To celebrate ASSEMBLY magazine's golden anniversary, here's a year-by-year look at how things have changed, evolved and stayed the same over the last 50 years. The timeline focuses on engineering achievements, business trends and manufacturing milestones.
Complementing the ongoing advances in 2D Data Matrix symbol marking technology is an increasing emphasis on symbol verification. A Data Matrix symbol is worthless if it can’t be easily read when needed. Gone are the days when 99 percent read rates might have been acceptable. Today’s manufacturers demand Six Sigma read rates.
The result has been a new generation of machine vision equipment specifically designed to check Data Matrix readability. Often this equipment is part and parcel of the actual marking station. That way a manufacturer can be sure its codes are all good ones before they even leave the manufacturing line.
BEIJING-Consumers may soon be able to order products directly from Chinese factories, according to the chief scientist of an ambitious Chinese Internet project dubbed the Beijing Cyber Recreation District.
Many supply-chain experts are saying the project is impossibly grandiose in its goal of providing direct links between thousands of Chinese manufacturers and millions of individual customers around the world.
Nonetheless, the Chinese government is hoping that some day every "Made in China" label could include a Web site where customers would be able order more of a particular on-line, allowing them to go direct to Chinese factories instead of having to go through retailers. MORE
Assemblers in the United States will spend $2.83 billion on new assembly equipment and tools in 2007. Quality professionals in the United States will spend $3.4 billion on test, measurement
Readability is central to the success of any 2D Data Matrix code. When selecting where to place a 2D machine-readable Data Matrix code, engineers need to remember that it’s all
The goal of the project is to create vehicles that can help motorists better handle stressful driving situations. ALBUQUERQUE, NM-Cars already automatically lock doors when they sense motion and turn
ANN ARBOR, MI-New orders received by North American based robotics companies rose 39 percent in the first half of 2007, with orders by automotive manufacturers and their suppliers leading the
An increasing number of industries is using direct part marking to enhance process control and help resolve warranty issues. Photo courtesy Columbia Marking Tools Inc. Today's engineers are increasingly imprinting
BENSENVILLE, IL-At least 85 percent of manufacturing costs are determined in the early stages of design. When engineers make informed design decisions during the concept stage, they avoid costly corrections
The healthiest order book in the world won't do any good if Boeing can't deliver its new 787 Dreamliner to customers on time. Photo courtesy Boeing Co. EVERETT, WA-With just
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