Everything we announced at Vention Demo Day 2020

At the very first Vention Demo Day, leaders took the stage to talk about the future of industrial automation, and to give you (the Vention community) a closer look at the new tools and products being introduced to help you automate the factories of tomorrow.

In case you missed it, we’ve put together an overview of every product launch and update that was announced at Vention Demo Day 2020.

A new era of industrial automation

In our mission to democratize industrial automation we have always strived to provide a simple user experience, from design all the way to deployment… an experience that is so simple and fast that users feel confident navigating their automation project by themselves.

This focus on democratization is impacting, for the better, factories of all sizes across all sorts of industries, but it is also impacting lives, and luckily, we aren’t alone in this journey. Since the beginning we’ve had the chance to work alongside amazing partners who believe in the same mission of democratization. As you know, this led to the creation of the Vention partner network that we introduced a little earlier this year.

This concerted effort on democratization is creating a new era of industrial automation, one that requires a new category of software. Combining aspects of CAD, PLC programming, and PLM, and supported by full-fledged e-commerce capabilities, a manufacturing automation platform (MAP), is becoming the digital platform required to drive industrial automation projects forward, from design to deployment in just a few days.

At Vention Demo Day 2020 we walked users through the various pillars of MAP, from design to automation and deployment.

Design: From defining requirements to design assistance and real-time pricing

MachineScope

MachineScope, one of our flagship releases this year, is not only a tool to clarify project scope and requirements but also a project management and educational space. It helps eliminate any grey zones that might creep up in industrial automation projects, ensuring that everyone is aligned before the project starts.
With MachineScope, you can define your project parameters and automated processes, develop end-to-end equipment requirements, and even establish acceptance criteria.

MachineScope is also collaborative, it is digitally integrated into the Vention technology stack. Collaborators can be easily added and all project records are available to anyone who needs them.

MachineBuilder instructor

If you’re new to MachineBuilder or interested in becoming a power-user, the MachineBuiler Instructor walks you through the platform. It will help orient you in MachineBuilder by pointing out key functions, features and shortcuts. There are also step-by-step instructions for the most common design activities such as mating parts.

Configuration engine

The Configuration Engine provides users with step-by-step guidance for some of the more complex components. It lets you configure things like a fully functional linear actuator, conveyor, and pneumatic system… taking you from motor selection through to sensor and accessories.

Select a part and the configuration engine will automatically prompt you to add the individual components step-by-step. If you don’t require specific customization, you can also use the ‘auto-complete’ function to insert all of the standard components with a single click.

Design checker

Design Checker is an automatic validation engine that ensures your design respects key design guidelines - are all parts properly connected? Conflicting parts? Missing gussets or assembly plates? When you click on the design checker icon, the engine will run. If your design is compliant, checklist criteria will turn green. If it isn’t, instructions are provided about what to do next. We like to think of Design Checker as spell check for machine design.

My parts

A key part of keeping Vention flexible for our users is the ability to bring in your own custom parts or machines as you work to finalize your project. The My Parts manager helps you build and curate your own library of parts inside the Vention platform. Connector and properties data can be added to each part in your library, enabling your parts to behave just like any Vention part, with automatic snapping capabilities. All parts that you add to your part library will become available inside MachineBuider. Inside My Parts manager, you can search your parts by categories and designer, edit part properties, and manage privacy to determine if the part is shared with your whole team or just you.

Europe website

With the growing footprint of the Vention community, it was only natural that we enhance existing support for our European clients. Our first step was to enable users to get quotes and conduct transactions in the currency of their choice.

Next, we significantly improved our logistic infrastructure in Europe. Fast and pain-free shipping has always been a key part of how we choose to serve our clients, and our European clients can now experience the same ease of use and shipping rates as those experienced by our North American clients.

Partner network

The Vention Partner Network brings our long-time trusted partners into the Vention platform as a way of empowering our partners and community. Not only can partners benefit from our rapidly growing community of manufacturing professionals, but having those partners also empowers the community to add high-quality and compatible products to their design. Partner parts are available for purchase on the Vention platform and ship within days.

All partners that join the Vention Partner Network are tested for compatibility with all other Vention parts on the platform. This ensures that our clients continue to have a pain-free experience during commissioning, and can access Vention’s customer success team who is equipped to answer technical questions that may arise during commissioning.

Learn more about the Vention Partner Network.

Community forum

The community forum is open to anyone with an interest in machine design and industrial automation. It connects experts in machine design, manufacturing, robotics, automation, and more. This also includes our own application engineering and customer success teams who are very active on the forum.

The community forum is becoming the go-to place for anyone who has industrial automation questions and wants to tap into the collective brain of the Vention community. Whether you are considering an industrial automation solution for your shop floor or have questions during your commissioning process the Vention community is there to help.

Visit the Vention commnunity forum.

Automate: From simulating in the cloud to programming on the shop floor

MachineMotion V2

Over the years, we have become intimately aware of the challenges posed by traditional industrial automation technologies, from the complexity of learning those systems, to the sometimes-prohibitive cost nature of them.

MachineMotion, a Plug & play controller ready to power actuators out-of-the-box, has been core to Vention since day one. It’s our way to empower a new class of industrial automation and control specialists, in all factories across the globe.

It is not only the simplest, but also the fastest way to deploy automated equipment on any manufacturing floor. Building on all the learnings of the last four years, MachineMotion V2 is all about ruggedness and ease of use, while integrating significantly more functionalities than our first generation.

MachineMotion Gen 2 is the centerpiece of the evolution of Vention’s industrial automation capabilities, and with it comes a complete ecosystem of plug and play devices - actuators, pneumatic system, digital IO module, analog IO module, safety relay, light curtain, teach pendant, and push buttons.
Such simplicity is unheard of in our industry and we’re so excited to watch the opportunities it will unlock for the Vention community.
Learn more about MachineMotion V2.

MachineLogic V2

With one of the easiest-to-use motion controllers, we wanted to create one of the easiest industrial automation programming software. MachineLogic V2 in its cloud and edge declinations, can be accessed directly within MachineBuilder or ran locally on the MachineMotion controller.

From the get-go MachineLogic had to be code-free, while providing some of the same capabilities as a full-fledged development environment. It also needed to provide a seamless transition from cloud programming to shop floor operation. And last, it needed to be simple enough to be used by any manufacturing professional.

Watch Audrey Muchembled, firmware developer, build a complete pick-and-place application in MachineLogic. Watch it here

MachineApps

MachineApps are purpose-built programs, with a convenient user interface, that are entirely hardware agnostic. MachineApps run directly on your MachineMotion and make the deployment of your equipment entirely plug-and-play, from setup to operation.

MachineLogic for UR cap

MachineLogic for Universal Robots runs directly on the UR e-Series controller as a URCap. The beauty of this application is that it enables a UR Robot to become the centerpiece of any robot cell, controlling all kinds of Vention peripherals such as: a belt or roller conveyor, 7th axis, a pneumatic system and more.
To some extent, this is a super URCap.

Just like you’re used to with a Vention application, we embedded a jogger directly into the UR interface to test each actuator individually during commissioning.

Cartesian Palletizer

MachineApp for Cartesian Palletizer leverages Vention’s growing network of plug-and-play industrial automation components, (and now software) to create an end-to-end solution that is available out-of-the-box. It adds boxed palletizing to your existing end-of-line conveyor, reducing repetitive, low-value work. The entire solution can be deployed in as little as 40 hours - from design all the way to deployment.

With Vention’s modular ecosystem, you also have the flexibility of customizing your palletizer configuration to suit your specific application. You can choose between a single or double pallet configuration, the type of in-feed system like a belt or roller conveyor, the type of safety system which can include light curtains, e-stops, panels…and you can choose from a wide variety of end-effectors.

On the software side, the palletizer MachineApp comes preloaded on the MachineMotion controller and can be accessed from either a computer or Vention’s pendant. Creating a palletizing sequence is really quick and intuitive, taking roughly 5 minutes from start to finish. Throughout the setup, you will define parameters such as pallet dimension and position, box size, box orientation as well as pick-point position.

You can also create different layer configurations within the same program by simply dragging and dropping boxes onto the virtual pallet. Once you press play, you will also receive real-time information such as the status of the process, progress notifications and even a live graphical representation of the palletizer in action.

Stay up to date

With so many new products and updates being released, it’s important to keep up to date. Keep a pulse on the Vention blog for content that dives more deeply into our biggest launches. You can also keep up to date by visiting the Vention commnunity forum.