An automatic screw feeder can greatly increase the efficiency of a manual screwdriving operation. However, to reach the next level of productivity, assemblers should consider a robot. Screwdriving is a great application for Cartesian, SCARA, six-axis robots and collaborative robots. Now, several suppliers have introduced robots for installing large screws and bolts. Here’s a look at some of the latest developments.
The internal combustion engine may not be dead, but it has lost its spot in the limelight. The global demand for energy without emissions is driving markets and policy. In response, the world has turned its attention to electrification as the future of transportation.
Mullen Technologies Inc. is a start-up company that's developing several types of electric vehicles, including a crossover, a sports car and a delivery van. The Brea, CA-based firm is led by an entrepreneur who formerly worked in the entertainment industry as a record producer.
While batteries and motors are the "lead actors" in electric vehicles, power electronics play an equally important behind-the-scenes role. Vehicle power electronics primarily process and control the flow of electrical energy in EVs.
People often ask me what makes a good user requirement specification (URS). Maybe it's my age or experience, or maybe they're just trying to make me feel good, but I always consider it a compliment when someone asks me. After working on automation projects for more years than I would like to believe, I think I can nudge people in the right direction.
Picture a flying taxi able to whisk passengers to their chosen destination within minutes, not hours. A noiseless aircraft free from carbon emissions, capable of vertical takeoff and landing in the heart of a major city. What once sounded like a scene out of a science-fiction novel is cruising toward reality, forever altering the way we move.
Fire and ice don't mix. The same applies to water and batteries. In an electric vehicle, a tiny bit of water vapor can damage lithium-ion battery cells.
Management theory and practice don't always match, and few people know this better than the individuals who oversee assembly lines. Their real-world experience has taught them that the best method to achieve success always depends on several application-specific factors. Among them are part size and shape, available automation, required cycle time and the materials being joined.
The COVID-19 pandemic has propelled a national movement to strengthen domestic supply chains and reshore. Recruitment of the next generation of skilled manufacturing talent is paramount to this effort, but there is a widening gap between the skills needed by industry and the skills of job candidates.
At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the healthcare industry faced a large-scale shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE), which put frontline workers at risk of infection.
It is safe to say that the debate about the environmental impact of plastic will continue. But, it is also a fact that many manufacturers of plastic products are quietly becoming greener.
Gentherm Inc. has been assembling a wide range of thermal management products for the automotive industry since 1991, when it was known as Amerigon. In 1996, the company created the industry's first thermoelectrically heated and cooled seat system (called Climate Control Seat).
Above all else, electronic products for aerospace and defense equipment must be durable and reliable. Based in Gloucestershire, England, Ultra Electronics Precision Control Systems (UPCS) has been making such products for both industries since 1925.