2020 December

Assembly Magazine

The 2020 December Assembly features our Capital Spending Report, plus much more. Check it out today!

2020 Capital Spending Survey: Cautious Optimism

With a new presidential administration and an end to COVID in sight, manufacturers are ready to invest in their assembly lines.

John Sprovieri

December 4, 2020

Slowly but surely, U.S. manufacturing is recovering from the pandemic-related slowdown.

Long Live the Robot Teach Pendant

Luke Tuttle Ben Gibbs

December 2, 2020

Although many programming and controlling technologies for industrial robots have evolved over the last several years, one component has remained fairly constant - the robot teach pendant.

How Lean Helped GE’s Turbine Factory Find Its Mojo

Lean has enabled GE’s turbine assembly plant in Greenville, SC, to save money, improve quality, and reduce manufacturing time

Tomas Kellner

December 3, 2020

In the last half century, the GE Gas Power plant in Greenville, SC, has experienced the same kind of dizzying roller coaster ride as the city where it's located.

Five Things: Furniture Manufacturing

John Sprovieri

December 15, 2020

Ashley Furniture Industries Inc. has installed 28,776 solar panels on the roof of its assembly plant in Leesport, PA. The panels will produce more than 9,630,600 kilowatt-hours of electricity per year.

Aerospace Machine Builder Becomes Partial to Electron-Beam Welding

Jim Camillo

December 14, 2020

Many types of welding are used in manufacturing. Some, like gas metal arc, laser and ultrasonic, are quite well-known, while others are less popular but a perfect fit for a specific application.

Automotive Supplier Increases Efficiency With PLM Platform

Jim Camillo

December 11, 2020

Some of the most important parts in a vehicle are often overlooked and taken for granted. A good example is the side door latch, which has a spring-loaded mechanism that retracts to open the door and, upon release of the door handle, protrudes to keep the door closed.

New Fastener Enables Mercedes-Benz to Join Aluminum Parts

Jim Camillo

December 10, 2020

When the latest-generation C-Class series of automobiles was being developed in 2014, Mercedes-Benz designers placed a great emphasis on weight reduction to reduce fuel consumption.

Reward Proactive Action Over Firefighting

Jon Quigley

December 10, 2020

What is it about running in and saving the day, like in old Westerns, that individuals and companies enjoy? We may say that we would rather not have such drama on the shop floor, but all too often we set ourselves up for it in the end.

Zinc Holds Promise for Lightweighting

Austin Weber

December 9, 2020

Aluminum is a popular material for numerous automotive lightweighting applications. But, switching from aluminum to zinc alloys could greatly enhance the longevity and sustainability of many types of auto parts.

Vision system aids feeding of pins

John Sprovieri

December 3, 2020

Automation engineers have developed ingenious ways to mechanically singulate and orient parts in a feeder bowl.

How Automation Accelerates Reshoring—Part 1

Harry Moser

December 11, 2020

COVID-19 has accelerated deglobalization in manufacturing, but that shift was already underway before the pandemic. Between 1990 and 2016, global trade had been growing at average annual rate of 4.9 percent, according to the World Trade Organization.

Good luck, Joe Biden

John Sprovieri

December 2, 2020

By the time you read this, President Donald Trump might finally have accepted reality and conceded the election. Or, there might be a coup or a zombie apocalypse; it's been that kind of year.

Automated Screwdriving with Collaborative Robots

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.

Automation 201 – Clarifying Your Requirements for Project Success

In our popular "Automation 101" webinar, Epson helped guide automation professionals with a simple step-by-step framework for getting started with robotics. Automation 201 picks up where 101 left off by taking a deeper dive into the critical topic of understanding your project requirements and their associated performance trade-offs.

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Assembly Magazine

2020 December

Cover Story

2020 Capital Spending Survey: Cautious Optimism

Features

Long Live the Robot Teach Pendant

How Lean Helped GE’s Turbine Factory Find Its Mojo

Columns

Five Things: Furniture Manufacturing

Aerospace Machine Builder Becomes Partial to Electron-Beam Welding

Automotive Supplier Increases Efficiency With PLM Platform

New Fastener Enables Mercedes-Benz to Join Aluminum Parts

Reward Proactive Action Over Firefighting

Zinc Holds Promise for Lightweighting

Vision system aids feeding of pins

How Automation Accelerates Reshoring—Part 1

Good luck, Joe Biden

The latest news and information

Content focused on processes, technologies and strategies for assembling discrete parts into finished products