Jim was a senior editor of ASSEMBLY and has more than 30 years of editorial experience. Before joining ASSEMBLY, Camillo was the editor of PM Engineer, Association for Facilities Engineering Journal and Milling Journal. Jim has an English degree from DePaul University.
From March to November 2009, a small robot designed to operate in close association with human co-workers was used by Daimler AG at its Mercedes-Benz plant in Untertürkheim, Germany, as a pilot project for series production.
The European Space Agency is expected to launch BepiColombo, Europe’s first spacecraft mission to Mercury, in 2014. In the meantime, QinetiQ is manufacturing the spacecraft’s advanced solar-electric propulsion system.
In the past few years, many automakers-including Jaguar, Adam Opel AG, BMW, Audi, and Volvo-have discovered that a crash-durable epoxy adhesive can make their cars safer without sacrificing performance.
Many manufacturers want to be a Star, regardless of how long they’ve been in business or the products they make. Since July 1982, OSHA has helped thousands of manufacturers become a Star through its Voluntary Protection Programs.
VPP participants at the Star level, OSHA consultants and equipment suppliers say there are several ways manufacturers can implement or improve their ergonomics programs.
In today’s economy, manufacturers must find ways to assemble more product with less labor. As a result, they are increasingly using fully and semiautomatic screwdriving equipment to boost productivity and improve quality.
Robots are everywhere on TV these days-from commercials
promoting laundry detergent, to shows about how cars and other modern marvels
are built. The question is: How much influence do robots have over what we
watch on TV?
For the past 15 years or so, assemblers have used SPR as an alternative to spot welding, especially when joining aluminum with other materials. The reasons why SPR is preferred are many.
Unlike conventional riveting, self-piercing technology does not require a predrilled hole. Rather, the rivet makes its own hole as it is being inserted.
