Optimizing flow and minimizing waste are two of the basic elements of lean manufacturing. Those concepts also play a critical role in laying out assembly lines.
Some assembly technologies evolve too fast or too slow, while others change at a pace that's just right. Hydraulic presses belong in the latter category, according to some suppliers, and that's a good thing.
More than 20,000 manufacturing professionals saw the newest robots, vision systems and motion control technologies during the 2019 Automate show and conference, which was held April 8-11 at McCormick Place in Chicago.
When I first started my engineering career, I did not know much about configuration management. In fact, my introduction to configuration management was more about what happens when it is missing.
Myriad automotive components are checked for leaks, including turbochargers, oil filters and radiators. However, leak testing doesn’t end with the suppliers of those components.
During the next decade, more automakers will be adopting 48-volt electrical systems to keep up with evolving driver-assist options, onboard entertainment features and other power-sapping applications. Growing demand for mild-hybrid electric vehicles (MHEVs) is also behind the trend.
At the Components and Logistics facility in Gastonia, NC, Daimler Trucks fulfills orders and sub-assembly of thousands of parts. The plant provides parts for North American truck and school bus manufacturers, as well as auto parts stores.
Denmark is famous for being the home of Hamlet, The Little Mermaid and Lego. The nation is also well-known for its thriving robotics industry, thanks in no small part to Universal Robots A/S.
As the miniaturization trend in electronics continues, rigid-flex PCBs grow in popularity. This is because they require up to 60 percent less space than standard PCBs.
Manufacturing high-quality products is always serious business, even when the products are used for fun. KTM AG, for example, builds each of its off-road motorcycles with top-notch and thoroughly tested parts so that each model is "ready to race."
Hackers are one of the biggest threats to digital factories and Industry 4.0 initiatives. If conveyors, fastening tools, robots and other equipment are not secure, state-of-the-art production technology can be rendered useless.
In my March editorial, I discussed the impact of steel and aluminum tariffs on assemblers of steel and aluminum products. However, another constituency has also been affected by tariffs: U.S. consumers.