2021 April

Automakers Are Developing Solar-Powered Vehicles

Battery recharging and range issues have been the Achilles heel of electric vehicles. Some automotive engineers believe solar power may be the solution.

Austin Weber

May 2, 2021

The goal of vehicle-integrated photovoltaics is to enable EVs to recharge without stopping. Unlike traditional EVs that must periodically pull over to recharge batteries during a long road trip, solar cars can keep on going.

Next-Gen SCARAs

Today’s SCARA robots offer speed, precision, ease of use and simple connectivity at an economical price.

Jim Camillo

April 7, 2021

Medical doctors have increasingly become specialized during the last 25 years or so. But, industrial robots have been specialists by design since they began being used for manufacturing in the early 1960s.

Optimizing the Spot Welding Process

Spot welding can be improved in many ways, starting with selecting the right machine, maintaining heat balance and using advanced controls.

Jim Camillo

April 13, 2021

Kaizen, or continuous improvement, is a basic tenet of lean manufacturing. It says, in effect, that less-than-optimal is never acceptable. The concept can be applied to every major assembly process, including resistance spot welding.

Wire Harness Assembly: Business Outlook

Harness assemblers took a hit in 2020, but the economic forecast for 2021 looks better.

John Sprovieri

April 20, 2021

With the possible exception of medical device manufacturing, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted manufacturing in every industry last year. Wire harness manufacturing was no exception. With both automotive and aerospace manufacturing depressed, harness assemblers struggled.

Training for Wire Harness Assembly

WHMA and IPC have developed a new training program for workers who are new to wire harness assembly.

John Sprovieri

April 16, 2021

One of the biggest challenges in manufacturing today is obtaining and retaining skilled labor. Wire harness manufacturing is no exception. In fact, one online job board listed more than 900 openings for wire harness assemblers in March.

PSAs for Aerospace Assembly

There are numerous applications for pressure-sensitive adhesives in aerospace assembly.

Scott Krusinski

April 14, 2021

Pressure-sensitive adhesives (PSAs) offer numerous advantages for aerospace assembly. PSAs enable assembly of dissimilar materials with a continuous bond area.

Maglev conveyors provide unlimited flexibility for assembly

John Sprovieri

April 9, 2021

Linear motor pallet-transfer systems have been around for many years now. These systems work on the principle of a "smart" track, consisting of multiple linear servomotors, and a "dumb" mover outfitted with powerful magnets.

Centrifugal System Feeds, Orients Deodorant Containers

John Sprovieri

April 28, 2021

No one wants to smell bad. Which is why deodorant is big business. The top 10 deodorant brands in the United States totaled more than $1.36 billion in sales in 2019, according to market research firm Statista.

A Million New U.S. Manufacturing Jobs

Harry Moser

May 5, 2021

Since 2010, more than 4,700 companies have brought back some or all of their manufacturing operations and sourcing to the U.S. Despite COVID-19, reshoring was up in 2020.

Manufacturers Find Their Dispensing Equipment MVP

Jim Camillo

May 2, 2021

Some challenges that manufacturers face are simple, while others are multi-faceted. An example of the latter is continually providing customers with products that are stronger and more durable, yet lighter and smaller to minimize shipping costs.

Pipe-and-Joint System Improves Ergonomics at Pump Manufacturer

Jim Camillo

May 2, 2021

Last year's California wildfire season was a record-setting one for the state. By the end of 2020, more than 9,600 fires had burned nearly 4.4 million acres, or more than 4 percent of the state's roughly 100 million acres of land.

Motion Control Quickens Die Setup and Changeover in Presses

Jim Camillo

May 2, 2021

Clichés have a place in manufacturing, so long as they truly fit the application. For example, the expression "It's not rocket science" is perfectly appropriate to describe the use of a small manual press for a punching operation in the assembly of a consumer product.

'The Robot Made Me Do It'

John Sprovieri

April 7, 2021

Robots are becoming nearly as common in assembly plants as nutrunners and conveyors. The advent of collaborative robots is only furthering that trend. However, as robots play a greater role on the line, engineers must ensure that workers remain safe around the technology.

Automated System Fills, Caps Vials

Caps are tightened to a preset torque.

John Sprovieri

April 21, 2021

Speed, precision and cleanliness are the hallmarks of automation for medical and pharmaceutical applications. A recent project designed and built by SP Automation and Robotics was no exception.

As more companies automate their screwdriving processes with collaborative robots, there are many factors to consider to ensure employee safety, consistent required torque high degree of repeatability and zero defect products. Join Universal Robots and screwdriving experts Atlas Copco for this joint webinar featuring the latest developments in automated screwdriving.

In this informational webinar we will present topics that are essential to quality control along with vision inspection systems. Information pertaining to risk handling and 0 PPM strategy to reduce downtime in assembly applications.

Assembly eMagazine

Cover Story

Automakers Are Developing Solar-Powered Vehicles

Next-Gen SCARAs

Features

Optimizing the Spot Welding Process

Wire Harness Assembly: Business Outlook

Training for Wire Harness Assembly

PSAs for Aerospace Assembly

Maglev conveyors provide unlimited flexibility for assembly

Columns

Centrifugal System Feeds, Orients Deodorant Containers

A Million New U.S. Manufacturing Jobs

Manufacturers Find Their Dispensing Equipment MVP

Pipe-and-Joint System Improves Ergonomics at Pump Manufacturer

Motion Control Quickens Die Setup and Changeover in Presses

'The Robot Made Me Do It'

Automated System Fills, Caps Vials

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