Assembly articles from May 2003

Assembly archives from May 2003

Hydrogen-not quite yet. (Editorial).
May 1, 2003... The auto industry and the U.S. government are touting hydrogen--specifically cars powered by hydrogen fuel cells--as the savior of the environment. President Bush endorsed hydrogen fuel cell powered cars in his State of the Union address,...

'Plain' bearings are anything but. (X-Y-Z).
May 1, 2003... The term plain bearings is a misnomer. True, these bearings are not as mechanically complex as antifriction bearings, but don't let their simplicity fool you. Plain bearings come in a variety of designs and materials. Engineers who don't...

Norgren finds oldest surviving product. (Assembly Lines).
May 1, 2003... LITTLETON, CO -- To celebrate the 75th anniversary of its incorporation in the United States, Norgren conducted a nationwide hunt for the oldest Norgren component being used in a manufacturing process. During the hunt, several components...

Robert Bosch Tool Corp. Is established. (Assembly Lines).
May 1, 2003... CHICAGO -- To better serve the North American tool market, S-B Power Tool Corp. and Vermont American Corp. have formed the RobertBosch Tool Corp. All brands under S-B Power Tool Corp. and Vermont American Corp. names will now be part of the...

K&S receives purchase order from Nantong Fujitsu. (Assembly Lines).
May 1, 2003... WILLOW GROVE, PA -- Nantong Fujitsu has ordered Nu-Tek wire bonders from Kulicke & Soffa Industries Inc. for its facility in Nantong City, China. The wire bonding equipment will be used to assemble a wide range of integrated-circuit packages....

Hologic's Direct Radiography Div. to automate microelectronics assembly. (Assembly Lines).
May 1, 2003... VISTA, CA -- Palomar Technologies will provide Hologic Inc.'s Direct Radiography Div. (Newwark, DE) with a 3500-II automatic component assembly machine to automate its hybrid microelectronics production. Hybrid microelectronics are used in...

BEI Kimco to supply torque motors for army vehicles. (Assembly Lines).
May 1, 2003... SAN MARCOS, CA -- The BEI Kimco Magnetics Div. of BEI Technologies Inc. is the sole supplier for the torque motors that will be used on the Commander Pan Viewer battlefield imaging platform. Two motors will be supplied. The 9-inch-diameter...

IPC and HKPCA from exhibition for PCB and assembly industries. (Assemply Lines).
May 1, 2003... NORTHBROOK, IL-JPC-- Association Connecting Electronics Industries and the Hong Kong Printed Circuit Association (HKPCA) will coproduce the International Printed Circuit and Electronics Assembly Fair on Sept. 17 to 19, 2003, at the Guangzhou...

Universal instruments goes on the road. (Assembly Lines).
May 1, 2003... BINGHAMTON, NY -- Universal Instruments Corp. recognizes that going to its customers is more efficient than having its customers come to them. So in an attempt to get closer to its customers, Universal Instruments will hold a series of road...

ATS receives automation orders. (Assembly Lines).
May 1, 2003... CAMBRIDGE, ONTARIO, CANADA--ATS Automation Tooling Systems Inc. has been awarded contracts to supply automated manufacturing systems for two Tier One automotive customers. The first contract will be completed, shipped and installed over...

Materials breakthrough enables longer-lasting lithium batteries. (Assembly Lines).
May 1, 2003... LIVERMORE, CA -- Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories have developed composite anode materials composed of silicon and graphite that may double the energy storage capacities currently possessed by graphite anodes. This could potentially...

Elcoteq Acquires NPRC Inc. (Assembly Lines).
May 1, 2003... IRVING, TX -- Elcoteq, a European electronics manufacturing services company for the communications technology industry, has acquired NPRC Inc. (Carrollton, TX), a new product introduction services company. NPRC, newly named Elcoteq NPI Dallas,...

Asymtek, Northrop Grumann and Henkel Loctite win Intel awards. (Assembly Lines).
May 1, 2003... SANTA CLARA, CA--Asymtek (Carlsbad, CA) received Intel I Corp.'s Preferred Quality Supplier (PQS) award for outstanding performance in providing products and services deemed essential to Intel's success. The company supplies Intel with...

Tower Fasteners is named supplier of the year. (Assembly Lines).
May 1, 2003... HOLTSVILLE, NY -- Tower Fasteners Co. Inc., a distributor of fasteners and electronic hardware, recently received Supplier of the Year honors from Euro/DPC Ltd. (Gwynedd, Wales). Euro/DPC Ltd. is a manufacturer and distributor of medical...

Georgia Tech's biannual survey unveils worries. (Assembly Lines).
May 1, 2003... ATLANTA -- Georgia Tech's 2002 survey of state manufacturers has revealed that Georgia's manufacturers are more concerned about marketing and product development than they were 2 years ago. Human resources are worrisome as well. "My sense...

Improved yields and cost boost demand for inspection equipment. (Assembly Lines).
May 1, 2003... SAN JOSE, CA -- The market for surface mount inspection equipment totaled $403 million in 2002. Total market revenues could reach $1.1 billion in 2009. Analysis from Frost & Sullivan's World Surface Mount Technology Inspection Equipment...

Cognex to offer machine vision seminars. (Assembly Lines).
May 1, 2003... NATICK, MA -- Cognex Corp. is hosting free seminars throughout the United States on machine vision sensors. This free seminar is geared toward engineers and managers responsible for achieving high product quality levels. The seminars...

Bosch establishes VarioFlow industry providers. (Assembly Lines).
May 1, 2003... BUCHANAN, MI -- To bring better service and support to VarioFlow users, Bosch Rexroth has established a network of VarioFlow industry providers across the United States. These providers will offer full-service local support for the...

Hybrid assembly system speeds needle-free injector to market. (Assembly in Action).
May 1, 2003... Weston Medical Group PLC (Cambridge, U.K.), a manufacturer of medical products, recently introduced a prefilled, disposable, needle-free drug injector. Called Intraject, the device uses a pressure of 160 bar to inject drugs directly through the...

Self-propelled conveyor uses RFID. (Assembly in Action).
May 1, 2003... Hexcel Corp. (Stamford, CT) manufactures the honeycomb insert that goes inside the hard tonneau covers found on Chevrolet Avalanche trucks. Due to the size of the tonneau covers, a traditional conveyor system would be too costly and cumbersome...

Manufacturing Cell doubles efficiency. (Assembly in Action).
May 1, 2003... At the beginning of 2002, Cincinnati Test Systems Inc. (Cleves, OH) had an onslaught of orders for different kinds of instruments. "We would have gotten killed if we didn't have Raven Engineering Inc.'s (Bloomington, IN) Raven Super Cell," says...

Precision press assembles self-aligning bearings. (Assembly in Action).
May 1, 2003... Spyraflo Inc. (Peachtree City, GA) manufactures specialty bearings that offer innovative ways for original equipment manufacturers and fabricators to reduce cost and enhance bearing performance. For example, Spyraflow self-aligning bearings...

Solenoid withstands chemicals and cuts costs. (Assembly in Action).
May 1, 2003... Liquids can wreak havoc on electrical components. But thanks to a good coil form design, controlled molding conditions, and the use of the same material for the bobbin and outer shell, an encapsulated solenoid has been created that resists...

Vision parameters for photonics automation: to specify a vision system for automated photonics assembly, it's important to understand the critical parameters that affect its overall performance. (Machine Vision).
May 1, 2003... K.M. (Timber) Yuen Machine vision is critical for aligning photonic components during automated assembly. Vision systems are also important for postproduction inspection. To specify vision systems for automated photonics assembly, it's...

Soldering soldiers: robots are ideal for selectively soldering odd-form components, wires and other parts onto printed circuit boards. (Electronics Assembly).
May 1, 2003... Imagine you're a manufacturing engineer at Acme Automotive Assembly Inc., and your company has just landed a big contract to produce electronic brake modules. The module consists of a small circuit board inside a plastic housing. Four metal...

The world in 1903: life was much simpler when the automobile was still a curiosity.
May 1, 2003... No cell phones, Internet or ATMs. Television? Forget about it. Airport? Never heard of such a thing. Welcome to the world of 100 years ago. The Ford Motor Co. was formed in Detroit on June 16, 1903. Henry Ford and 11 business associates...

The extraordinary vision of Henry Ford: many principles of lean manufacturing trace their roots to the man from Dearborn.
May 1, 2003... Once in a great while, an industry makes a giant leap. In the rearview mirror of history, such leaps seem a combination of both genius and common sense. At the moment, however, a leap into the unknown looks more like the act of a madman....

Automation pioneers: Ford has always been at the leading edge of new technology.
May 1, 2003... During the past century, Ford engineers have made numerous contributions to the world of industrial automation. The technology behind many production tools that people take for granted today, such as conveyors, electropneumatic screwdrivers,...

The Rouge an industrial icon: for many years, it was the epicenter of the manufacturing world.
May 1, 2003... It was big. It was bold. It was breathtaking. For most of the 20th century, the world-Famous River Rouge plant was a monumental complex that was the embodiment of manufacturing on an epic scale. In the 1920s and 1930s, the sprawling Rouge...

Assembly East moves to a new location: this year's Assembly East will be held at the Bayside Expo & Conference Center in Boston, and will be co-located with Nepcon East and Electro. (Events).
May 1, 2003... A little change every now and then is a good thing. After spending its first 3 years in the Philadelphia area, Assembly East moves north to co-locate with Nepcon East and Electro on Tuesday, June 10, and Wednesday, June 11. The show's...

How to choose a static mixer: testing and experimentation is a reliable path for choosing the right static mixer for a two-component adhesive. (Dispensing).
May 1, 2003... Choosing a static mixer to mix and dispense two-component adhesives requires more than reading a sales catalog and selecting a part number. Adhesive manufacturers and end users should investigate the variables of each mixer. A static...

Wire harnesses get flat: A German company is using a highly flexible production system to automatically process and assemble flexible printed circuits for European automakers. (Wire Processing).
May 1, 2003... Automotive interior wiring systems are becoming increasingly complex with the rising number of electrical and electronic components in today's cars. This means that automotive manufacturers and their suppliers must come up with reliable new...

Ultrasonic wire splicer. (Products).
May 1, 2003... The SpliceRite ultrasonic wire welder produces consistent, solid-state metallurgical bonds between wires. This microprocessor-controlled splicer welds multiple strands with a single pulse. It welds quickly, without melting the wires or...

Compact pressure sensor. (Products).
May 1, 2003... The 40D electronic pressure sensor monitors air pressure in vacuum and handling applications. A built-in electronic processor linearizes the signal and compensates for temperature fluctuations. The compact sensor produces standard analog and...

Controller for brushless DC motors. (Products).
May 1, 2003... The Model 371-0028 brushless DC motor controller provides 1,000 watts of power. This servo-amplifier is suitable for closed- or open-loop velocity control or torque control of motors producing more than 160 in.-oz at 7,000 rpm. Input voltage...

Benchtop dispensing robot. (Products).
May 1, 2003... The Model 7000 benchtop Cartesian robot is available with a dispensing area ranging from 8 by 8 inches to 16 by 16 inches. The robot's memory stores 99 programs with a total point capacity of 99,000. The arm's resolution is 0.01 millimeter, and...

Press assembles small components. (Products).
May 1, 2003... This manually operated micropress is used for staking, coining, fine instrument work, small component assembly, and delicate tool-and-die work. Up to 150 pounds of pressure can be applied by this rack-and-pinion press. The spindle has an...

Linear guidance components. (Motion Control).
May 1, 2003... Linear guidance components can be integrated into powered and unpowered positioning tables. Linear ball bearings are available in compact and heavy-duty versions. They have recirculating balls to provide low friction and unlimited stroke....

Eight-axis controller. (Motion Control).
May 1, 2003... The Econo DMC-21x2 motion controller governs one to eight axes. Each axis has a 10Base-T Ethernet port and a 19.2-kilobyte RS232 port. The device controls stepper and servomotors in any combination, and can handle point-to-point positioning,...

Voice coil actuator. (Motion Control).
May 1, 2003... The Model LA16-27-000A is a fully enclosed linear voice coil actuator with internal hearings. It's ideal for short-stroke applications, such as proportional valve actuation in medical devices, where hysteresis- and cog-free operation is...

Right-angle gear motor. (Motion Control).
May 1, 2003... This right-angle, single-reduction gear motor has an internal expansion bladder and synthetic oil bath lubrication. The bladder obviates the need for a vent, and it absorbs the pressure caused by expanding oil. Baldor Electric Co. ...

PC/104 bus controller. (Motion Control).
May 1, 2003... The NPMC5023-2104 is a PC/104 bus controller. It provides two-axis control, a high pulse rate for microstepping, S-curve ramp up and ramp down, encoder feedback inputs and linear interpolation. Nippon Pulse Motor Co. Ltd. ...

Smart linear actuators. (Motion Control).
May 1, 2003... The Smart Digit and Smart Bug linear actuators feature an optical encoder, digital servo amp, indexer, local power supply, serial communications interface and optional absolute position. Repeatability is to 1 micron, and resolution is to 0.5...

Stainless steel hardware. (Assembly Hardware).
May 1, 2003... This stainless steel modular hardware can be integrated into existing lines of zinc diecast and polyamide products. The components in this line are manufactured with molded injection metal casting. This results in a more corrosion-resistant...

Groove-free aluminum framing. (Assembly Hardware).
May 1, 2003... MiniTec aluminum profile components feature a peel-off system to create grooves only where required for connecting. This helps eliminate dust build-up, which is especially useful for clean room applications. The components also feature a...

T-clips provide security. (Assembly Hardware).
May 1, 2003... T-clips can secure, attach and route tubing, wiring, hose, conduit and pipe. The "T" design helps eliminate abrasion from vibration. They provide uniform spacing and can be mounted on walls, cabinets, boards, enclosures and bulkheads. These...

LED Status Indicator. (Assembly Hardware).
May 1, 2003... The Unistat Status Indicator offers four colors and four flash patterns from a single light source. It is available in 24 VAC/DC and 120 VAC operating voltages. Units are preassembled and ready for mounting to surfaces or 3/4-inch pipe. ...

Positive-displacement dispenser. (Dispensing & Curing).
May 1, 2003... The AcuSpense 23S uses a microstepping motor to push adhesive out of a disposable barrel. The unit can be used with 3-, 5-, 10- and 30-cc barrels, as well as 50-, 200- or 400-milliliter dual-barrel cartridges. The barrel is lightweight and is...

Dispensing software. (Dispensing & Curing).
May 1, 2003... Fluidmove dispensing software features advancements in throughput, fluid management and process control. A variable valve speed allows programming multiple material flow rates per board without dual valves. Adjusting the valve speed through the...

Placement platform. (PCB Assembly).
May 1, 2003... The Vantis component placement platform meets the needs of small- to mid-sized consumer electronics, audiovisual equipment, personal computer and peripheral manufacturers. It has a single-beam positioning system and supports a limited number of...

Surface mount rework machine. (PCB Assembly).
May 1, 2003... The WQB3000 surface mount rework machine can repair ceramic and plastic ball grid arrays, micro ball grid arrays, chip scale packages, quad flat packs, multilayer boards and ground planes. It offers below-board infrared heating, regulated and...

Stencil cleaner. (PCB Assembly).
May 1, 2003... With the ErgoSonic stencil cleaner, users can load the stencil from the front at a safe and comfortable height without a stencil basket. It is fully automatic, programmable and compatible with many closed-loop cleaning chemistries. The user...

Robotic rotary joint. (Robots).
May 1, 2003... This aluminum alloy rotary joint simplifies applications where tooling rotation is an issue. By using slip-ring technology, the device passes electrical and pneumatic signals from robot to tooling, alleviating stress on the robot lines. It...

Arc welding robot. (Robots).
May 1, 2003... The PanaRobo VR-004 is a six-axis articulated robot for arc welding applications. With a 4-kilogram payload capacity, the robot has an offset wrist that permits the welding torch to be positioned very close to the workpiece at an optimal torch...

Suction cups. (Robots).
May 1, 2003... More than 20,000 models of suction cup are available, including flat cups, bellows, oval cups and rectangular cups. They can be made from nitrile and natural rubber, silicone, polyurethane, vinyl, Viton and EPDM. FIPA GmbH ...

Clamp for heavy parts. (Robots).
May 1, 2003... The PFC series frame clamp's cam design provides consistent clamping force throughout a wide power window in less than 0.6 seconds. The wide jaw accommodates large parts. Total clamping force of 11,250 pounds is available. Modular design allows...

Laser sensor. (Sensors & Vision).
May 1, 2003... The 7703 laser sensor is a compact class 2 sensor that offers proximity and reflective mode sensing. These sensors can be connected for either NPN or PNP output and operate from 10 to 30 VDC. Connection is via a sealed four-pin Pico-style...

Optical comparator. (Sensors & Vision).
May 1, 2003... The PH-14LS optical comparator is for quality inspection and metrology applications. Magnification accuracy is 0.1 percent or less for contours and 0.15 percent or less for surfaces. Workstage is 16 by 6 inches, with 8 by 4 inches of travel and...

Nitrile-coated glove. (Workstations).
May 1, 2003... Banom 8005 gloves are lightweight and abrasion-resistant. The palms are coated with nitrile that provides moderate cut resistance. They are suitable for such tasks as automotive interior parts assembly, furniture manufacturing and metal frame...

Get in front! Stay there! Once you have the lead, the only way a competitor can catch you-or pass you-is if stand still. (Uncommon Sense).
May 1, 2003... Ballantyne, George Many durable goods manufacturers remember when customers were content to wait until their orders were produced. Sometime in the early 1970s "content to wait" changed, seemingly overnight, to "I want what I want when I...