Assembly articles from January 2002

Assembly archives from January 2002

Math, science and the economy. (Editorial).
January 1, 2002... In March we suggested, based on disappointing results from the third International Mathematics and Science Study, that manufacturing excellence in the United States was at risk. Now a new round of report cards, more formally known as the...

Software helps micromachine designers. (Assembly Lines).
January 1, 2002... ALBUQUERQUE, NM--It is disappointing when designers learn, after months of planning, that a prototype still needs further modification before it can be marketed as a workable device. However, computer-generated preview images of possible...

TAH Industries expands and relocates. (Assembly Lines).
January 1, 2002... ROBBINSVILLE, NJ-TAH Industries, a manufacturer of motionless mixers and cartridge systems for the two-component adhesives and sealants industry, has relocated to a new 87,000-square-foot facility at 8 Applegate Dr., Robbinsville, NJ,...

United States wins welding medal. (Assembly Lines).
January 1, 2002... APPLETON, WI--TeamUSA representative Dien Tran, a student at Pinelles Technical Education Center in Clearwater, FL, was awarded the bronze medal in welding at the International Youth Skills Competition's World Skills Competition in Seoul, South...

Adept and JDS Uniphase form alliance. (Assembly Lines).
January 1, 2002... SAN JOSE, CA--Adept Technology Inc. and JDS Uniphase Corp. (Ottawa, ON, Canada) have formed an alliance to develop automation for optical component and module manufacturing. Through this alliance, Adept will be JDS' development partner for...

Toyota case challenges Disability Act. (Assembly Lines).
January 1, 2002... WASHINGTON--The Americans With Disabilities Act defines disability as an impairment that "substantially limits" someone from engaging in one or more "major life activities." These are the phrases that the courts have struggled to under stand...

General Inspection error-proofs process. (Assembly Lines).
January 1, 2002... DAVISBURG, MI--General Inspection Inc., a manufacturer of gauging, sorting and inspection systems, installed its NCTP-100 noncontact thread-detection instrument to error-proof an automated assembly process at a valve assembly manufacturer. The...

Orbis Forms Plastic Molding Division. (Assembly Lines).
January 1, 2002... OCONOMOWOC, WI--Orbis Corp. has formed Orbis Plastic Molding Div. and acquired Cookson Plastic Molding (Latham, NY). Cookson Plastic Molding manufactures structural foam pallets. Orbis Corp. manufactures plastic returnable packaging...

Electrical Product Safety Testing guide in 10th printing. (Assembly Lines).
January 1, 2002... LAKE FOREST, IL--Associated Research Inc. has published the 10th edition of The Operator's Guide to Electrical Product Safety Testing. The guide, written from an operator's perspective rather than from an engineering level, is used by...

Lockheed Martin picked to build new jet. (Assembly Lines).
January 1, 2002... WASHINGTON--Lockheed Martin Corp. (Fort Worth, TX) has been picked to build the Joint Strike Fighter, beating out Boeing Co. to build the next-generation fighter jet. The Joint Strike Fighter is a stealthy, supersonic, multirole fighter...

Handbook helps companies comply with Ergonomics Standard. (Assembly Lines).
January 1, 2002... IRVINE, CA--The California Chamber of Commerce has contracted Humantech Inc. (Ann Arbor, MI) to produce Workplace Ergonomics: A Guide to Reducing injuries. This handbook helps companies comply with the Cal/OSHA Ergonomics Standard. The 2001...

Productivity sees largest rise in a year. (Assembly Lines).
January 1, 2002... WASHINGTON--Worker productivity rose in the third quarter by the largest amount in more than a year. This was a result of businesses, coping with the sour economy, cutting workers' hours at the fastest pace in a decade. Businesses cut...

Forward Technology opens new automotive engineering and service center. (Assembly Lines).
January 1, 2002... MINNEAPOLIS--Forward Technology has opened an automotive engineering and service center in Auburn Hills, MI, for its plastic assembly equipment product line. The 6,500-square-foot facility will support the regional sales team and customer base....

Tyco Electronics Expands Automation Group. (Assembly Lines).
January 1, 2002... HARRISBURG, PA--Quad Systems is now part of the growing Tyco Electronics Automation group. "Quad equipment users will get our full attention for spare parts and service support. With the added capabilities of Tyco Electronics, Quad customers...

General Electric Electromaterials introduces new web site. (Assembly Lines).
January 1, 2002... COSHOCTON, OH--E Electromaterials, a supplier of GETEK laminates and prepegs, has introduced a new Web site (www.getekconnect.com) for online development of complex printed circuit boards. Developed using Six Sigma methodology, this site...

Newcor comes clean about washer and dryer assembly. (Assembly Lines).
January 1, 2002... BAY CITY, MI--Newcor Bay City has developed a new plasma welding process for stainless steel washer tubs and dryer drums. In the past, resistance welding has been used to manufacture these components. However, resistance welding works...

Malcom offers plastic welding training course. (Assembly Lines).
January 1, 2002... PORTSMOUTH, RI--Malcom Hot Air Systems is offering a 2-day training course on hot-gas and extrusion welding techniques for plastics. In addition to hands-on experience with welding equipment, the course will provide information on part...

Leaders see negative growth in first half of 2002. (Assembly Lines).
January 1, 2002... WASHINGTON--U.S. manufacturers foresee little economic growth through the first half of next year. Only modest growth is seen thereafter, according to a survey of 65 corporate CEOs serving on the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM)...

Ingersoll Cinetic to build assembly and test line. (Assembly Lines).
January 1, 2002... FARMINGTON HILLS, MI--DaimlerChrysler has awarded a contract to Ingersoll Cinetic Automation to design and build an assembly and test line for five-speed automatic transmissions. The line is scheduled to be installed at DaimlerChrysler's...

Mydata opens new U.S. Headquarters. (Assembly Lines).
January 1, 2002... ROWLEY, MA--Mydata Automation Inc., a manufacturer of surface mount assembly equipment, has expanded its North American operations and moved to a new facility in Rowley. The new corporate headquarters will expand the company's space to 26,700...

Unitek Miyachi Acquires Benchmark International. (Assembly Lines).
January 1, 2002... MONROVIA, CA-- Unitek Miyachi International Ltd. has acquired Benchmark International Inc. (Goffstown, NH). Unitek Miyachi provides equipment and systems for resistance and laser welding, laser marking, pulse heated reflow soldering and...

Stratos Lightwave Gets New Tech Center. (Assembly Lines).
January 1, 2002... CHICAGO--Stratos Lightwave Inc. has opened its new Northwest Technology Center for the development of advanced technologies, subsystems and products for high-end fiber optic communications. Located outside of Seattle, the center will...

Teradyne delivers systems for Boeing test program. (Assembly Lines).
January 1, 2002... VALLEY FORGE, PA--Teradyne Inc. has delivered two C-17 Modern Intermediate Level Test Stations (MILTS) to Boeing as part of its contract with the Boeing C-17 test program. The C-17 MILTS perform a full range of avionics testing of Line...

Laser sales decrease. (Assembly Lines).
January 1, 2002... MCLEAN, VA--North American industrial laser manufacturers posted worldwide sales of more than S105.2 million during the third quarter of 2001, a decrease of 37 percent compared with sales during the third quarter of 2000. According to the...

Book covers truck design. (Assembly Lines).
January 1, 2002... WARRENDALE, PA--The Society of Automotive Engineers has published the second volume of its Truck Systems Design Handbook. The book is a collection of nine previously published lectures from the SAE's Buckendale Lecture Series. The lecture...

Researchers invent Tiny electric motor. (Assembly Lines).
January 1, 2002... UNIVERSITY PARK, PA--Researchers at the Pennsylvania State University Materials Research Institute have created an inexpensive, ultrasonic, piezoelectric motor the size of a grain of rice. The motor is 4 millimeters long and 1.8 millimeters...

Chemical Resistance of Plastics database is online. (Assembly Lines).
January 1, 2002... NORWICH, NY--The Plastics Design Library has updated its online database on the chemical resistance of plastics. The Chemical Resistance of Plastics and Elastomers Database contains test results from exposure of 1,080 plastic materials to...

Omron and CCS America provide machine vision lighting solutions. (Assembly Lines).
January 1, 2002... SOHAUMBUAG, IL--Omron Electronics LLC has formed a partnership with CCS America LLO, a provider of LED illumination for image processing, to solve lighting problems. This commitment allows Omron and CCS America to take users' most...

Forced assembly: Intelligent, force-controlled robots are assembling clutch hubs and other alignment-critical powertrain parts. (Robotics).
January 1, 2002... Assembling automotive powertrain parts, such as clutches, requires precise alignment of gear meshing and other critical components. Traditionally, this is a manual assembly process performed by skilled operators with years of on-the-job...

Welding with light: Laser-based processes provide high-speed, noncontact techniques for joining thermoplastic parts. (Plastics Assembly).
January 1, 2002... Mention the word "laser" in a manufacturing setting and most engineers immediately envision metal cutting, parts marking or welding applications. The thought of welding thermoplastics with laser energy is unthinkable and even downright...

Assembly's automated workhorses: The right conveyor technology can increase productivity and reduce assembly costs. (Conveyors).
January 1, 2002... There are many variables to consider when choosing the best method to move products through an assembly line. And generally, as the product becomes more complex, so too does the equipment for transporting that product from one assembly station...

Pumping iron: Don't pull the plug yet-there's still a place at the rework bench for the soldering iron. (Electronics Assembly).
January 1, 2002... Soldering irons don't sell as well today as they did 20 years ago. Few consumers take their televisions and stereos to repair shops these days; they simply buy new stuff. Moreover, advances in electronic components are threatening to make the...

Robotic welding cell keeps shop on top. (Assembly in Action).
January 1, 2002... Becoming a leading supplier to the automotive industry takes a lot of hard work, and staying on top can be an even tougher challenge. However, it's been a challenge that Schaller Corp. (Chesterfield, MI) has met head on for more than 20 years....

Blind threaded inserts make short work of game production. (Assembly in Action).
January 1, 2002... Amusement games created by industry pioneer Skee-Ball Inc. (Chalfont, PA) have long been renowned for the challenges they offer to players. However, for Skee-Ball, the challenges have been assembling these games. Many skill games are built...

Unit eliminates hand work from coaxial cable processing. (Assembly in Action).
January 1, 2002... R.A. Miller Industries (Grand Haven, MI) manufactures communication and navigational antennas, as well as communication systems targeting the military, heavy truck and aviation industries. These industries are large markets that require...

Automated assembly cell. (Assembly Products).
January 1, 2002... The Xcel platform adapts to many semiautomatic and fully automatic applications, such as insertion, placement, screwdriving, dispensing, testing, inspection, welding, parts feeding, singulation and marking. It can be equipped with a SCARA or...

Device controls motion and dispensing. (Assembly Products).
January 1, 2002... The AcuSpense contains everything needed to control servomotors, stepper motors, air cylinders, discrete I/O and all types of dispensing valves. This benchtop four-axis controller is programmed through a touch-screen display. A separate PC, PLC...

Heavy-duty cart. (Assembly Products).
January 1, 2002... The Brute cart supports 5,000 pounds. The frame is made from 2 by 2 by 0.25 inch angle iron. The top plate is 0.25 inch thick, and the bottom shelf is 11 gauge steel. The cart's 4-inch polyurethane swivel casters have locking brakes. A...

Device detects refrigerants. (Assembly Products).
January 1, 2002... The HLD5000 uses an infrared absorption sensor to detect refrigerant leaks of less than 1 gram per year. It responds in less than 1 second and will not sound false alarms, It detects most refrigerants, including R134A, R407C and R410A. It can...

Machine preps and fuses fibers. (Assembly Products).
January 1, 2002... (Left) The Presta automatically strips, cleans, cleaves, splices, recoats and proof-tests 40 optical fibers in a single pass, in 1 minute per splice. If the fibers are packaged on bar-coded pallets, the machine can track each fiber's location,...

Dispensing needles. (Dispensing & Curing).
January 1, 2002... These needles dispense solder masks, solder pastes, adhesives, solvents and greases. Disposable needles have metal cannulas and plastic hubs. They range in size from 14 to 30 gauge. For scratch-free dispensing, plastic taper tip needles come in...

Curing conveyor. (Dispensing & Curing).
January 1, 2002... The Con-trol-cure UV 100 miniature curing conveyor is for small production and testing runs. The curing lamp delivers 300 watts of ultraviolet light energy per square inch within an 8-inch arc. Assemblies are fed through the machine on a...

Nylon fastener coating. (Fasting).
January 1, 2002... Nylo-Tech 360 is a nylon fastener coating. It uniformly coats the entire circumference of the fastener and can be reused five times The coating retains 50 percent of the prevailing on-torque as the first prevailing off-torque. Forest City...

Pack of retaining rings. (Fasting).
January 1, 2002... Rotor Pack contains 50 each of the 20 most commonly used internal and external retaining rings. The internal rings fit housings or bores from to 1 1/8 inch. The external rings fit shaft sizes from 1/4 to 1 1/8 inch. The pack also contains two...

Is it lean or just anemic: Apologia. (Uncommon Sense).
January 1, 2002... It's a real treat to find that someone is actually reading what I write, and cares enough--pro or con--to respond! After criticizing lean manufacturing in my October column, I was deluged with responses. I planned to reply individually, but...

Ballscrews provide fast, accurate linear motion. (X-Y-Z).
January 1, 2002... Because of their ability to provide high thrust and accurate positioning, ballscrews can be found in many automated assembly applications that require linear motion. Ballscrews drive positioning stages for assembling small parts....