2019 October

The 2019 October Assembly features our Plant of the Year story "Refrigerator Production Heats Up at GE Appliances", plus much more. Check it out today!

2019 Assembly Plant of the Year: Refrigerator Production Heats Up at GE Appliances

Lean manufacturing and vertical integration thrive in Decatur, AL.

Austin Weber

October 1, 2019

Refrigerators are one of the only appliances found in nearly every type of home, whether it's an apartment in suburban Atlanta, a high-rise condominium in downtown Chicago, a beach house in Hawaii or a trailer in Texas. The humble refrigerator is also the hardest working household appliance. Day and night, it's constantly running to keep all types of food and beverages cool, fresh or frozen.

Interesting and Unusual Applications of Cable Testing

From underwater vehicles to crash dummies, these case studies showcase the benefits of using a versatile and adaptable cable tester

Christopher E. Strangio

October 9, 2019

Over the last 26 years, since the founding of CAMI Research Inc., customers and friends have asked why the company would focus its efforts on such a mundane, low-tech, and uninteresting device as a cable tester, particularly since a variety of such devices already existed.

Prototyping Complex Harnesses

Designing, building and testing complex wire harnesses takes planning, attention to detail - and a good tester

Jon Quigley

October 10, 2019

Vehicles have become increasingly electrical over the years. This is not just power electronics, but also sensor data, communications and many other coordinated electrical signals. For aircraft or commercial vehicles, wire harnesses can be even more complex with hundreds of interconnection points.

OEE and Wire Processing

Rob Boyd Robert Suess-Wolf

October 8, 2019

Digitization, Industry 4.0 and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIOT) are buzzwords we hear quite often today. What do they mean for the wire processing industry? How will digitization affect our business, and how will we measure our performance?

Maximize the Benefits of Custom Automated Material Handling Systems

Open communication and strict adherence to satisfying the needs of the application are the keys to creating custom automation systems

Gary Michels

October 7, 2019

The lives of manufacturers would be so much easier if all their automation processes were homogeneous. Unfortunately, there are many that require customization to satisfy the unique requirements of an automated work-holding or material-handling application.

Automated Assembly System Roundup

Auto parts, plumbing products and medical devices are among the myriad items made on automated assembly systems

John Sprovieri

October 4, 2019

There's nothing quite like a multistation automated assembly system. Watching robots, actuators and indexers go about their carefully choreographed routines with little or no human intervention can seem nothing short of miraculous.

Selecting Retaining Rings

Consider several technical factors to ensure that the right type of retaining ring is used in each fastening application

Henry Yates

October 3, 2019

Engineers are challenged daily to come up with economical product designs that reduce weight, size, raw materials and labor. This competitive mandate affects every design facet, including the fasteners needed to hold components in place.

Optimizing Ultrasonic Plastic Welds

This advice should assist you in solving day-to-day ultrasonic welding challenges

Eddie RosenHanst

October 2, 2019

There's nothing better than starting an ultrasonic plastic welding application and finding the process "window" right away - the sweet spot in which people, parts, equipment and processes run smoothly, with great yields and timely, efficient production.

Soldering System is Powerful Enough for Engine Maker

Jim Camillo

October 9, 2019

Drones have come a long way in a fairly short time, commercially speaking. In less than 20 years, these unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have gone from being used by the CIA to attack the Taliban in Afghanistan, to soon being used by Amazon to deliver a wide range of packages to homes.

Lubricant Helps Prosthetic Maker Take Big Step Forward

Jim Camillo

October 8, 2019

Lower limb prosthetics have been around for more than 200 years. But, it's only in the last 40 years or so that they've progressed to the point of accurately mimicking the human body.

Linear Friction Welder LIFTs Materials Innovation in Motown

Jim Camillo

October 7, 2019

Lightweighting is one of the biggest challenges facing manufacturers today in the automotive, aerospace, maritime and rail industries. The push for new materials is forcing engineers in these industries to explore cost-effective alternatives and develop new assembly processes.

Preparing Metal Implants With Ultrasonic Cleaning

Zoe Leduc

October 2, 2019

Much of the conversation around medical device cleanliness is about sanitation and sterilization. While both are important for eliminating potentially harmful microorganisms, medical devices also need to be cleaned prior to sterilization.

RIP: Lee Iacocca

John Sprovieri

October 1, 2019

Not many CEOs become household names. Looking at the current Fortune 100, I came up with just three: Jeff Bezos of Am-azon, Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook, and Michael Dell of Dell, the latter only because I stare at a Dell laptop all week.

This presentation addresses the vital importance of reshoring U.S. manufacturing capability to ensure economic and military security. You’ll learn how U.S. manufacturing got where it is today, how outsourcing threatens U.S. security, and what U.S. manufacturers can do to fix the problem.

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