Ironically, Wisconsin’s first solar panel manufacturer is located in the shadow of a coal-fired power plant. The Helios Solar Works facility is a shining example of how 21st century renewable energy technology may soon surpass 19th century processes.
In his recent State of the Union address, President Obama challenged Americans to be more innovative. That means developing new materials, new products and new production processes. To tackle that challenge, manufacturing engineers must harness the power of “smart assembly” tools and systems.
In today’s economy, manufacturers must find ways to assemble more product with less labor. As a result, they are increasingly using fully and semiautomatic screwdriving equipment to boost productivity and improve quality.
Want to a know what systems integrators are working on? Good luck! Sometimes their own engineers don’t even know. To ensure they will be first to market with a hot new product, manufacturers often go to great lengths to protect the secrecy of what they’re assembling and how they’re assembling it.
From trigger sprayers to disposable shavers, high-speed automation systems assemble consumer products by the millions. Both synchronous and asynchronous automation systems can be used to assemble consumer products, depending on the number and shape of the parts, the processes for assembling them, and the production volume and variety.
Although renowned for their flexibility, robots can still be limited by their end effectors. For example, equip your favorite SCARA robot with a suction gripper, and it will be hard-pressed
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