This month, the Washington State Cougars face off on the gridiron against their arch-rival, the Washington Huskies. The winner receives the coveted Apple Cup and bragging rights in the Pacific Northwest.
Many companies routinely hit capacity constraints and immediately consider adding overtime for existing workers, hiring workers for a new shift, or buying a new line. Relatively few companies have made the more modest investment that is required to optimize the performance of their existing lines.
For more than 5,000 years, investment casting has produced a wide variety of metal products. The process is currently used to manufacture everything from surgical implants to jet engine turbine blades.
To handle simple material handling tasks in automated workcells, engineers typically opt for linear axes. However, assembling multiple linear axes into a Cartesian motion system can be a time-consuming process. You must connect each module to the next one, assembling subcomponents as you go, then wire each module, connect each axis to an external controller, and finally program the system.
Consumers have always wanted their stereo speakers to sound great. Increasingly, they want the speakers to look great as well. Paradigm Electronics Inc., based in Mississauga, Ontario, is dedicated to manufacturing speakers that meet both criteria.
Robots used to be thought of strictly as stationary machines. They were bolted to a floor, table, ceiling or wall and that’s where they stayed. But, that’s beginning to change.
One of the main challenges in forestry is removing bark from freshly cut logs. For many decades, the standard method involved loading logs into a hopper with a conveyor belt that moves the logs into a ribbed drum.
TOKYO—Toyota Motor Corp. wants to smooth the oft-bumpy ride for startup companies by forming a new venture capital business. Armed with an initial $100 million to invest, Toyota AI Ventures will seek companies that are taking on challenging research related to artificial intelligence and robotics.
Robots are increasingly being made to mirror humans. The best example of this is the dual-armed robot—such as ABB’s YuMi and Rethink Robotics’ Baxter—designed specifically to work closely with people on the assembly line.
If Ohio ever needs a catch phrase to promote its manufacturing success, “five out of eight is great” would be appropriate. The reason is because Ohio is home to five of Whirlpool Corp.’s eight U.S. assembly plants. Those five factories are located in the Ohio cities of Clyde, Findlay, Greenville, Marion and Ottawa.