Assembly articles from December 2006

Assembly archives from December 2006

Certified skills.(Editorial)
December 1, 2006... More than half of the small manufacturers responding to an operating survey from the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM, Washington) expect their sales to grow more than 5 percent this year. Similarly, 41 percent of survey respondents...

Motor performance hinges on location of magnets.(X-Y-Z)
December 1, 2006... Permanent magnet synchronous servomotors are used in many types of industrial equipment, including machine tools, robots, injection molding machines, printing presses and packaging machines. These compact motors have a high air-gap flux...

Boeing now building 777s on a moving assembly line.(Assembly Lines)
December 1, 2006... SEATTLE -- The Boeing Co. (Chicago) has begun performing final assembly of its twin-aisle 777 jetliner on a moving assembly line. This is the third Boeing aircraft to be built in this fashion. The company also used a moving line during the...

Baldor acquiring Rockwell power systems business.(Assembly Lines)
December 1, 2006... FORT SMITH, AR -- Motor manufacturer Baldor Electric Co. is acquiring the power systems division of Rockwell Automation Inc. (Milwaukee) at a cost of $1.8 billion. According to Baldor CEO, John McFarland, the Rockwell business, which...

Toyota begins building hybrids in North America.(Assembly Lines)
December 1, 2006... GEORGETOWN, KY -- Toyota Motor Manufacturing has begun production of the Camry Hybrid at the company's Kentucky production facility. Upgrading the plant to accommodate the new product line cost approximately $10 million. The plant, which...

Cummins upgrading Indiana plant.(Assembly Lines)
December 1, 2006... COLUMBUS, IN -- Diesel engine and automotive controls manufacturer Cummins Inc. plans to produce a new line of light-duty, "clean-diesel" engines in Columbus beginning no later than 2010. The company will begin upgrading the facility in...

Spire Corp. to install solar panel production line.(Assembly Lines)
December 1, 2006... BEDFORD, MA -- Spire Corp. has closed a deal to provide a 10 megawatt photovoltaic cell production line for solar panel manufacturer Prosperity Solar Power Inc. (Taipei City, Taiwan). The production line will include a series of testing, layup,...

ATExpo 2007 to feature new electronics venue.(Assembly Lines)
December 1, 2006... LOS ANGELES -- Cannon Communications, which purchased the Assembly Technology Expo trade show (ATExpo, Rosemont, IL) from Reed Exhibitions (Norwalk, CT) this past summer, is revamping the electronics portion of the event with a new, dedicated...

Textron changing name to Acument.(Assembly Lines)
December 1, 2006... TROY, MI -- Fastener manufacturer Textron Fastening Systems is changing its name to Acument Global Technologies, in the wake of its being acquired by Platinum Equity (Beverly Hills, CA) in August. Textron has approximately 9,000 employees...

Kia building first U.S. plant.(Assembly Lines)
December 1, 2006... SEOUL, South Korea -- Kia Motors Corp. has begun construction on its first-ever U.S. manufacturing facility, in West Point, GA. The $1 billion automotive assembly plant is central to Kia's long-term plans to increase North American sales to...

Adamson elected IMAPS president.(Assembly Lines)
December 1, 2006... WASHINGTON -- Steven J. Adamson, market manager at dispensing and jetting equipment manufacturer Asymtek (Carlsbad, CA), has become president-elect of the International Microelectronics and Packaging Society (IMAPS). He will serve for a year in...

Volvo Aero expands U.S. capabilities.(Assembly Lines)
December 1, 2006... NEWINGTON, CT -- Volvo Aero (Trollhattan Sweden) is expanding the facilities of its U.S.-based Aero-Craft subsidiary to meet growing demand. The current 40,000-square-foot plant and office building will gain an additional 27,000 square feet of...

Alcoa opens Ferrari frame plant.(Assembly Lines)
December 1, 2006... MODENA, Italy -- Alcoa (New York) has opened a new 5,000-square-foot automotive assembly plant to build aluminum frames for the Ferrari F430, 612 Scaglietti and 599 GTB Fiorano sports cars. The plant replaces an Alcoa facility located in...

UNO lands $3.6 million grant for ship welding robot technology.(Assembly Lines)
December 1, 2006... NEW ORLEANS -- The University of New Orleans (UNO) has received a $3.6 million grant from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Arlington, VA) to develop automated tools for programming robots to weld ship components. "The...

SMTA conference headed South.(Assembly Lines)
December 1, 2006... ORLANDO, FL -- After years at Chicago's Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, the Surface Mount Technology Association (SMTA, Edina, MN) is moving its annual international conference and trade show to Orlando in 2007. Set for Oct. 7-11, the...

U.S., Mexican firms team up on railcar production.(Assembly Lines)
December 1, 2006... LAKE OSWEGO, OR -- The Greenbrier Companies and Grupo Industrial Monclova (GIMSA, Monclova, Mexico) have formed a partnership to build railroad cars in Mexico for the North American market. The two companies will build the cars at GIMSA's...

Syntax-Brillian opening California LCD plant.(Assembly Lines)
December 1, 2006... TEMPE, AZ -- Syntax-Brillian Corp., a manufacturer of high-definition television screens, has opened a new manufacturing facility in Ontario, CA. The 50,000-square-foot facility has an annual capacity of 200,000 screens. It currently employs...

Bombardier cutting regional-jet production.(Assembly Lines)
December 1, 2006... MONTREAL -- Bombardier Aerospace is cutting production rates for its mid-sized CRJ700 and CRJ900 regional jets in response to "current market demand." The cuts, which will result in layoffs in a number of Bombardier locations, will be somewhat...

Airbus, China agree on A320 assembly plant.(Assembly Lines)
December 1, 2006... TOULOUSE, France -- Airbus and a consortium of Chinese aviation companies have agreed to work together on creating an A320 final assembly plant in Tianjin, China. The formal agreement comes on the heals of a feasibility study conducted by...

PACCAR riding high.(Assembly Lines)
December 1, 2006... BELLEVUE, WA -- Truck manufacturer PACCAR Inc. is continuing to post record sales in what is proving to one of the most successful years in its history. In the third quarter, the company logged sales and revenues of $4.21 billion, with sales...

DENSO, Robert Bosch forming filter partnership.(Assembly Lines)
December 1, 2006... KARIYA, Japan -- DENSO Corp. and Robert Bosch GmbH (Stuttgart, Germany) are finalizing the terms of a joint venture in Eastern Europe to manufacture cordierite-based automotive diesel particulate filters (DPFs), beginning in 2009. DENSO and...

Siemens VDO automotive acquires Russian supplier AVTEL.(Assembly Lines)
December 1, 2006... MUNICH -- Siemens VDO Automotive is acquiring 51 percent of automotive supplier AVTEL (Kuluga, Russia), a joint venture made up of the Russian companies A vtoelectronica and NPP ELCAR. AVTEL, founded in 1999, produces a variety of...

GE supplies 40 engines for German biogas 'energy park'.(Assembly Lines)
December 1, 2006... JENBACH, Austria -- The energy division of General Electric Co. (Fairfield, CT) is supplying 40 high-efficiency, Jenbacher JMS 312 biogas engines to German renewable energy developer, Nawaro Bioenergie AG. The deal represents the largest order...

Coated punches cut cost, increase quality.(Assembly in Action)
December 1, 2006... Borg Warner-Diversified Transmission Products Inc. (Muncie, IN) manufactures four-wheel-drive and traction control systems for the automotive industry. Its primary products are four-wheel-drive transfer case assemblies used by Ford Motor Co....

Wire-soldering workstation triples electronics production.(Assembly in Action)
December 1, 2006... Founded in 1979, Tech Circuits Inc. (Wallingford, CT) provides prototyping and manufacturing services for a variety of electronics customers. In these capacities, the company needs to be both flexible and precise in its manufacturing processes....

Laser tracking facilitates aerospace assembly.(Assembly in Action)
December 1, 2006... Created through a merger of the helicopter divisions of Aerospatiale-matra (Paris) and DaimlerChrysler Aerospace (Munich, Germany), Eurocopter (Marignane, France) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the European Aeronautic, Defense and Space...

Fasteners work out for trainer.(Assembly in Action)
December 1, 2006... The Koko Smartrainer exercise machine, manufactured by Koko Fitness Inc. (Norwell, MA), includes an integrated computerized "personal trainer" that automatically customizes each workout to an individual's particular needs. Not surprisingly,...

The nuts and bolts of prefab housing.(Assembly in Action)
December 1, 2006... Bosch Rexroth Corp. (Buchanan, MI), long a fixture in the world of manufacturing and assembly, is making its first foray into the architectural world, providing structural support for the new, prefab "iT house," created by the office of Taalman...

Spending continues climbing: despite the travails of the Big Three automakers, there will still be plenty of investment in assembly technology next year.(Capital Spending)(Company overview)
December 1, 2006... In October, Syntax-Brillian Corp. opened what is believed to be the first facility in the United States for assembling high-definition flat-panel televisions. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Located in Ontario, CA, some 50 miles east of Los...

Automation vs. outsourcing: manufacturers must consider the pros and cons of each.(Automated Assembly)(Company overview)
December 1, 2006... No matter what type of product they make, all manufacturers walk the same fine line and face many of the same burdens today, such as rising health care costs, soaring energy prices and fluctuating raw material supplies. But, when the path to...

Fixturing for leak testing: plan ahead to get the most out of your leak detector.(Leak Testing)
December 1, 2006... In the abstract, it seems like such a simple thing--figuring out whether or not a product is leaking. However, the reality of performing this task quickly and reliably can be incredibly complex. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Pressure decay...

Trimming whiskers: despite years of research by electronics assemblers, the problem of tin whiskers defies an easy solution.(Electronics Assembly)
December 1, 2006... By all accounts, the latest mission of the space shuttle Discovery in July was a success. Before the launch, however, some engineers argued that the shuttle should not have taken off at all. Engineers from the Aerospace Corp. (El Segundo,...

What's in your boards?(Electronics Assembly)
December 1, 2006... Visually, it's difficult, if not impossible, to tell the difference between an electronic component or circuit board that contains lead and one that has not. This is no trifling matter. If a lead-bearing component is inadvertently used in...

Ten easy ways to destroy sensors: production costs can be reduced by making the right choices.(Welding)
December 1, 2006... Intense heat and flame make welding a harsh process. As a result, manufacturers often spend thousands of dollars replacing sensors that are damaged or destroyed. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Ravenous consumption of sensors in welding cells...

Dream Machine inspires future engineers: a new museum exhibit in Milwaukee exposes kids to manufacturing.(Automated Assembly)
December 1, 2006... Some day 15 or 20 years in the future, when someone asks a young engineer somewhere in the Midwest, "How did you get interested in manufacturing?" the reply might be: "The day I assembled a dragonfly." A little foam bug plays a big role in...

Control temperatures while dispensing.(Products)
December 1, 2006... The ProcessMate 6500 temperature control system eliminates temperature fluctuations in assembly fluids that can cause variations in shot size, viscosity and pot life when dispensing solder pastes, thermal-cure epoxies and other...

Assembly platform is modular, flexible.(Products)
December 1, 2006... The Smartpod offers a flexible, cost-effective platform for automated assembly of electronics, consumer goods and medical devices. It can be reprogrammed for a new task within 15 minutes, even while in operation. The pod-shaped platform can be...

Valve dispenses pastes, gels.(Products)
December 1, 2006... The VMS4000 mini spool valve can be used to dispense a wide range of low- to high-viscosity fluids. Up to 700 pounds of fluid pressure can be applied, making it possible to dispense pastes and gels. Fluid cut-off at the end of the cycle can be...

Press offers power, speed.(Products)
December 1, 2006... The Pemserter Series 2000 automatic press installs all types of self-clinching fasteners in thin-metal sheets. It performs at cycle rates up to 2,750 strokes per hour, while delivering a ram force of 400 to 16,000 pounds. A job search and...

Wire stripping machine accommodates wire sizes.(Products)
December 1, 2006... The PowerStrip 9500 RS automatic wire cut and strip machine enhances rotary stripping flexibility. It cuts and strips up to 0.47-inchdiameter wire and cable, with pull-off lengths up to 1.57 inches. Three pairs of blades achieve almost any...

Horzontal clamps provide holding power.(Products)
December 1, 2006... Horizontal-handle hold-down action clamps save space while still providing holding capacity. A knob on the end of the open U-bar prevents spindle slippage. Configuration upgrades also provide increased hand clearance in the open position,...

Mounts provide flexibility in sensing.(Products)
December 1, 2006... BMS sensor mounts allow users to quickly position sensors at virtually any angle. The mounts are available in both plastic and metal, and employ a small number of standard components to provide mounting flexibility in all three axes....

Vision system provides performance.(Products)
December 1, 2006... The VA15 provides a CCD imager and a full-suite of vision tools to tackle a broad range of applications, allowing users to go beyond simple presence-absence performance. The system is housed in a compact, DIN-mountable enclosure and provides...

Conveyor promotes efficient assembly.(Products)
December 1, 2006... The dual-rail J204-53 conveyor helps optimise manufacturing process equipment utilization when combined with pick-and-place machines in high-volume, low- or medium-mix production settings. Standard features include steel frame construction, up...

Use Brute force for heavy assemblies.(Products)
December 1, 2006... The Brute 2550 palletized conveyor transfers parts weighing as much as 300 pounds. Originally designed for automotive applications, the Brute 2550 can be configured into an oval or L-shape and excels in demanding production environments....

Gantry is ready to go.(Products)
December 1, 2006... IndraMotion for handling includes all necessary hardware and software components with predefined motion function blocks to run pick-and-place and loading-unloading machinery. The system is powered by the IndraControl L40 motion logic...

Sensor sees colors.(Products)
December 1, 2006... Dura-Vue DF12 series color sensors can be programmed to recognize three independent colors. Programming is done via a potentiometer setting at the sensor or a remote teach signal from a PLC. The sensors feature a heavy-duty, metal housing and...

System dispenses large volumes.(Products)
December 1, 2006... The FusionMate adhesive dispensing system can be used for high-volume adhesive dispensing in the marine, transportation and engineering construction industries. The all-pneumatic system is powered by shop air at 100 psi and provides precise,...

Get a grip.(Products)
December 1, 2006... AlphaTEC chemical-resistant gloves incorporate a series of microscopic channels in an ultra-thin nitrile layer to direct fluids away from the grip surface, leaving a significant dry contact area that provides a secure grip on wet or oily...

Adhesives bonds a variety of materials.(Products)
December 1, 2006... ReAct 784 two-component adhesive can be used to bond a variety of substrates, including steel, aluminum, phenolic, PVC, ABS, polycarbonate and glass. Shear strength ranges from 400 to more than 4,800 PSI. The adhesive is resistant to moisture...

Cable installer is easy on operators.(Products)
December 1, 2006... The Ty-Rap cable installer includes an adjustable grip span to fit any hand and an anti-recoil cutoff mechanism that reduces vibration when installing cable ties. Other features include a high-low handle force mode and interchangeable tool...

Belt drive resists grime.(Products)
December 1, 2006... The SBD sealed belt drive features a stainless steel band that runs across the length of the drive and is held in place by a magnetic strip. The band and strip effectively enclose the linear motion system, minimizing contamination by dirt and...

Light source cures adhesives.(Products)
December 1, 2006... The 7700-HD LED light is a high-powered, portable curing system for UV- and visible-light-curing adhesives. The system is equipped with an internal cooling fan and can be used in handheld or stationary-mount settings. It is powered by an AC...

Press provides power.(Products)
December 1, 2006... Direct air press features a straight pneumatic cylinder for applications requiring full force over the entire stroke length. The press is suitable for a wide range of assembly operations. It offers a standard 6-inch stroke, and provides from...

Workstations accommodate different heights.(Products)
December 1, 2006... Align adjustable-height workstations can be adjusted from 25.5 to 41.5 inches to accommodate different workers' needs. They are suitable for such tasks as repair, testing and assembly of mechanical and electronic products and components,...

Wrenches have ratcheting heads.(Products)
December 1, 2006... New line of ratcheting wrenches is available in metric and English versions, and includes double-end box wrenches and combination wrenches. All wrenches have a ratcheting spline box head that lets users apply or remove fasteners without having...

Cables withstand hard use.(Products)
December 1, 2006... New netFLEX-10M DeviceNet cable line includes thin and mid-sized hi-flex cables, mid-sized standard specification cables and thick tray-rated cables. Cables can withstand more than 10 million flex cycles and are well suited to use in C-tracks...

Motors offer smooth performance.(Products)
December 1, 2006... Series 9000 brush-commutated DC motors and gearmotors deliver quiet and smooth operation for use in data storage, medical-biotech, semiconductor processing and automated assembly applications. The motors and gearmotors feature seven-slot skewed...

Sensors monitor pressures.(Products)
December 1, 2006... Expanded Tactilus line of dynamic electronic pressure mapping systems now includes freeform sensors, consisting of up to 16 individual sensing points that can detect pressures up to 60 psi. The sensors can be used independently or assembled in...

Hand soldering set optimized for lead-free.(Products)
December 1, 2006... The PS-800 hand-soldering system is equipped with the PS-CA2 high-power induction heater, which delivers additional power to lead-free solder joints without needing to increase source temperatures. The PS-CA2 is situated in the handle, away...

Lift table guarantees 3 million cycles.(Products)
December 1, 2006... Tool lift table can be used when heavy loads need to be moved quickly and with consistent repeatability, or when a lift is expected to operate in an application which will exceed millions of cycles. In the lift structure, sliders replace wheels...

Press is compact, easy to monitor.(Products)
December 1, 2006... The 0.2 kilonewton Electro-Mechanical Assembly Press is a compact system well suited to applications in the medical, electronics, automotive and general manufacturing industries. It uses a servomotor to drive a ball screw in the press body to...

Bio-based lubricant works in high-speed environments.(Products)
December 1, 2006... EcoLine bearing, chain and roller lubricant is a bio-based, rust preventative lubricant, formulated with American grown soybeans. It contains 86 percent less petroleum than traditional lubricants, without sacrificing performance characteristics...

Robots are UL listed.(Products)
December 1, 2006... Robot line now includes four- and six-axis models that are certified by Underwriters Laboratory Inc. (UL) as safe from potential hazards. UL-required features include a number of safety devices, such as a warning light that indicates when a...

Bionic wrench available as a multitool.(Products)
December 1, 2006... The ImmiX line is the first in a series of multitools based on proprietary Bionic Wrench technology. Bionic wrenches automatically adjust to fit 14 metric and standard fasteners. Different models in the ImmiX line include 10 or 20 screwdriver...

Servos provide flexibility.(Products)
December 1, 2006... The XtraDrive servo system features an adaptive control structure that eliminates time-consuming system retuning by automatically accommodating changing load requirements. The system operates as a stand-alone unit, or it can be driven by an...

Inspection software eliminates paper.(Product)
December 1, 2006... Inspect visual inspection software eliminates the need for paper checklists in visual inspections of manufactured products. Using the system's new checklists feature, operators can not only capture and store checklist data, but also analyze and...

Valve dispenses large volumes.(Products)
December 1, 2006... The 2600-001-006/7 Tip-Seal dispense valve can be used in applications calling for high flow rates and precision fluid control of level-seeking materials. It incorporates a double-acting actuator, a 13.7-inch extension nozzle and a carbide...

Pulley line offers options.(Products)
December 1, 2006... Expanded line of metric and standard aluminum, carbon and stainless steel high-torque timing pulleys come with 14 to 72 teeth, and offer easy positioning and no backlash to improve transmission and reduce noise. The pulleys are available for...

Leak detector reduces errors.(Products)
December 1, 2006... The Ecotec E3000 is a multigas leak detector that helps minimize operator error to improve the accuracy and reliability of a company's testing operations. The system detects leaks at a greater distance from the leak location, and the sniffer...

The Little Engine That Could.(Leading Lean)
December 1, 2006... Everyone remembers the classic children's story, The Little Engine That Could, by Watty Piper. This engine was not new, powerful or full of features. But that little engine kept chuggin' along an inch at a time until it reached its goal. ...