STATESBORO, GA—A Great Dane plant that will assemble refrigerated trailers has opened for production. Expected to employ more than 400 people, the plant is equipped with automated equipment for welding, dispensing and material handling.
Designing and manufacturing high-bay warehouses is a specialty of SSI Schäfer, a German international logistics compa-ny. These warehouses feature welded steel beams that are used as horizontal load carriers in shelving systems.
PRINCETON, WV—Three people were injured at the Conn-Weld assembly plant here when a machine caught fire and exploded during an attempt to put the fire out.
FORT COLLINS, CO—Robert Harvey disputes the claim that robots are job killers. In fact, the sales manager at custom automation supplier CBW Automation says it’s the opposite—robots keep U.S. companies competitive.
Vibration welding uses heat generated by friction at the interface of two thermoplastic parts to produce melting in the interfacial area. The molten materials flow together under pressure and bond, forming a weld upon cooling.
Vision systems used to guide robots pose different challenges for manufacturers than vision systems used for part inspection. The biggest challenge is guiding robots in 2-1/2D applications, where guidance is used so the camera maintains a proper perspective of a part that is level but included in a stack.