Every so often, I come across an industry where the majority of manufacturers still assemble their products in the United States. It’s always a refreshing breath of fresh air. It also reaffirms what ASSEMBLY has been preaching for many years – despite reports to the contrary in the mainstream media, there’s still a tremendous amount of world-class manufacturing that occurs every day in the USA.
To increase throughput and reduce production costs on the new F-35 Lightning II , engineers at Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems are using commercial six-axis robots for drilling and fastening applications.
Every year, BEST Robotics Inc. organizes a competition for more than 10,000 students at more than 700 middle and high schools. The nonprofit organization encourages kids to learn about robotics and pursue careers in engineering. During the 2008 competition, students were challenged to develop the best way to assemble an aircraft using robots.
Traditionally, commercial and military aircraft are assembled with large gantry machines. However, those device are expensive. And, they typically have limited throughput and require a large amount of space on the plant floor. Unlike gantry systems and other large, heavy pieces of fixed automation, robots are more flexible, less expensive and can be quickly deployed.
Traditionally, aircraft assembly has been a labor-intensive, manual process. But, robots are slowly becoming a key part of military and commercial aircraft production lines as the aerospace industry adopts new materials, grapples with throughput issues, and addresses ergonomic concerns and skilled labor shortages. Within the next three years, demand for robotic equipment will increase dramatically.
General Motors can be salvaged and resurrected. But, it won’t happen unless the folks in Washington do a couple of simple things that probably should have been done earlier: Take GM private and let manufacturing engineers run the company.
Automakers and suppliers are using plastics, such as nylon, polyphenylene sulfide and polypropylene, in engine compartments to reduce vehicle weight and improve fuel efficiency. Many different grades of material are available to choose from. Ultimately, the application and its requirements will dictate what materials are suited for use under the hood.
Ford Motor Co. has spent $200 million to retool its Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville. In addition to F-Series pickup trucks, the flexible factory will assemble Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator sport utility vehicles, which were previously assembled at a plant outside Detroit.
Whenever engineers think about flexibility, aluminum-framed modular conveyors and workstations often come to mind. Most people don’t think of an entire automotive assembly line. But, Volkswagen AG recently opened a new line in South Africa that highlights the benefit of flexible assembly equipment.