Electric tools have been available for more than a decade. However, until recently, many manufacturers were reluctant to invest in the technology because DC electric screwdrivers and nutrunners traditionally were more expensive than air-powered alternatives.
Steel is not about to disappear anytime soon as the dominant material used in the home appliance industry. Unlike automakers, which are turning to aluminum, carbon-fiber composites, magnesium, plastic and other lightweight materials, steel still rules in the world of refrigerators, dishwashers and dryers.
This eight-station automatic system produces a hinge in less than 10 seconds.
June 3, 2013
Manufacturing engineers have two options for obtaining an automated assembly system. They can get each component—an automatic screwdriver, a rotary indexing dial, a gripper—from individual suppliers and integrate the parts themselves. Or, they can ask one supplier to deliver a turnkey machine.
PHILADELPHIA—Naval Sea Systems Command has completed a fleetwide fastener study, identifying and recommending the removal of thousands of fasteners from the Navy supply system. The review identified 108,000 dormant fasteners—fasteners with no contract, requisition or maintenance history in the past five years—and 3,200 duplicate fasteners where two or more identical fasteners had different stock numbers.
Independence, OH—The Industrial Fasteners Institute has published two new reference books on fastening: Mechanical Fastening and Joining, by Bengt Blendulf, and Torque Book for Fasteners, by Joe Greenslade.
On May 22, 2012, after eight years of preparation, Space Exploration Technologies (better known as SpaceX) launched the Dragon spacecraft atop a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The spacecraft traveled more than 200 miles to reach its destination: the International Space Station (ISS).
After writing this column for six years, I understand the need for brevity. With that in mind, I thought it would be useful to summarize some of the key points that I’ve raised in the past.
I have included the issue in which each column appeared so you can delve into the topic in more detail if desired. As always, please feel free to contact me with your questions, comments or observations.
Robotic screwdriving offers numerous advantages to manufacturers, such as flexibility and repeatability. However, it’s easy to underestimate the requirements of automation. Sometimes, engineers specify the wrong type of robot or overlook parts feeding issues.