Automated Assembly Systems

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Standardization is a key concept behind lean manufacturing. It allows assemblers to reduce variation, increase consistency, cut costs and improve productivity by following a prescribed set of work instructions.

ASSEMBLY magazine has been around since 1958. In that time, we’ve had lean years and great years. We’ve changed our name three times, and we’ve been bought and sold at least five times. We’ve survived tidal shifts in both U.S. manufacturing and publishing. (If you had told me 26 years ago that I would be spending 30 minutes a day on something called Twitter…)

Vision system integration has come a long way. With increased processing power, more powerful algorithms, and lighting and optics designed for more demanding requirements, more applications can be solved today than ever before.

There’s an old joke that the factory of the future will be so automated that it will have just two employees: a guard dog and someone to feed it. Fortunately or not, such a scenario remains the purview of science fiction. Indeed, despite advances in robotics and automation, people remain the most flexible assembly technology.

Semiconductor processing equipment is a notoriously demanding application for motion control engineers. Extreme precision, reliability and smoothness are absolute requirements. At the same time, space is at a premium.

TRAVERSE CITY, MI—Systems integrator Trantek Automation Corp. has opened a satellite office in Grand Rapids, MI.

MIDDLEVILLE, MI—Systems integrator TranTek Automation has designed and built an automated assembly system that has enabled Bradford White Corp. to keep producing water heaters in the United States.

AUBURN HILLS, MI—ABB Robotics and SVIA Industrial Automation have developed a vision-guided robotic machine tending cell for a Texas manufacturer of rock-drilling equipment.

EVANSVILLE, IN—Systems integrator Evana Automation Specialists recently delivered a compliant-pin assembly system to a Tier 1 automotive manufacturer of vehicle safety products.

SEATTLE—At a secret facility in Anacortes, WA, a small group of Boeing engineers will begin testing advanced automation methods for building the soon-to-be-launched 777X jet. The project promises to dramatically change how the plane’s metal hull is built.