News Category - Progressive Automations Blog

Michael McMaster and Mike Senna are at it again! They have been two of our most valued customers for years now because of the amazing robots they have built using our actuators. The robots have been such a success that they are being invited to Comic-Con conventions in North America for the last couple of years to show off their builds. One such convention is LA Comic-Con, which has invited them back multiple years in a row because of how popu...

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning is on course to provide drastic improvements to autonomous systems. The future is bright and the advancement of AI-controlled robotics will only increase from here on out. AI aims to provide robots with the ability to perform tasks that were once only capable of being completed with human intelligence. That is, to encompass the ability to perform a variety of tasks on its own as opposed to only...

Solar Canada is the largest professional solar industry event in Canada. The annual event had been held in Ontario for years, but this year they decided to move to Calgary, Alberta for the first time in the event's history. Solar Canada focuses on innovations and policy changes throughout the solar industry. Every year it attracts thousands of people to the Convention Centre and while we did not have a booth this year, we made sure to go check...

Development of Pistons Electric linear actuators are a modern form of a piston that is driven by an electric motor. One of the earliest uses of pistons was in steam engines. The first recorded history of a steam engine dates back to a design created in 1st century Roman Egypt. However, the first steam cylinder was designed by Denis Papin, a French physicist, and inventor, in the mid-1670s. First Design of a Steam Powered Cylinder An actuator...

Today, more and more companies are turning to automation to save money and speed up the product development process. 1. Robotics Perhaps automation’s most significant contribution to the world has been the advance in robotics. As computer AI improves, humans start to develop machines that can replicate human actions. The applications for robotics are so wide in scope; it literally can be applied to almost every industry imaginable. Currently, ...

2017 was a big year for us at Progressive Automations. We moved to a new, larger location as we continue to grow and introduced many new products. There were also many exciting projects that our customers shared with us over the last year. Let’s take a look at what happened in 2017! Products One of our goals here is to consistently innovate and create actuator models based on customer feedback. We want to have an actuator for you no matter wha...