Assembly articles from February 2006

Assembly archives from February 2006

Breaking the bank.(Editorial)
February 1, 2006... Back in 1984, the UAW worried that a tsunami of automation would result in robots replacing loyal union members on auto factory floors. To counter the possibility of wholesale layoffs, the UAW struck a bargain with GM, Ford and Chrysler. In...

Electric cylinders take the air out of linear motion.(X-Y-Z)
February 1, 2006... Pneumatic cylinders can be found throughout automated assembly systems in pick-and-place devices, clamps, pushers, elevators and linear actuators. Fast and inexpensive, pneumatic cylinders are used when a light load must be moved repeatedly...

Get in your Plant of the Year nominations.(Assembly Lines)
February 1, 2006... BENSENVILLE, IL -- ASSEMBLY Magazine is now accepting nominations for its third annual Assembly Plant of the Year award. Created in 2004, the award honors a state-of-the-art plant that has reduced production costs, increased productivity,...

Boeing begins building 737 No. 5,000.(Assembly Lines)
February 1, 2006... CHICAGO -- Boeing recently began final assembly of its 5,000th model 737 commercial airliner at the company's manufacturing facility in Renton, WA. The airplane, a 737-700 destined for Southwest Airlines (Dallas), will be delivered this month....

Inspiring future engineers today.(Assembly Lines)
February 1, 2006... ANN ARBOR, MI -- To help encourage future generations of engineers, University of Michigan engineering professor Lenea Howe and graphic artist Rod Hill have created a coloring book they hope will inspire kids to pursue careers in manufacturing....

Edmund Optics wins DOD grant.(Assembly Lines)
February 1, 2006... BARRINGTON, NJ -- Edmund Optics Inc. has received $2.8 million from the U.S. Department of Defense to develop manufacturing equipment to produce advanced optical elements such as aspheres. An asphere is a lens with at least one nonspherical...

Reis founder creates robotics innovation prize.(Assembly Lines)
February 1, 2006... OBERNBURG, Germany -- Reis Robotics founder, Walter Reis, is offering nearly $30,000 in prize money to recognize and stimulate innovation in robotics. The inaugural "Walter Reis Innovation Award for Robotics" will be presented at the 2006...

Introduce a girl to engineering.(Assembly Lines)
February 1, 2006... ALEXANDRIA, VA -- This year's Engineers Week--Feb. 19-25--will emphasize diversity in engineering, especially during the sixth annual "Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day," Thursday, Feb. 23. During "Girl Day," as it is commonly known,...

Lista takes on Arlink product line.(Assembly Lines)
February 1, 2006... HOLLISTON, MA -- In an effort to streamline distribution, the Arlink and Ergomation product lines are now available through workbench and cabinet manufacturer Lista International Corp. The Arlink product line will be marketed as Lista's...

Preco Inc. opens Chinese facility.(Assembly Lines)
February 1, 2006... SOMERSET, WI -- Laser systems manufacturer Preco Inc. has opened a contract manufacturing facility in Tianjin, China, under the name Preco-Miwa Laser Industries Ltd. "The establishment of contract manufacturing services in China is a...

2,000 Volvo buses going to China.(Assembly Lines)
February 1, 2006... SHANGHAI, China -- Volvo has received an order for 2,000 city buses from Shanghai Group Industrial Ltd. (SGI), for delivery by summer 2007. SGI is Volvo's single biggest customer in China, with a fleet of 8,800 buses--1,450 of which are made by...

Boeing delivers Apache helicopter to Japan.(Assembly Lines)
February 1, 2006... CHICAGO -- Boeing Co. has delivered the first of two AH-64D Apache Longbow multirole combat helicopters ordered by the Japanese government to Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. (FHI, Tokyo), a Boeing aerospace partner that is producing the Apache...

Trevor Jones elected RIA president.(Assembly Lines)
February 1, 2006... ANN ARBOR, MI -- Trevor Jones, director of OEM business development for Thermo Electron Corp. (Burlington, Ontario), has been elected president of Robotic Industries Association (RIA). Jones is the first Canadian to assume this role in the...

Ford to build Philippine engine plant.(Assembly Lines)
February 1, 2006... MANILA, Philippines -- Ford Motor Co. (Dearborn, MI) will build a $20 million "flexible fuel" engine plant in the Philippines. Flexible fuel engines operate using conventional gasoline or a combination of gasoline and bioethanol fuels. ...

Honda to build solar panels.(Assembly Lines)
February 1, 2006... TOKYO -- Honda Motor Co. plans to begin mass production of an independently developed thin-film solar cell in 2007. The cell, composed of nonsilicon compound materials, is less expensive and requires 50 percent less energy to produce than a...

Ford creates inflatable seatbelt.(Assembly Lines)
February 1, 2006... DEARBORN, MI -- Ford Motor Co. has developed an inflatable safety belt to provide increased crash protection to back-seat automotive passengers. The new technology, officially unveiled at the 2006 North American International Auto Show in...

DENSO expanding Tennessee plant.(Assembly Lines)
February 1, 2006... MARYVILLE, TN -- DENSO International America Inc. (Southfield, MI), a subsidiary of Japan-based DENSO Corp. is investing $185 million in its Maryville automotive electronics components plant. The upgrade will add approximately 500 new jobs and...

Pallet system provides long-term flexibility.(Assembly in Action)
February 1, 2006... Sitech Sitztechnik (Polkowice, Poland), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group, manufactures steel frames for car seats. Recently, the company, which operates plants in both Europe and China, upgraded its Polish manufacturing...

Robotic cell improves welding times.(Assembly in Action)
February 1, 2006... Johnson & Berry Manufacturing Inc. (L'Anse, MI) manufactures hydraulic cylinders, rollers and pins for the heavy equipment industry. Historically, the company's semiautomated flux-cored welding processes have constituted a bottleneck. But,...

Durable inks help ensure rocket function.(Assembly in Action)
February 1, 2006... ATK Thiokol (Edina, MN) manufactures everything from bullets to the reusable solid rocket motors (RSRM) that have launched every space shuttle since the program's maiden flight in 1981. To ensure that each RSRM functions perfectly, flight...

Software facilitates engineering communications.(Assembly in Action)
February 1, 2006... L-3 Communication (New York) manufactures secure communications and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems for government agencies like the U.S. departments of Defense and Homeland Security. Because of the specialized nature its...

Vision ensures pen quality.(Assembly in Action)
February 1, 2006... BIC New Zealand Ltd. (Auckland, New Zealand), one of a number of BIC Corp. (Milford, CT) subsidiaries around the globe, manufactures about 15 million felt-tip pens each year using a customized automated assembly machine. These pens are then...

Robots help assembler break the mold: fully integrated with vision systems, flexible robots perform many tasks at a Midwestern auto parts manufacturer.(Robotics)(Cover Story)
February 1, 2006... TASUS Corp. (Bloomington, IN) manufactures injection-molded plastic parts for a variety of automotive components. It also provides a range of assembly operations, including ultrasonic welding, vibration welding, leak testing and the attachment...

Made in China: working successfully with Chinese suppliers requires an understanding of language and cultural differences.(Global Assembly)
February 1, 2006... Dave Grenier, a manufacturing engineer with Intel Corp. (Santa Clara, CA), is no stranger to China. In both his current and his previous job, he's worked with contract manufacturers based in China. He has traveled to the country multiple times,...

Introducing P. Kay MS2[TM] molten solder surfactant. At last--a product that actually eliminates dross.(Advertisement)
February 1, 2006... UNLIKE CONVENTIONAL powders, oils, mechanical separators and even nitrogen blankets, MS2[TM] molten solder surfactant, a technological breakthrough developed by P. Kay Metal, with U.S. and foreign patents pending, doesn't just reduce or inhibit...

See and avoid saves profits: an automated inspection system helps reduce powertrain warranty costs.(Machine Vision)
February 1, 2006... Warranty costs are a growing concern in the auto industry, where manufacturers are under intense pressure to cut costs while maintaining quality. Even the smallest defect can siphon off millions of dollars in profit and create big headaches for...

Some change is good; Too much is bad: winning the changeover race requires speed and flexibility.(Packaging)(Company Profile)
February 1, 2006... This month, more than 40 NASCAR drivers will descend on central Florida for the 48th annual Daytona 500 motor race. Whoever wins the famous event will probably credit his success to one or more well-orchestrated pit stops, where mechanics...

Automatica leads the way: following a very successful debut in 2004, Automatica 2006 will lead European manufacturers toward greater productivity through automation.(European Assembly)
February 1, 2006... Aimed squarely at showcasing the latest in robotics and automation for European manufacturers, and creating a forum for manufacturers and vendors from Europe and North America to exchange ideas and knowledge, the inaugural Automatica in 2004...

Rechargeable container helps find leaks.(Products)
February 1, 2006... Portable leak finder helps detect leaks in chambers, connections or parts. The system includes a rechargeable container for helium gas and a spray nozzle similar to an aerosol can that is used to spray helium onto a suspected leak location. A...

Data software includes upgrades.(Products)
February 1, 2006... The latest version of the Applied Stats data-collection and quality-control software suite includes new functionalities like the ability to calculate net weight for "percentage below label" and "percentage overfill" in package-filling...

Four-gantry machine is fast, precise.(Products)
February 1, 2006... The Quadris-S is a four-gantry placement machine that uses turret technology and advanced controls to achieve 80,000 cph placement performance. The system's fine-pitch capabilities support BGA ball diameters down to 0.3 millimeter and lead...

Lead screws adjust for wear.(Products)
February 1, 2006... VHD Series antibacklash nonball lead screws combine load-carrying capacity with high axial and radial stiffness. The systems provide smooth, quiet operation while a proprietary "axial take-up mechanism" creates a stiff spacer that continually...

Fill material accommodates lead-free.(Products)
February 1, 2006... Hysol FP4800 is a liquid encapsulant that withstands solder temperatures up to 260 C. Its flow properties allow it to penetrate fine-pitch wires and deep cavities without entrapping voids, and it meets JEDEC level testing requirements for...

Sockets are 'more' magnetic.(Products)
February 1, 2006... ProtoGrip magnetic sockets feature a unique "no-bushing" design that boosts their magnetic strength for use in automated assembly applications. Previous magnetic sockets used a bushing to hold the magnet in place. By eliminating this bushing,...

Ultrasonic technology aids quality.(Products)
February 1, 2006... The UOS-100 ultrasonic positioning system uses ultrasonic emitters, receivers and a control interface to enhance error-proofing by enabling users to precisely determine the position of a tool or object in 3-D space. The system is well suited to...

Epoxy offers high peel, shear strengths.(Products)
February 1, 2006... Supreme 11F is a two-component, fast-curing structural epoxy that offers high shear and peel strengths. It incorporates a noncritical one-to-one mix ratio and solidifies at room temperature in 5 to 7 minutes, with full cure in 4 to 5 hours. It...

Get your payback from lean!(Leading Lean)
February 1, 2006... Investments are made expecting future payback. You invest in people through training and coaching. You invest in improvements through capital equipment and process changes. You invest in leadership through your own time and energy. You invest...