Assembly articles from March 2002

Assembly archives from March 2002

Seize the opportunity. (Editorial).
March 1, 2002... It looks as though the favorable economic indicators are finally outnumbering the unfavorable. According to Blue Chip Economic Indicators, a monthly newsletter that tracks the consensus of 53 business economists, forecasters now expect the...

Manufacturer gets a hand with handles. (Assembly in Action).
March 1, 2002... TRW (Westminster, MA) manufactures engineered fasteners and components. It contacted Clear Automated Structures (Southington, CT), a FlexLink authorized system builder, for assistance with an automotive handle assembly line. Interior grab...

Pre-adjust fixtures locate door glass. (Assembly in Action).
March 1, 2002... Frameless vehicle doors, such as those found on convertibles and most two-door models, require close positioning of the door glass to the roof to prevent wind noise and water leaks. Peak Industries (Dearborn, MI) has built and delivered two...

Cutter and sealer produces insulating blankets. (Assembly in Action).
March 1, 2002... The Mexmill Co. (Santa Ana, CA) produces insulating blankets used in the aerospace industry. The blankets are installed between the cabin and the skin of aircraft. They keep the cabin temperatures stable when the temperature outside dips to -60...

Build or buy?: the answer to this important question can lead to project success or failure. (Assembly Planbook).
March 1, 2002... Consumers are faced with key decisions whenever they make a purchase. Brand name or generic? Manual or automatic? Paper or plastic? Manufacturing engineers also have an important decision to make when confronted with an automated assembly...

Flexible assembly: Fact vs. fiction; Manufacturers expect today 's automated assembly systems to produce families of similar products--but there are trade-offs. (Assembly Planbook).
March 1, 2002... Wouldn't it be great if high-speed, automated assembly systems were like the galley aboard the starship Enterprise in the TV show "Star Trek"? Just as the crew could enter any meal they wanted and get it in seconds, an OEM could enter an order...

Lean machines: Acquiring capital equipment in a lean manufacturing environment requires a nontraditional mindset. (Assembly Planbook).
March 1, 2002... Imagine a board game for manufacturing engineers where all the game pieces are assembly machines, conveyors, parts feeders, robots and other types of equipment. The game takes place in a Tier 2 auto parts plant that has adopted lean production...

Thermal, mechanical or chemical?: In some cases, the best method for assembling parts is obvious. In others, the choice is less distinct. (Assembly Planbook).
March 1, 2002... Every engineer knows threaded fasteners are the preferred joining method if the parts must later be disassembled for service. Similarly, every engineer knows adhesives are ideal for joining dissimilar materials, and welding usually produces the...

Education the key to profits: to turn recent immigrants into productive and highly skilled workers, companies should assess workers' skills and capabilities. (Assembly Planbook).
March 1, 2002... U.S. manufacturing facilities reflect that, for more than 2 centuries, the United States has been a melting pot of people with varied nationalities and ethnic backgrounds. But how does a company manage and train foreign-born workers who have...

Barriers to success: Manufacturing managers fail because they don't know how financial managers keep score, they ignore the balance sheet, or they are responding to 20-year-old economic conditions. (Uncommon Sense).
March 1, 2002... In what seems like 600 years in manufacturing, I've worked with some pretty sharp manufacturing managers. Many were successful, as measured by career growth, income, and their employers' success. Others were not, and the reasons for success or...