Manufacturing Industry Top Stories

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The past year brought blockbuster headlines for U.S. manufacturing. Taiwanese electronics giant Foxconn unveiled plans to build a $10 billion assembly plant in Wisconsin that would make liquid-crystal display panels and employ as many as 13,000 people.

Assembling an acoustic guitar of world-class caliber requires more technology than you might realize. Hand craftsmanship is still the hallmark of Taylor Guitars, which has been in business nearly 45 years.

Fastening tools are the workhorses of any assembly operation. Consider a high-volume automotive plant. If a vehicle contains 1,000 threaded fasteners and an assembly line is turning out 250,000 vehicles annually, that’s more than 250 million run-downs each year.

Ordinarily, parts are presented to a robot for pick up at fixed locations, the escapement of a feeder bowl, for example, or the pockets of a thermoformed tray. To save space and eliminate the cost of trays and feeders, manufacturers would like a robot to pick randomly oriented parts out of a bin, box or tote.

Businesses increasingly recognize the growth opportunities offered by digitalization and interconnectedness. These technologies are enabling new business models, efficient use of resources, and cost-effective production of highly customizable products. These developments are collectively referred to as "Industry 4.0."

The No. 1 application for robots, be they Cartesian, SCARA, delta or six-axis models, is also the easiest: pick up a part from one location and place it in another.

Digitization is an integral aspect of modern vehicle technology. With each successive generation, the implementation of electronic technology continues to rise.

Auto-Kabel, the global automotive supplier, manufactures cable and lead sets for power supply applications. The friction welding machines deployed in the process must always have an adequate supply of material without excessive safety stocks.

Companies measure success in several ways. One of the most important measurements is their number of repeat customers. For wire harness shops, the best way to gain repeat customers is to provide them an ongoing supply of harnesses that are high quality, economical and specifically designed to meet each application challenge.