Recently added articles from Assembly:
Think opportunity.(Editorial)
Mar 01, 2009 ... Even though the economy today looks more like the green of gangrene than the green of profit, a brief look at history reveals that a recession--even a depression--is by no means a bad time to launch companies and products. Consider these examples from a recent report on CNN. ...
Rotary dial system solders switches: because of the number of variants to be assembled on the machine, a high degree of flexibility was required.(Automation Profiles)
Mar 01, 2009 ... Rotary indexing dials have been a mainstay of automation systems for decades. They are simple, inexpensive, precise, reliable and durable. What's more, they can assemble a lot of product in a relatively small footprint and with a minimal number of fixtures. The size of a rotary ...
Software streamlines crimping processes.(NEW & NOTEWORTHY)
Mar 01, 2009 ... EASY ProductionServer software offers an alternative to manual order allocation for wire processing companies employing multiple automated crimping machines. From a central PC, production orders can be sent via network to one or more crimpers. At the same time, order sequence and ...
Compression limiters ensure robust joints.(NEW & NOTEWORTHY)
Mar 01, 2009 ... Series CL500 and CL550 roll-formed, insert-moldable compression limiters can be used in place of expensive machined limiters to preserve a threaded joint's integrity when fastening plastic-to-plastic or plastic-to-metal assemblies. Without a compression limiter, as a bolt is tightened to ...
Gripper, rotary module handle small parts.(NEW & NOTEWORTHY)
Mar 01, 2009 ... The new, miniaturized RP gripper is fully modular and can be used in conjunction with the Gemotec line to handle smaller components. The system includes an RM rotary unit and a pneumatic parallel gripper. The gripper has been modified with a longer piston rod to facilitate integration with ...
Workstations feature upgrades.(NEW & NOTEWORTHY)
Mar 01, 2009 ... This updated technical electronic workstation line is ergonomically designed and offers unlimited flexibility to accommodate an assembler's particular needs. Flexible standard components and accessory options, both above and below the work surface, enable greater productivity and ...
Precision-link conveyor offers lots of room for assembly.(STATION to STATION)
Mar 01, 2009; ... Rotary indexing dials are ideal for automated assembly of small products with a few parts. However, if the product has more than eight components, a rotary indexing dial can become unwieldy. There's simply not enough real estate around the dial for all the stations. Fortunately, ...
Step up to the bar: the goal of analyzing torque and angle data is to identify variation before faulty joints can be assembled.(QUALITY in ASSEMBLY)
Mar 01, 2009; ... Last month, we talked about how to assess your fastening process by calculating the mean, variance and standard deviation ([sigma]) from torque and angle data collected by power tools. Now, well look at more ways to examine that data. The goal of analyzing this data is to ...
Boeing: troubled 787 back on track.(Assembly Lines)
Mar 01, 2009 ... EVERETT, WA--After months of parts shortages, a major work stoppage in late 2008, and a host of production and supply-chain problems, Boeing Co. says its cutting-edge 787 Dreamliner program is back on track. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In late January, the company began ...
North American robot orders fall 21 percent.(Assembly Lines)
Mar 01, 2009 ... ANN ARBOR, MI -- Robot sales to North American manufacturers fell 21 percent in units and 16 percent in dollars in 2008, according to a recent report by the Robotic Industries Association (RIA). According to the RIA, the decline accelerated in the fourth quarter of the year, ...
IPS begins delivering thin-film batteries.(Assembly Lines)
Mar 01, 2009 ... LITTLETON, CO -- Infinite Power Solutions Inc. (IPS), which manufactures solid-state, rechargeable thin-film batteries, has begun shipping its Thinergy micro-energy cells to a number of trial customers, including Lockheed Martin Corp. (Bethesda, MD). IPS thin-film micro-energy ...
Volvo selling buses in Canada, U.S.(Assembly Lines)
Mar 01, 2009 ... GOTEBORG, Sweden -- As part of an ongoing campaign to expand its market share globally, Volvo Buses has begun marketing its products in North America, specifically its 9700-model vehicle. The company has long had an indirect market presence on this side of the Atlantic, thanks ...
ASCE: America's infrastructure needs $2.2 trillion in repairs.(Assembly Lines)
Mar 01, 2009 ... RESTON, VA -- After decades of under-funding and inattention, The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) says the United States needs to spend about $2.2 trillion over the next four years if it is to maintain even an "adequate" system of roads, dams and bridges. In its "2009 ...
NAM backs Obama Economic Recovery Board.(Assembly Lines)
Mar 01, 2009 ... WASHINGTON -- The leaders of 16 U.S. manufacturers, including National Association of Manufacturers members Caterpillar Inc. (Peoria, IL) and General Electric Co. (Fairfield, CT), have agreed to be part of a new Economic Recovery Advisory Board, headed by former Federal Reserve chairman ...
Maverick Technologies opens Thai offices.(Assembly Lines)
Mar 01, 2009 ... COLUMBIA, IL -- The engineering and systems integration company Maverick Technologies has begun operations in Bangkok, Thailand, under the name Maverick Technologies Ltd. Strategically located near the Map Ta Phut industrial complex, the new facility will allow the company to ...
Xian Aircraft to begin testing A320 wings.(Assembly Lines)
Mar 01, 2009 ... TOULOUSE, France -- Airbus and Xian Aircraft Industry Co. (XAC--Tianjin, China) have signed a cooperation agreement whereby XAC will both manufacture and test the wings and wingbox assemblies used on any A320 commercial jets assembled in China. Currently, the wingbox structures ...
Siemens investing another $190 million in China.(Assembly Lines)
Mar 01, 2009 ... MUNICH, Germany -- After announcing in 2006 that it would invest $1.3 billion in China by 2010, Siemens AG is bumping up that figure by another $190 million to tap into the country's demand for new energy infrastructure. "China is our largest market after Germany and the United ...
Robots, machine vision cut defect rates.(Assembly in Action)
Mar 01, 2009 ... The Meister Group (Sprimont, Belgian) manufactures components for the automotive industry, including steering systems, injectors, valves and safety systems. At its plant in Haute-Savoie, France, the company produces electric valve parts for use in anti-lock braking systems. The ...
Pallet-based conveyor facilitates flexibility.(Assembly in Action)
Mar 01, 2009 ... In 2003, HJS Fahrzeugtechnik GmbH (Menden, Germany) developed a new clean-exhaust diesel particulate filter that is now being manufactured commercially using a mixed-mode production line based on the TS 2plus pallet-based conveyor system from Bosch Rexroth Corp. (Buchanan, MI). ...
Coiled spring pins improve trigger assembly.(Assembly in Action)
Mar 01, 2009 ... Founded in 1917, Norica Laurona (Eibar, Spain) manufactures shot-guns, and compressed-air pistols and rifles. Recently, the company found it was having problems manufacturing the trigger assemblies for one of its air rifles because of the pins it was using to hold them together. ...