Assembly articles from January 2008

Assembly archives from January 2008

It isn't rocket science.(Editorial)
January 1, 2008... Every school day, almost 7,000 students become dropouts, according to the Alliance for Excellent Education (AEE, Washington). In its recent report The High Cost of High School Dropouts, the AEE says that adds up to about 1.3 million students...

Target torque Ouija.(Fastening THREADS)
January 1, 2008... One of the first questions I always ask someone who is experiencing problems with a bolted joint is: "How did you determine the specified installation torque?" With the exception of a few key industries, the most frequent answer is, "It came...

High-speed video captures what's too fast to see.(QUALITY in ASSEMBLY)
January 1, 2008... Automated assembly systems move remarkably fast. Carousel-style machines can index 200 times per minute. Continuous motion systems can easily produce 150 to 900 assemblies per minute, and some can output more than 1,200 assemblies per minute....

Cessna to assemble Aircraft in China.(Assembly Lines)
January 1, 2008... WICHITA, KS -- Cessna Aircraft Co. is teaming up with China-based Shenyang Aircraft Corp. (Beijing) to manufacture Cessna's new Model 162 SkyCatcher light sport aircraft (LSA). SAC is a subsidiary of China Aviation Industry Corp., a...

Honda Aero breaks ground for jet engine plant.(Assembly Lines)
January 1, 2008... BURLINGTON, NC -- Jet engine manufacturer Honda Aero Inc. has broken ground on a new $27 million headquarters and engine assembly plant near the Burlington-Alamance County regional airport in North Carolina. The 102,400-square-foot...

Advanced mechatronics center opens in New York.(Assembly Lines)
January 1, 2008... BRENTWOOD, NY -- Suffolk County Community College, working in partnership with automation equipment manufacturer Festo Corp. (Esslingen, Germany), has opened a new mechatronics training center to help train a new generation of technology...

Schleuniger acquired by Metall Zug Group.(Assembly Lines)
January 1, 2008... ZUG, Switzerland -- Swiss-based appliance manufacturer Metall Zug Group has acquired the wire-processing equipment company Schleuniger Group (Thun, Switzerland), which has it U.S. headquarters In Manchester, NH. According to Schleuniger...

Robot sales up 33 percent in North America.(Assembly Lines)(Financial report)
January 1, 2008... ANN ARBOR, MI -- North American robotics suppliers posted gains of 33 percent in new orders from North American manufacturing companies in the first nine months of 2007, according to the Robotic Industries Association (RIA). In all,...

Rolls-Royce expanding in Asia, U.S.(Assembly Lines)
January 1, 2008... LONDON -- The aircraft division of Rolls-Royce Ltd. plans to invest in two new aero-engine facilities in Singapore and Virginia to tap into the existing manufacturing expertise and market demand in the two regions. The Virginia facility...

TRW to build steering wheel systems in India.(Assembly Lines)
January 1, 2008... NEW DELHI, India -- TRW Aftermarket Asia-Pacifi c, a subsidiary of TRW Automotive Holdings Corp. (Livonia, MI), and India-based Sun Vacuum Formers Ltd. are joining forces to build steering wheel systems for the growing number of automotive...

American welding Society acquires trade show.(Assembly Lines)
January 1, 2008... MIAMI -- The American Welding Society (AWS) is purchasing Weldmex, the largest welding trade show in Latin America, from event organizer Trade Show Consulting (TSC--Lutherville, MD), which specializes in launching manufacturing shows in the...

MFG building wind turbine plant.(Assembly Lines)
January 1, 2008... ABERDEEN, SD -- Composites manufacturer Molded Fiber Glass Companies (MFG--Ashtabula, OH) has begun construction of a plant to build blades for wind turbines manufactured by GE Energy (Schenectady, NY). The $40 million plant will be owned by...

Working toward the "perfect" robotic hand.(Assembly Lines)
January 1, 2008... PORTSMOUTH, England -- Researchers in England and China are collaborating on the creation of new software that will accurately mimic the movements of the human hand, thereby making nearperfect robotic hands possible. According to Dr....

STIHL increases U.S. production presence.(Assembly Lines)
January 1, 2008... VIRGINIA BEACH, VA -- Chainsaw manufacturer STIHL Inc. has opened a new 60,000-square-foot guide-bar production plant in Virginia Beach to meet growing demand for its products in North America. The $25 million plant is the fi rst STIHL facility...

Kia Motors opens second production plant in China.(Assembly Lines)
January 1, 2008... SEOUL, South Korea -- Kia Motors Corp., in cooperation with China-based Dongfeng Yueda Kia Motors, has opened its second manufacturing facility in China, an $800 million automotive assembly plant in Jiangsu Province. The new plant, part of...

Magna to build MINI Sports Activity Vehicle for BMW Group.(Assembly Lines)
January 1, 2008... AURORA, Ontario -- Canada-based Magna International Inc. has secured a contract to assemble the new MINI Sports Activity Vehicle (SAV) for BMW Group (Munich, Germany) at the Magna Steyr plant in Austria. The MINI SAV will be the second new...

Dishwasher plant coming to North America.(Assembly Lines)
January 1, 2008... DUNEDIN, New Zealand -- Responding to growing demand in the region, New Zealand-based Fisher & Paykel Appliances Holdings Ltd. is planning to build a new $15 million dishwasher manufacturing facility in North America, to be completed in 2008....

3M acquires venture tape.(Assembly Lines)
January 1, 2008... ST. PAUL, MN -- Scotch-tape and industrial materials maker 3M Corp. has acquired Venture Tape Corp. (Rockland, MA), a manufacturer of specialty tapes used in the construction, oil and gas, heating, electronics, aerospace, marine and appliance...

Balluff acquires SIE Sensorik Industrie.(Assembly Lines)
January 1, 2008... FLORENCE, KY -- Machinevision, sensors and network equipment manufacturer Balluff GmbH (Neuhausen, Germany) has acquired sensor manufacturer SIE Sensorik Industrie GmbH (Viernheim, Germany). "With this acquisition, we've added increased...

Bands and banners honor Square D Lexington.(2007 Assembly Plant of the Year)
January 1, 2008... During a recent ceremony at the Schneider Electric/Square D plant in Lexington, KY, ASSEMBLY magazine presented its 2007 Assembly Plant of the Year award. Company officials received an engraved crystal award and a commemorative banner. More...

Laser tracker transparently efficient.(Assembly in Action)
January 1, 2008... Volkswagen's glass-enclosed "Transparent Factory" in Dresden, Germany, not only assembles the company's top-end Phaeton automobile; it is also employs a cutting-edge assembly line that seamlessly integrates both automated and manual work...

Potting formulation helps reduce cycle times.(Assembly in Action)
January 1, 2008... Founded over a century ago, Grote Industries (Madison, IN) remains a leader in the manufacture of lighting and safety equipment for commercial trucks and other vehicles. As such, it is at the center of the ongoing transition from incandescent...

Training slashes gearbox returns.(Assembly in Action)
January 1, 2008... Gearbox manufacturer Stober Drives Inc. (Maysville, KY) prides itself on the quality of its products. The company was therefore very concerned when it experienced a sudden increase in the number of returns for one of its products--a gearbox...

Riveter Assembles life-saving windows for Humvees.(Assembly in Action)
January 1, 2008... Rollover accidents with Humvees are a common problem in Iraq and Afghanistan. The heavily loaded vehicles can be sent into a roll during evasive maneuvering, off-road travel, bomb blasts and insurgent attacks. From March 2003 to August 2007, 77...

Robots pay for themselves in seven months.(Assembly in Action)
January 1, 2008... Keihin IPT Mfg. Inc. (Greenfield, IN) manufactures automotive air and fuel-line components, and is no stranger to the use of flexible automation, having implemented its first robotic die-casting system in 1988. The company now has approximately...

Plastic rules: medical device manufacturers are consuming more polymer than ever.(Medical Device Assembly)
January 1, 2008... Plastic medical devices are not a new phenomenon. In fact, plastic medical tubing first appeared in the 1940s and the first plastic disposable syringe was unveiled in the early 1960s. But, today, there's more polymer used in the industry than...

Adhesives and automobiles: Adhesives bond a wide array of automotive assemblies, including windshields, brakes, wire harnesses and exterior trim.(Adhesive Bonding)
January 1, 2008... If, like I do, you own a vehicle with more than a 100,000 miles on it, then you know all too well why threaded fasteners are the predominant method of assembling automotive components: Threaded fasteners allow parts to be disassembled and...

Putting the squeeze on rivets: Pneumatic and hydraulic rivet squeezers install solid rivets in a wide range of structural assemblies.(Riveting)
January 1, 2008... Sometimes, a good, hard squeeze is better than a rap on the head or a pull on the tail--at least for installing certain kinds of rivets. Tubular and semitubular rivets are typically installed with a pedestal-mounted impact riveter. As the...

Workstation innovations: today's workstations play an integral role in promoting efficiency, flexibility and operator safety.(Workstations)
January 1, 2008... In this era of lean manufacturing and gleaming, efficient final assembly plants, it's easy to forget the bad-old days were not so very long ago. On the one hand, manufacturing was characterized by big, grimy machines expressly designed to churn...

Advances in assembly: these innovations will help assemblers make their operations more cost-effective.(Innovations)
January 1, 2008... Progress in assembly is always welcome. Improvements in assembly methods, equipment and tools are both evolutionary and revolutionary. Here's a cross section of clever innovations that promise to improve the performance of assembly processes,...

Assembly for dummies: Surface preparation ensures strong adhesive bonds in load cells for crash test dummies.(Adhesive Bonding)
January 1, 2008... Cars, trucks and airplanes are designed by very smart people. But, they wouldn't be nearly as safe as they are today without help from a bunch of dummies. Crash test dummies, that is. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] First Technology Safety...

Spray valve lubricates moving parts.(Products)
January 1, 2008... The SV1217SS spray valve and programmable controller SVC100 precisely direct a fine mist, making them well suited to the application of lubricants to machines parts such as gears and rollers. Controlling the relationship between the lubricant...

Marker works on many surfaces.(Products)
January 1, 2008... The KwikMark Surface Marker permanently marks a wide range of materials, from hardened steel to glass, making it well suited to both heavy construction and delicate medical applications. An onboard control means the marker can be operated...

Mark small and large wires.(Products)
January 1, 2008... The ims 291 SC inkjet marker is optimized for small font applications using a minimum character height of 0.9 millimeter. It marks wire with both large and small cross sections using the most common black ink. The marker is fully integrated to...

Conveyor, software promote efficiency.(Products)
January 1, 2008... The new X85 conveyor and pallet system, combined with Youtilitze software, provides high-performance capacity and speed, and makes it possible for assemblers to get a better handle on manufacturing performance. Among other features, the X85...

Stages provide accurate velocity, positioning.(Products)
January 1, 2008... The ARMS family of rotary stages provides resolution as fine as 0.02-arc-second, accuracy of [+ or -]2.5 arc-second and repeatability to [+ or -]0.5 arc-second. The motor and rotary encoder are coupled directly to a common shaft, eliminating...

Laser uses camera for precision.(Products)
January 1, 2008... The HYLAX ScanVision Laser system employs a vision camera system to ensure high precision laser material processing, like welding, marking, cutting, drilling and surface treatment. The system provides real-time compensation for workpiece drift...

Conveyor handles microplates.(Products)
January 1, 2008... The Q-Stack Quickdraw material handling automation system is a modular plate automation conveyor designed for handling microplates, tip boxes and deep well carriers in laboratory-based applications. The Q-Stack provides bidirectional operation,...

Speed up blind fastener installation.(Products)
January 1, 2008... The Autoload MK4.0 installs up to 48 blind fasteners per minute, reducing costs and increasing productivity up to 75 percent over conventional placement methods. The system feeds blind fasteners continuously and directly to the application tool...

Slides provide precision.(Products)
January 1, 2008... Slideways employ nonrecirculating linear motion bearings for use in measurement equipment where high-precision movement is required. The SV style includes two roller cages with precision rollers in a cross arrangement and four rails with...

Marking system uses lasers.(Products)
January 1, 2008... The TD410 diode-pumped laser marking system is compact and capable of creating repeatable, reliable marks on both plastics and metals. The system uses high peak power and excellent beam quality to produce a very small mark, making it suitable...

Adjustable workbenches handle heavy loads.(Products)
January 1, 2008... Adjustable Workbenches Handle Heavy Loads Heavy-duty Ergo-Line adjustable-height workbenches combine the ergonomic advantages of easy height adjustment with the rugged power of a 750-pound weight capacity. The workbenches feature a 12-inch...

Label printers provide different resolutions.(Products)
January 1, 2008... Electronic label printer line includes three models, the 220, 320 and 620, each of which offers a different dots-per-inch resolution. All three printers deliver durable print-head performance, and can print small labels with ease at an...

Lightweight grippers optimize automated systems.(Products)
January 1, 2008... GPL-series precision grippers increase the effective payload of an automated system by reducing gripper weight through precision manufacturing techniques and the use of lightweight materials, like heat-treated aluminum. The grippers offer long...

Hardened drives impervious to abuse.(Products)
January 1, 2008... The Xenus offline servo drive's temperature, humidity, vibration and shock resistance all meet military COTS (Commercial Of The Shelf) requirements, making it ideal for use in extreme industrial environments. The hardened drive operates in...

Laser marks stands up to tough environments.(Products)
January 1, 2008... The 3430 laser marking system provides marking speeds of 2,000 characters per second and line speeds of 50 fps. An IP65-rated housing allows it to function in dirty and wet environments. Flexible system components like an articulated arm and a...

Blocks facilitate network design, construction.(Products)
January 1, 2008... New machine mount DeviceNet I/O blocks help facilitate the design and construction of virtually any DeviceNet network. The blocks come in 16 input-only, 16 point configurable, 8 input-8 output, and 8 output-only models. All four models feature...

Align wafers quickly for processing.(Products)
January 1, 2008... The In-Sight 1820 vision-based wafer pre-aligner system uses proprietary Notch-Max alignment technology to provide precise noncontact measurement of wafer position and orientation that is faster and more accurate than many mechanical systems....

Thermal paste provides flexibility.(Products)
January 1, 2008... PowerstrateXtreme dispensable thermal paste is a phase-change material in liquid form that offers many of the usability and throughput advantages of thermal grease without the drawbacks inherent with some thermal grease applications. Because it...

Load cells are small, accurate.(Products)
January 1, 2008... The LLB130 miniature load cell has an outside diameter of 0.38 inch, measures 0.13-inch high and is available in capacities of 5-, 10-, 25- and 50-pounds. The cells provide accuracy and stiffness, with nonlinearity of [+ or -]0.5 percent and...

Protect operators from injury.(Products)
January 1, 2008... Non-Rotating tooling attachment and safety covers promote operator safety while improving tool torque quality and service life, by completely enclosing a tool's drive attachments with a non-rotating cover. Tooling operators cannot access...

Presses are compact, powerful, precise.(Products)
January 1, 2008... New ultra-compact Electro-Mechanical Assembly Presses (EMAP) are well suited to precision assembly operations where space is limited. Each EMAP employs a close-looped servomotor driving a ball screw ram via gears or a timing belt. The presses...

Cut, strip different wires with ease.(Products)
January 1, 2008... The OmniStrip 9450 is a compact, flexible cut and strip machine that can process a wide range of wire and cable assemblies. The system includes an indexing cutter head and flexible programming, as well as sets of standard templates for more...

Flexible conveyor can be modified quickly.(Products)
January 1, 2008... The 5200 Series QWIK conveyor features slots that make it easy to mount controls and accessories. No special tools, fasteners or T-nuts are required. This feature speeds setup times, saving end users time and money. By using a self-tapping...

Robot picks random parts from bins.(Products)
January 1, 2008... The R-2000iB robot is equipped with iRVision 3D laser vision, which allows it to locate and pick randomly piled parts from a bin. A slim arm and wrist assembly allows the robot to operate in small workspaces. Advanced vibration control allows...

A new 'spin' on joining materials.(Products)
January 1, 2008... The Rollerforming joining process uses multiple rollers mounted on a rotating spindle to gently smooth and form material into a seamless, solid form. The process often takes less than 20 percent of the force required for straight crimping or...

Welding cells works in groups or alone.(Products)
January 1, 2008... The FlexArc Compact 2 welding cell is fully standardized and available in a variety of different modular configurations. Each cell includes an IRB 1410 robot equipped with an IRC 5 controller housed in a two-staion, stackable cabinet with...

Grippers are light, fast.(Products)
January 1, 2008... Size 10 and 12 SWG pneumatic angular grippers provide low weight and high gripping torque for use in dynamic assembly applications. SWG grippers provide an opening angle of 15 degrees per finger, with closing and opening times of only a few...

Detect leaks ultrasonically.(Products)
January 1, 2008... The Spectroline Marksman ultrasonic diagnostic tool converts and amplifies inaudible ultrasonic sound into audible "natural" sound, allowing service technicians to detect things like compressed air leaks become they become major problems. The...

Grippers are energy efficient, flexible.(Products)
January 1, 2008... The VGS vacuum gripper series includes three gripper system sizes that provide a variety of vacuum-flow levels to accommodated a range of flexible material handling applications, while consuming minimal energy. Each gripper employs a DURAFLEX...

Machine crushes drums.(Products)
January 1, 2008... This machine compresses steel drums for easier recycling. The drum is placed into the compaction compartment, a button is pushed, and out comes a 4-inch steel slug that can be economically transported for recycling. The device has a 6-inch...

Two-part materials are in the bag.(Products)
January 1, 2008... The Meg-A-Pak can be used to package up to 800 grams of two-component reactive adhesive or sealant in a flexible pouch. The Meg-A-Pak is simple, safe and easy to use. It accommodates a wide variety of resin-based materials, including epoxies,...

Shaft collars are custom-made.(Products)
January 1, 2008... Shaft collars can be custom-made with specific aesthetic and functional properties to match a range of applications. Collars can be made from aluminum, steel, stainless steel, Monel, Inconel, Hastelloy, titanium, bronze, brass and Teflon. They...

System enables quality assurance.(Products)
January 1, 2008... The Select Coat SL-940E automatically applies conformal coatings to printed circuit board assemblies. A vision system and closed-loop process controls automatically adjust coating parameters, such as fan width, fluid temperature and flow rate....

Software simplifies assembly line design.(Products)
January 1, 2008... MTpro software simplifies the process of planning, procuring and installing components for assembly and packaging lines. An electronic catalog contains all components and systems for VarioFlow modular chain conveyors, TS assembly conveyors,...

Lights show flat, reflective surfaces.(Products)
January 1, 2008... Axial lighting for machine vision systems provides even, diffuse illumination of flat, reflective surfaces perpendicular to the camera. The lights are available in standard sizes of 50 by 50 millimeters and 100 by 100 millimeters. They can be...

Sofware collects measurement data.(Products)
January 1, 2008... GageMetrics is a user-friendly software package for collecting, storing and analyzing measurement data from manual, semiautomatic and automatic inspection systems. Clear and simple color-coded graphics minimize training time, startup time and...

Impact tool is lightweight, powerful.(Products)
January 1, 2008... The 2135TiMAX is a 1/2-inch pneumatic impact wrench. Weighing just 3.95 pounds, it delivers 780 ft-lb of reverse torque and 1,100 ft-lb of nut-busting torque. The tool's twin-hammer mechanism delivers more power per pound and is less sensitive...

Self-clinching flush-head studs.(Products)
January 1, 2008... Type FHP self-clinching flush-head studs can be used with thin, stainless steel sheets. They are easier and less expensive to install than weld studs. They are formed from A286 stainless steel for use in sheets with a hardness of 92 or less on...

SCARA has small footprint.(Products)
January 1, 2008... The RS20 is a tabletop, four-axis SCARA robot for dispensing, soldering, material handling, packaging and small-part assembly. Electrical cables and air lines are routed inside the arm, and the external housing is made from hardened plastic....

High-speed, high-res camera.(Products)
January 1, 2008... The CleverDragon is a 5 megapixel digital camera for machine vision systems. Available in both color and black-and-white versions, this high-speed, high-resolution camera has a programmable partial readout mode that allows engineers to select...

Leadscrew drives linear slide.(Products)
January 1, 2008... RGS series linear slides are driven by stainless steel leadscrews with rolled threads. They offer high speed, accurate positioning and long life in a compact assembly. The length and speed of the slide is not limited by critical screw speed,...

Arm absorbs torque reaction.(Products)
January 1, 2008... The UltMate torque arm enables an operator to position a power tool with smooth, effortless motion. This decreases operator fatigue and helps prevent accidental damage to assemblies. Articulated joints and rotational pivots allow operators to...

Device mounts bearings.(Products)
January 1, 2008... The Torksleeve B is a cost-effective method for mounting antifriction bearings to metal or plastic walls. Its asymmetric thread design provides self-locking, vibration-resistant performance. Tightening the nuts causes the slotted sleeve to...

Adhesive bonds composites.(Products)
January 1, 2008... Two-part methacrylate adhesives produce strong, yet flexible bonds on large composite assemblies, such as wind turbine blades, boats, trucksandbuses. With working times of 30 to 105 minutes, MA530, MA560-1 and MA590 require little or no surface...

Rework tweezer applies heat.(Products)
January 1, 2008... The MX-PTZ is a heated tweezer for the Metcal MX-500 soldering and rework system. For more efficient rework, this lightweight, ergonomic tweezer applies heat to the end-caps of surface-mount devices while mechanically gripping the component....

AOI is easy to program.(Products)
January 1, 2008... The Marantz iSpector 350 is an automated optical inspection system for printed circuit board assemblies as large as 350 by 250 millimeters. It can be positioned anywhere in the assembly process: after printing, after placement, or after reflow...

Timing belt is self-guiding.(Products)
January 1, 2008... The self-guiding Conidrive timing belt has an offset conical projection profile on the bearing surface to ensure positive fit without the need for guiding aids, such as pulley flanges. This polyurethane belt is reinforced with steel tensile...

Press force modules feature integrated sensors.(Products)
January 1, 2008... The APM Standard and APMH Compact electromechanical servo assembly press modules provide the precision, reliability and control required for high quality applications. Parameters are monitored and controlled through the SAM 300 Signature...

Fixture and presses ease circuit board assembly.(Products)
January 1, 2008... A new line of equipment for pressing compliant pin connectors into circuit boards incorporates custom fixtures and presses. The fixture is built to spread the pressure evenly across all the pins of the connector without damaging the rest of the...

Wire stripper is light weight and ergonomic.(Products)
January 1, 2008... The Ergo-Elite Stripmaster handheld wire-stripping tool is well suited to aerospace applications. It is ergonomically engineered to deliver more precise strips with better balance and comfort for the operator. Because the body is made from...

C-frame spot welders accommodate large metal parts.(Products)
January 1, 2008... C-frame metal spot welders are available for applications outside the auto industry. The WeldMaster C-Frame I and the WeldMaster C-Frame II provide quality, reliability and cost-effectiveness. Each of the new ultrasonic welders is supplied with...

Build on your success.(Leading Lean)
January 1, 2008... I was working off-site for several days with a management and union leadership team, and we joked that the manufacturing operation would probably work better without management interference. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Sure enough, the site...