Factory automation

New Technology for Automatic Screwdriving

Collaborative robots are among the latest products for automatic screwdriving

February 5, 2020

Threaded fasteners are, by far, the most common method of assembling parts. According to ASSEMBLY magazine's annual Capital Equipment Spending Survey, screwdriving is performed at 58 percent of U.S. assembly plants, making it more popular than welding, pressing, adhesive bonding or riveting.

System Automatically Sorts, Separates Busbars

John Sprovieri

February 4, 2020

A&H Meyer, a manufacturer of cable management systems for furniture, approached RNA Automation Ltd. to design a flexible automation system to sort, separate and feed busbars. The company wanted a system that could handle 12 different lengths of flat and crimped busbars with minimal changeover time.

Hot-Gas Welding of Plastic Parts

A new noncontact joining method uses hot nitrogen flowing through custom-built nozzles to soften the weld area

John Sprovieri

February 4, 2020

The shop floor was hopping in mid-January at Dukane Corp.'s headquarters in St. Charles, IL, 35 miles west of Chicago. Technicians were busy assembling, tooling and testing a variety of machines, including the latest product in the company's arsenal of plastics assembly technologies: a hot-gas welding system.

ERP Software Keeps Bearing Manufacturer Rolling

Jim Camillo

January 15, 2020

Bearing manufacturers face a plethora of challenges every day, regardless of where they are located and the industries they serve. One such company is Philadelphia-based Kingsbury Inc., which has been around for 108 years, and is recognized as a technological leader in the development of all types of bearings for rotating machinery.

Detecting Defects in Medical Devices No Problem for Vision System

Jim Camillo

January 14, 2020

In its latest report, BCC Research projects the global drug delivery market to grow to nearly $227.3 billion by 2020, with a compound annual growth rate of 4.9 percent. This is great news for the French company Nemera, which designs and manufactures world-class drug delivery devices for the pharmaceutical industry.

Sensor Optimizes Cutting-Edge Stone Processing System

Jim Camillo

January 13, 2020

Traditionally, multiple pieces of equipment have been required to process a stone slab. Separate machines that cut, drill or finish the slab surface have been used by stone-processing companies worldwide for centuries.

Do You Really Need a Vision System?

Jim Camillo

January 10, 2020

Every manufacturer has one want and many needs. The want is universal, to be the leader in its industry or area of specialty. The needs are individual, and may concern issues as diverse as increasing capital, upgrading technology, expanding plant size or hiring more assemblers.

The Appeal of Piezo Jet Valve Dispensing

For applications requiring high speed and precision, cutting-edge piezo jet valve dispensing technology is the way to go

Can La

January 9, 2020

Selecting the automated dispensing technology that is the best fit for a specific application is not a decision to be made lightly. This is understandable in light of the many technologies that are available, including the progressive cavity pump, auger valve, time-pressure valve and pneumatic jet valve.

System Feeds Synthetic Corks

John Sprovieri

January 9, 2020

An assembler wanted to automatically feed and orient synthetic corks at a feed rate of 200 parts per minute. These corks are difficult to feed due to the sticky film that remains on their surface after the manufacturing process.

Roller Forming for Cylindrical Assemblies

The Roller Forming Process Forms a Curl or Lip on the Edge or Rim of a Hollow, Cylindrical Part

John Sprovieri

January 8, 2020

There are many ways to crimp or flare a lip on a cylindrical part. For example, it can be done with a press or an orbital forming machine. However, the problem with those processes, particularly the former, is that they require a good deal of force.