At the New Year, it's fun to look back and learn from the events of the past year. At this New Millennium, let's go back further and reminisce about the "opportunities" we were offered during the past 20 years or so to "get better" at how we do business.
Traditional rivets aren’t as common on plant floors as they once were. But, they’re still a cost-effective fastening alternative for many assembly applications.
A company we know is sending its executives and managers back to school to learn accounting. Why? Because those execs and managers were making decisions without understanding the financial implications.
When we published the results of ASSEMBLY's fifth annual capital equipment spending survey last December, consumer confidence was at near historical highs and unemployment was at a 30-year low.
When Polaris Pool Systems (Vista, CA), a manufacturer of automatic pool cleaners, was experiencing gear jam-ups due to loose-fitting bearings, they turned to the SureWeld 20 ultrasonic plastic welder from Sonobond Ultrasonics (West Chester, PA) to weld the bearing securely in place.
No longer do robot-based automation systems permanently replace employees. Their ideal role is to extend the capability of humans while simultaneously increasing productivity and reducing overall costs.
When Orthodyne Electronics (Irvine, CA), a manufacturer of electronics assembly equipment, adapted its ultrasonic wire bonders to a new market, it installed compact feeders driven by a motion control package from Rexroth Star (Charlotte, NC) on its Model 360CH and 360CHD robotic wire bonders.
North America's first multishell, vibration-welded intake manifold debuted on Ford's 5.4-liter, two-valve engines on the 1999 Ford F-series 150 and 250 light trucks, Expeditions and Lincoln Navigators. This manifold also marks the first use of Zytel welding-enhanced PA 6,6 nylon resin.