Task lighting is supplemental lighting that is provided to assist in performing a localized task. Here are some tips on how to choose task lighting for assembly workstations.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of ASSEMBLY magazine. Since the publication debuted in the late 1950s, we have provided in-depth coverage of key trends, issues and challenges affecting the wide world of welding. Here's a look at how welding technology has changed over the last 5 decades.
When ASSEMBLY first started to cover fusion production methods in the late 1950s, manufacturers typically joined metal parts with bulky arc welding equipment. Resistance welding was the rule rather than the exception. Friction stir welding, laser welding, robotic welding, ultrasonic welding and other processes commonly used today had not been developed yet.
Many manufacturers have acquired lean, ergonomic workstations to improve takt time and increase operating efficiency. However, without the right type of light, that investment can result in waste, which is a serious sin in the lean realm.
More than 500 individuals work at the Schneider Electric/Square D plant in Lexington, KY. They assemble 2 million load centers and safety switches annually. More than 50 percent of the employees have been at the plant for 20 years or more. Click here to view a slideshow featuring some of the men and women who work on the line at the 2007 Assembly Plant of the Year.
In addition to state-of-the-art assembly equipment, people also contribute to the success of the Schneider Electric/Square D Lexington plant. More than 50 percent of the workforce has been employed at the facility for 20 years or more.
The Schneider Electric/Square D Lexington plant has been assembling residential load centers and safety switches since Dwight D. Eisenhower was president of the United States. But, a wide variety of production tools used today, such as vision systems, did not exist when the plant opened 50 years ago.
