and operating in the same geographical regions that are currently in place.

Sandvik Coromant (Fair Lawn, NJ) has released its new Metal Cutting Technology Technical Guide to help customers optimize their use of the company's products. Replacing the previous guide from 2005, the new version contains more than 800 pages of information and is available in PDF and DVD formats. The handbook also provides data on how to best use and maintain products, as well as steps to maximize productivity and avoid problems.