Carclo Technical Plastics specializes in contract manufacturing for the medical, optics and electronics industries. At its manufacturing facility in Mitcham, England, Carclo injection-molds the main body of a multicompartment plastic cuvette and delicately inserts a flexible filter strip into it.
Each fire rescue vehicle E-ONE manufactures contains a large amount of
parts that must be measured and inspected prior to assembly. For many years, E-ONE assemblers had used various hand tools to measure these
parts. Unfortunately, such tools often limited
the assemblers’ ability to make sure each part met the company’s design
tolerances.
Wagic Inc. is the What A Great Idea Co. Since 1985, it has specialized
in designing, prototyping and manufacturing innovative consumer products. Based
in Los Gatos, CA, Wagic recently developed the RE:Solve
line of handheld multi-tools, which are available to consumers at big box
stores like Lowe’s.
In early 2010, Draper Laboratory was in need of a semiconductor platform that met
two criteria. First, it had to perform flip chip assembly, in which microelectromechanical systems
are connected to circuitry with solder bumps that have been deposited onto the
chip pads. Second, the platform had to be adaptable,
because Draper develops products for a wide range of applications requiring the
latest technology.
SMB Schnekenburger GmbH provides assembly-ready parts made of thin sheet
metal to electronics firms, equipment manufacturers, and companies in
ventilation and medical technology.
For the past several years, SMB has faced increased competition from suppliers
in low-wage countries. This situation has forced SMB to make parts more
cost-effectively without lessening fastener-insertion accuracy.
Before Autoliv Electronics America can provide
top-notch products to its automotive customers, the company must make sure the
equipment at its facility in Southfield,
MI, performs top-notch. One type
of equipment Autoliv uses there is pick-and-place machines, which are used in the assembly of printed circuit boards that mount onto various electronic safety
components.
Many of the 4,300 people who work at
Caterpillar’s heavy-equipment manufacturing plant in Gosselies, Belgium,
are assemblers who bolt together hydraulic valves and hoses before installing
them in medium- and large-sized excavators and wheel-loaders. Until recently, assemblers used a manual torque wrench to tighten the
bolts.
German manufacturer Fontaine Engineering und Maschinen GmbH makes hot-dip galvanizing equipment, which several U.S. automakers use for coating metal strips. Since 2010, Fontaine has installed sensors in the equipment’s edge-coating control system to ensure uniform coating.
On April 21, 2011-more than 3-1/2 years after first
being unveiled to the world-the Sukhoi Superjet 100 completed its first
commercial flight. Assembly for all versions of the Superjet is done at the
facilities of Komsomolsk-on-Amur
Aircraft Production Association in the Russian Far East.
Late in 2009, the Raymond Corp. decided to enhance the material-handling capabilities of its 9000 Series Swing-Reach lift truck. The unit now features a multiturn angle sensor that tracks the position of the truck’s mast to ensure consistent and efficient operation.
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