Robotics Assembly

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Manufacturing high-quality parts is no longer the only measurement of success for Tier 1 automotive suppliers. Reliable part traceability—from preassembly until the end of its wear life—is equally important.

BOSTON—The Baxter robot now has a new brother named Sawyer. Rethink Robotics has come up with a new robot that can automate complex tasks.

At the Automate trade show in Chicago last week, the exhibit hall was buzzing with talk about collaborative robots. The next-generation machines allow robots to operate side-by-side with humans on assembly lines.

CHICAGO—Collaborative robots were the stars of the Automate Show at McCormick Place here.

Cameras, sensors and image-processing software: Three essential tools for quick and accurate inspection of medical devices.

Systems integrators wrestle with the notion of flexibility in multistation automated assembly systems.

Welded plastic cylinders are the lifeblood of British manufacturers Harvey Softeners Ltd. and Wavin Ltd. Harvey produces pressure tanks for its water softeners, while Wavin makes plastic tubes that connect to below-ground drainage systems.

Hard at work within Shelbourne Rey-nolds Engineering’s Suffolk, UK, manufacturing plant are nearly 100 assemblers and the latest equipment to build attachments for articulated hedge cutting tractors.

The U.S. manufacturing workforce is among the most productive in the world. U.S. manufacturing productivity (measured as output per hour) increased 2.5 percent in 2014, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

TAIPEI, Taiwan—Electronics manufacturer Foxconn hopes to automate 70 percent of assembly tasks within three years, according to Terry Gou, the company’s chairman.