Assembly articles from October 2006

Assembly archives from October 2006

Engineers speak out.(Editorial)
October 1, 2006... Although engineering has been, and in many cases continues to be, a rewarding career, some respondents to my August editorial say it has become much less attractive in recent years. Opinions vary about advising young people to take up...

Radial roller bearings support heavy loads.(X-Y-Z)
October 1, 2006... Radial ball bearings may be the most common antifriction bearing, but they're not the only way to support a rotating shaft. Indeed, because the rolling elements are spheres, they only contact the inner and outer races at one small point. This...

Large Cargo Freighter takes maiden flight.(Assembly Lines)
October 1, 2006... TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Boeing Co. (Chicago) recently celebrated the maiden flight of its first 747-400 Large Cargo Freighter (LCF), one of three giant freighters that will shuttle parts among the various manufacturing facilities involved in building...

Chrysler begins Nitro production in Toledo.(Assembly Lines)
October 1, 2006... AUBURN HILLS, MI -- Chrysler Group has begun production of the Dodge Nitro sport utility vehicle at an expanded "flexible" plant in Toledo, OH. The factory, Chrysler's 2.1-million-square-foot Toledo North plant, was both enlarged and...

American Railcar expanding production facilities.(Assembly Lines)
October 1, 2006... ST. CHARLES, MO -- American Railcar Industries Inc. will build a new flexible railcar manufacturing plant adjacent to the company's existing tank railcar plant in Marmaduke, AR. The new plant will be used to produce tank, covered hopper and...

Adhesive, sealant demand to grow through 2007.(Assembly Lines)
October 1, 2006... BETHESDA, MD -- According to the Adhesive and Sealant Council's recently released "2005-2007 North American Market Study for Adhesives and Sealants with a Global Overview," North American demand for adhesives and sealants will rise 2.9 percent...

Honda building civics in Vietnam.(Assembly Lines)
October 1, 2006... HANOI, Vietnam -- Honda Vietnam Co. (HVN), a subsidiary of Honda Motor Co., has begun producing Civic automobiles in Vietnam, with the launch of a new $62 million plant in Vinh Phuc Province. The plant has an annual production capacity of...

Happy birthday Bosch!(Assembly Lines)
October 1, 2006... STUTTGART, Germany -- The Bosch Group is celebrating its 100th year of doing business in the United States. The company's initial foray into North America took place in New York, where the company opened a sales office for magneto ignition...

Robots and Vision Show changes dates.(Assembly Lines)
October 1, 2006... ANN ARBOR, MI -- Next year's International Robots & Vision Show, originally slated for Oct. 2-4, 2007, has been switched to June 12-14, 2007. The show will be co-located with Sensors Expo at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in...

New robot moves, balances on a ball.(Assembly Lines)
October 1, 2006... PITTSBURGH -- Carnegie Mellon University researchers have developed a new type of mobile robot that balances on a single urethane-coated metal sphere instead of legs or wheels. The 95-pound "Ballbot," as it is called, is about the height...

Francisco Partners acquiring Universal Instruments, Vitronics Soltec.(Assembly Lines)
October 1, 2006... MENLO PARK, CA -- The technology-focused private equity fund Francisco Partners is buying Vitronics Soltec (Stratham, NH), a supplier of electronics soldering equipment, and Universal Instruments Corp. (Binghamton, NY), which manufactures...

Tyco selling printed circuit group.(Assembly Lines)
October 1, 2006... PEMBROKE, Bermuda -- Tyco International Ltd. is selling its printed circuit division to TTM Technologies Inc. (SANTA ANA, CA) for $226 million. Tyco's printed circuit group employs approximately 2,000 and logged revenues in 2005 of $383...

Chile orders 499 Volvo buses.(Assembly Lines)
October 1, 2006... SANTIAGO, Chile -- The Santiago-based Transantiago transport system has ordered 499 buses from Volvo Group (Goteborg, Sweden), to be delivered by 2008. This latest order comes in the wake of another order by Transantiago in 2005 for a whopping...

ATS reorganizing North American operations.(Assembly Lines)
October 1, 2006... CAMBRIDGE, Ontario -- ATS Automation Tooling Systems Inc. is reorganizing its North American Automation Systems Group (ASG) to improve coordination among the division's various regional facilities. "This is an important and positive step...

ArvinMeritor to build axels in China.(Assembly Lines)
October 1, 2006... TROY, MI -- ArvinMeritor Inc. is opening a new 300,000-square-foot facility in Wuxi, China, to manufacture trailer axles and suspensions for key trailer manufacturers in China, as well as for export to North America and Europe. The plant,...

TRW subsidiary acquires facility in Slovakia.(Assembly Lines)
October 1, 2006... NOVE MESO, Slovakia -- Roadster Automotive BV, a subsidiary of TRW Automotive Holdings Corp. (Livonia, MI), has acquired the Slovakian electric motor manufacturer Dana Emerson Actuator Systems from Dana Corp. (Toledo, OH). The business,...

DENSO requiring suppliers to go 'green'.(Assembly Lines)
October 1, 2006... TOKYO -- Automotive components and robotics manufacturer DENSO Corp. has unveiled a set of "green procurement guidelines" to reduce the use and release of environmentally hazardous substances in the company's supply chains. The guidelines are...

Motorola marks 10-year anniversary in Brazil.(Assembly Lines)
October 1, 2006... SAO PAULO, Brazil -- Communications giant Motorola Inc. (Schaumburg, IL) is marking 10 years of manufacturing in Brazil. During this period, the company has produced millions of mobile handsets worth some $5 billion for both the South American...

Robots handle doors and axles.(Assembly in Action)
October 1, 2006... BMW Group (Munich, Germany) produces both 1 Series compact cars and 3 Series sedans at its plant in Regensburg, Germany. Long committed to automated assembly, the company recently decided to automate the handling of its front and rear axles, as...

Standardized software supports test platform.(Assembly in Action)
October 1, 2006... Benchmark Electronics Inc. (Angleton, TX) is an electronics contract manufacturer that provides telecommunication equipment, computer, industrial control equipment, test instrumentation and medical device services for a host of OEMs. Among...

Software organizes production, inventory.(Assembly in Action)(Company overview)
October 1, 2006... Founded in 1972, Lou-Rich Inc. (Albert Lea, MN) manufactures complete products and equipment, mechanical and electromechanical subassemblies, engineered mechanical components and weldments, and aluminum extrusions for a variety of OEMs. The...

Conveyors grow with company.(Assembly in Action)(Company overview)
October 1, 2006... Founded in 1981, C.A.P.S. Inc. has grown from a one-machine startup, to a multi-million dollar business. Its products include various one- and two-part caps that are used in the food, personal care, household products and medical industries....

The assembly top 50 manufacturers: as automotive OEMs and their suppliers take a back seat, assemblers of high-tech products enjoy rapid growth.(Special Report)(Cover story)
October 1, 2006... It's amazing what a hit product can do. Just ask Apple Computer Inc. (Cupertino, CA). At the end of the 2002 fiscal year, Apple placed 70th on our list of the Top 50 manufacturers as ranked by gross revenue, some $3.5 billion behind the company...

Lead-free BGA rework: the choice of rework technique can affect the reliability of ball grid arrays assembled with lead-free solder.(Electronics Assembly)
October 1, 2006... It's now common knowledge that lead-free solder does not wet surfaces as well as traditional tin-lead solder. Among other consequences, this fact is affecting how assemblers rework ball grid arrays (BGAs). [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] There...

Tackling the automation challenge: intense market pressure is forcing manufacturers to adopt faster production processes.(Medical Device Assembly)
October 1, 2006... Several years ago, automation in the medical device industry was confined to upstream and downstream applications, such as material handling equipment and packaging lines. Most assembly was performed manually by technicians seated at long rows...

Data Matrix and RFID--partnership in productivity: RFID tags and Data Matrix codes can help manufacturers error-proof assembly, track inventory and automate setup.(Automatic Identification)
October 1, 2006... The Defense Department now requires all mission-critical parts, assemblies and equipment to be identified with both Data Matrix codes and radio frequency identification (RFID) tags. For many electronics assemblers, this mandate has brought...

New life for conveyors: by using modular conveyors, assemblers ensure their investment can evolve along with changing production needs.(Conveyors)
October 1, 2006... In his 1984 novel, The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Czech intellectual Milan Kundera took the philosophical position that, because each of us has only one life to live, decisions, ultimately, do not matter. But, as any production engineer...

Sensor offers speed for high throughputs.(Products)
October 1, 2006... The Siscan Model MC64 has a capacity to take 512,000 measurements per second. Its confocal displacement sensor features 64 channels for highly accurate 3D surface scanning. It scans at a speed of 80 millimeters per second and has a lateral...

Pin clamp mounts on robots.(Products)
October 1, 2006... The Series PLM pin locating clamp is a pneumatically powered actuator that locates, clamps and supports parts in welding applications. The lightweight clamp mounts to robots, and its compact size makes it ideal for hard-to-reach applications....

Switches prevent weld errors.(Products)
October 1, 2006... ProxPlunger and WeldSwitch sensors help prevent mismatched parts from accidentally being joined in welding applications. The prox-based limit switches use spring-loaded pins and buttons to interface with parts and detect if a part is correctly...

Screwdriver bits reduce damage.(Products)
October 1, 2006... BiTorsion bits help transfer kinetic energy from the drive tip during load peaks. A diamond particle coating on the tips ensures they stay securely seated in the screw recess. This results in a reduction of cam-out forces, which means less...

Threadlocker available in multiple formulas.(Products)
October 1, 2006... Jet-Lok threadlocker is available in four different formulas for a wide range of fastening applications. For permanent high-temperature stud lock applications, TL 71-50 works well with large-diameter threaded parts. For high-tolerance...

Position sensors.(Products)
October 1, 2006... TEX series position sensors are available in stroke lengths up to 300 millimeters. The sensors feature differential pressure compensation technology and are rated to protection class IP66. They are equipped with pivot heads to provide a large...

Cart transports parts, trays.(Products)
October 1, 2006... A reconfigurable cart and rack system for transporting part-laden trays and low-profile boxes is well suited to lean material-handling applications. The cart is light and easy to maneuver, even when fully loaded with parts. Pipes, joints and...

Laser marker handles high-speed jobs.(Products)
October 1, 2006... The high-speed, high-power ML-G9300 laser marker is well suited to use in the automotive, electronics and electrical products industries. It can create ultra-small characters at 600 characters per second. WaveGuide technology folds the laser...

Sensors are fit for rugged use.(Products)
October 1, 2006... The OG basic line of photoelectric sensors features stainless steel housings for use in rugged industrial applications. Sensing ranges include 20 meters for thru-beam; 4 meters for polarized retro-reflective; and 250 millimeters for diffuse...

End-of-arm tooling provides flexibility.(Products)
October 1, 2006... Programmable end-of-arm tooling helps robot users save time and money by eliminating the hassle of dealing with multiple tools and tool changers. The system is capable of automatically relocating four separate component holders within the cycle...

Pneumatic riveter is fast, controllable.(Products)
October 1, 2006... The HP2000 hydra-pneumatic impact riveter is available with a maximum 24-inch throat, and can be equipped with an autofeed system to quickly set solid rivets up to 7/16-inch in diameter. Other features include a 20-ton capacity, the ability to...

Digital torque wrench is lightweight, long-lived.(Products)
October 1, 2006... The Data Tork CEM3 digital torque wrench is constructed with a lightweight aluminum body, and offers longer battery life and expanded data measurement storage capability to ensure greater assembly line productivity. Features include dual...

Crimper is battery operated.(Products)
October 1, 2006... The Patriot PAT750XT battery-actuated hydraulic crimping tool provides more crimps per charge, with the help of an 18-volt nickel metal-hydride battery. It can operate in virtually any position, provides 12-tons of output force, includes an...

Ensure operators use the correct tools.(Products)
October 1, 2006... Color-coded PB Swiss tools ensure operators have the right tool for the job at hand--right away. The company uses the latest processes, so coloration will endure in even the most rigorous environments. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Count On...

Patches secure fasteners.(Products)
October 1, 2006... The Hi-Temp Patch can be used in assemblies that operate in temperatures from -70 F to 500 F, like those found in the aerospace, appliance and automotive industries. When applied to a fastener, the patch creates a positive lock, preventing...

System monitors multiple processes.(Products)
October 1, 2006... The Pc-PRO monitoring and test system provides multichannel nonsynchronous monitoring, integral data acquisition, data point storage, software and the ability to monitor multiple windows. Compatible with a variety of sensors, the system can be...

Wrenches help error-proof assembly.(Products)
October 1, 2006... The LightStar line of industrial torque wrenches features an LED indicator to notify the user of good or bad torque readings in even the noisiest environments. Each wrench's torque sensor is mounted directly on the turning axis. This enhances...

Robots specialize in measuring, cutting.(Products)
October 1, 2006... The KR 100 robot line features accuracy and speed for use in precision tasks such as laser welding, laser cutting and measuring. The robots' modular design means they can be reconfigured to perform other tasks, such as dispensing. The KR 100 HA...

End Effector can be reconfigured.(Products)
October 1, 2006... Modular End Effector Tooling (MET) can be configured to meet a variety of material handling applications, including those in packaging, injection molding, metal stamping, palletizing and glass handling. The system includes accessories such as...

Studs provide strong attachment points.(Products)
October 1, 2006... Type HFHB Busbar self-clinching studs can be used in applications demanding superior electrical-mechanical attachment points in copper. Comprised of phosphor bronze and manufactured with external threads, they offer twice the conductivity of...

Valve is light, compact.(Products)
October 1, 2006... The VD510 diaphragm-valve dispenser can be use with low- and medium-viscosity materials. It weighs 2.7 ounces and is 3.1 inches high, making it suitable for both benchtop dispensing or machine integration. The diaphragm valve separates wetted...

Ball Splines eliminate backlash.(Products)
October 1, 2006... NB Ball Splines have recirculating steel balls on the side of the outer race to eliminate backlash. They are available in 16 standard shaft sizes and in a variety of materials, including Martensite stainless. Custom sizes are also available....

Grippers meet a variety of needs.(Products)
October 1, 2006... Grip-Clamps are available in a variety of configurations for use in heavy-duty material handling applications. They can be retooled or rebuilt as production needs change, and are available with a recently introduced 5-year warranty. ...

SCARAs offer range of reaches, payloads.(Products)
October 1, 2006... The compact RS40B SCARA robot is available with load capacities ranging from 2 to 5 kilograms, with a reach of 400 millimeters. RS60 and RS80 robots offer reaches of 600 and 800 millimeters. All three robots come equipped with the PC-based CS8C...

Lean and human resources.(Leading Lean)
October 1, 2006... Acritically important issue in lean success, just now coming into clear view, is the relationship between the human resources (HR) function and lean transformation. It turns out that the HR function, even at its best, is often only a passive...