Automated Assembly Systems

RSS

There are three reasons to attend trade shows: to learn about industry trends and new ways of doing things; to network with industry peers; and to see new technologies. This month’s Assembly Show will not disappoint on any of those fronts.

DALLAS—The global market for presence-sensing sensors, emergency stop controls, interlocks, relays, and other machine safety products is expected to reach nearly $4.2 billion by 2018, growing at a annual rate of 9 percent.

PLEASANTON, CA—Adept Technology Inc. will host a series of educational webinars this fall on topics such as vision-guided robotics, automated packaging, and control software.

PLEASANTON, CA—Robotics supplier Adept Technology Inc. is hosting an automation conference Oct. 15-17 at its headquarters here.

Looks can sometimes be deceiving in a positive way. A good example is the t:slim insulin pump made by Tandem Diabetes Care Inc.

Standardization is a key concept behind lean manufacturing. It allows assemblers to reduce variation, increase consistency, cut costs and improve productivity by following a prescribed set of work instructions.

ASSEMBLY magazine has been around since 1958. In that time, we’ve had lean years and great years. We’ve changed our name three times, and we’ve been bought and sold at least five times. We’ve survived tidal shifts in both U.S. manufacturing and publishing. (If you had told me 26 years ago that I would be spending 30 minutes a day on something called Twitter…)

Vision system integration has come a long way. With increased processing power, more powerful algorithms, and lighting and optics designed for more demanding requirements, more applications can be solved today than ever before.

There’s an old joke that the factory of the future will be so automated that it will have just two employees: a guard dog and someone to feed it. Fortunately or not, such a scenario remains the purview of science fiction. Indeed, despite advances in robotics and automation, people remain the most flexible assembly technology.

Semiconductor processing equipment is a notoriously demanding application for motion control engineers. Extreme precision, reliability and smoothness are absolute requirements. At the same time, space is at a premium.