Automated Assembly Systems - Articles - Page 40

Low-Profile Conveyors Move Small Parts for Assembly

Low-profile belt conveyors and pallet-transfer conveyors are popular—and precise—methods of moving small parts for assembly.

Jim Camillo

April 10, 2017

Of all the things that conveyors have moved the past 222 years, none is more iconic than the small chocolate candies that overwhelmed Lucille Ball and Vivian Vance working on the assembly line in September 1952.

GE ‘Predix’ the Future of Manufacturing

General Electric’s ‘Brilliant Factory’ initiative is driving a new era of production.

Austin Weber

March 29, 2017

One hundred years ago, a vertically integrated manufacturing complex in Schenectady, NY, defined the company behind the famous blue monogram. Today, the future of General Electric is in San Ramon, CA. That’s the home of GE Digital.

Automated Assembly Cells

Standardized, preconfigured automated assembly cells can lower costs and reduce time to market.

John Sprovieri

March 1, 2017

Designing and building a multistation automated assembly system takes time. A simple project might take 12 to 14 weeks. A complex one could take three or four times that long.

Closing Trade Deficit Could Create 1.3 Million Jobs, Says Think Tank

February 24, 2017

WASHINGTON—Trade pressure and faltering U.S. competitiveness, not automation, were the main reasons the U.S. lost 5.7 million manufacturing jobs between 2000 and 2010, according to a new report from the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation.

Vision Enables Flexible Assembly

A new, flexible assembly system produces the same volume and part mix as six older machines.

Jeff Walsh

January 5, 2017

A Fortune 500 manufacturer of electromechanical products previously operated six separate indexing assembly machines, each producing one of a family of products at about 40 parts per minute.

Robot Gets to Work Quicker on Transport Unit

Shoe Manufacturer Automates Production in Unique Way

Jim Camillo

January 5, 2017

Most manufacturers are keen on automating production, so long as it can be done cost-effectively. This goal applies as well to KEEN Inc., a Portland, OR-based company that makes outdoor and lifestyle footwear.

Systems Integrator Building Assembly System for Automotive Fuse Boxes

December 12, 2016

EVANSVILLE, IN—Systems integrator Preh IMA Automation (PIA) Evansville Inc. is building a semiautomatic assembly line for a manufacturer of automotive electronics. The assembly line, which will be delivered in early 2017, assembles, populates and tests automotive fuse boxes.

ASSEMBLY Capital Spending Report: Capital Spending to Increase

With automotive and aerospace manufacturing going strong, our annual Capital Equipment Spending Survey predicts continued growth in investment.

John Sprovieri

December 1, 2016

Overall, 2016 has been a pretty good year for U.S. manufacturing. In every industry covered by ASSEMBLY magazine, manufacturers were investing in people, plants and equipment.

Mastering Changeover

Smooth flow is vital to high-mix production initiatives

Austin Weber

December 1, 2016

Quick change is a popular type of magic in which performers appear in entirely different costumes within just a few seconds. It’s an act that takes tremendous skill and lots of practice to perfect.

Modular Automation Components

A wide range of ready-to-install components and subassemblies enable manufacturers and integrators to quickly build custom automated assembly machines.

Jim Camillo

November 7, 2016

At some point during a philosophy 101 class, college students learn about Aristotle’s belief that the best way to understand something is to break it down to the smallest components. For an increasing number of manufacturers and integrators, however, the best way to assemble a product is to use a machine built with modular automation components that quickly and easily fit together.