Each fire rescue vehicle E-ONE manufactures contains a large amount of
parts that must be measured and inspected prior to assembly. For many years, E-ONE assemblers had used various hand tools to measure these
parts. Unfortunately, such tools often limited
the assemblers’ ability to make sure each part met the company’s design
tolerances.
Wagic Inc. is the What A Great Idea Co. Since 1985, it has specialized
in designing, prototyping and manufacturing innovative consumer products. Based
in Los Gatos, CA, Wagic recently developed the RE:Solve
line of handheld multi-tools, which are available to consumers at big box
stores like Lowe’s.
In early 2010, Draper Laboratory was in need of a semiconductor platform that met
two criteria. First, it had to perform flip chip assembly, in which microelectromechanical systems
are connected to circuitry with solder bumps that have been deposited onto the
chip pads. Second, the platform had to be adaptable,
because Draper develops products for a wide range of applications requiring the
latest technology.
SMB Schnekenburger GmbH provides assembly-ready parts made of thin sheet
metal to electronics firms, equipment manufacturers, and companies in
ventilation and medical technology.
For the past several years, SMB has faced increased competition from suppliers
in low-wage countries. This situation has forced SMB to make parts more
cost-effectively without lessening fastener-insertion accuracy.
All day long, wire harnesses are sealed against
porosity at nine Magna-Tech Manufacturing facilities located throughout North America. These wire harnesses are of different
lengths, contain wire of different thicknesses, and are made by Tier 1
suppliers such as Delphi, ATPI, Siemens, Group
Dekko and Federal Mogul.
When preparing parts for assembly, automakers can
always use an extra hand or two. One automaker has found those hands at the end
of a dual-arm robot. For the past four years, the automaker has used the dual-arm robot to shorten
the cycle time to treat the front and back surfaces of a suspension component.
The development and capabilities of dual-arm
robots are topics of worldwide interest. Very few such robots are currently
performing assembly. But university researchers in Europe and Asia
hope to change that in the very near future.
Forget about the sophomore jinx. My second visit
to the Assembly & Automation Technology Expo, held September 20-22 at McCormick Place in Chicago, was excellent.
Before Autoliv Electronics America can provide
top-notch products to its automotive customers, the company must make sure the
equipment at its facility in Southfield,
MI, performs top-notch. One type
of equipment Autoliv uses there is pick-and-place machines, which are used in the assembly of printed circuit boards that mount onto various electronic safety
components.
Many of the 4,300 people who work at
Caterpillar’s heavy-equipment manufacturing plant in Gosselies, Belgium,
are assemblers who bolt together hydraulic valves and hoses before installing
them in medium- and large-sized excavators and wheel-loaders. Until recently, assemblers used a manual torque wrench to tighten the
bolts.