Jim Camillo

Coleman Tool specified air curtains at its new 60,000-square-foot plant in early 2010 to eliminate outdoor air infiltration and save energy. However, smoke rising up and out of the welding area  created an indoor air quality problem. So the air curtains also served as air cleaners.

For many years, the fasteners used by Figeac Aero’s assemblers were purchased on a per-piece basis, stored in a central warehouse and brought to the assembly line as needed. This approach often led to work stoppages on the assembly line. 

In 2000, Magnetics and Controls purchased a meter-mix system to use in the assembly of their molded products. Unfortunately, after several years, the system proved to be incapable of keeping up with the company’s throughput requirements, making them less competitive in the marketplace.

About two years ago, the Chinese market presented OMAX Corp. Inc. with a tough challenge: Develop a high-quality waterjet cutting machine at a low cost so OMAX could further penetrate that price-conscious market.

It took several years, but self-tapping screws for plastic assembly have come of age. OEMs were lukewarm toward this type of fastener in the 1980s and early 1990s, that trend has changed in recent years.

Automatic cutting, stripping and crimping equipment may get the glory at a harness assembly shop, but there’s a host of ancillary equipment that can make work on the shop floor easier.

Several manufacturers consider electromagnetic, or induction, welding a better way to weld highly filled thermoplastics than thermal or friction welding, or using adhesives.

For several months in 2009, appliance manufacturer Whirlpool Corp. faced a unique production challenge regarding its refrigerators. The appliances were passing the helium leak test but failing the refrigerant leak test, which was performed manually in-line by operators using sniffer probes.

Porous Media Corp. designs and manufactures high-efficiency filter media, membranes and advanced technologies that separate liquids, solids and gases. Earlier this year, Porous Media needed to help on of its clients efficiently transport precoated blood filters through a forced hot air drying chamber, resulting in complete drying of the liquid coating.

At its manufacturing plant in Ajka, Hungary, Schwa-Medico GmbH Transformatorenbau & Industrieprodukte makes four types of electronic transformers specially designed for photovoltaic converters. The transformers, in turn, are sent to a plant in Germany, where they are installed in inverters and integrated into photovoltaic systems.