John Sprovieri

Five Things: Automated Assembly

May 24, 2022

Symphoni from ATS Automation is a compact, self-contained, pre-engineered automated assembly cell. Equipped with standard servo-controlled devices, including a high-speed delta robot, the cell can be configured to make a wide range of products, from simple two-piece assemblies to complex products having dozens of components and specialized processes.

Top 10 States for Innovation

John Sprovieri

May 12, 2022

Innovation is a principal driver of U.S. economic growth. In 2022, the U.S. will spend nearly $600 billion on research and development, more than any other country in the world and more than 25 percent of the world's total.

Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine Threatens Manufacturing Recovery

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has disrupted automotive assembly lines in throughout Europe.

John Sprovieri

April 19, 2022

Finally, we have good news on COVID. Two-thirds of the U.S. population is fully vaccinated. As of March 16, the seven-day average for new cases was the lowest since July 13, 2021, and the seven-day average for fatalities was the lowest since Nov. 30, 2021. Some 93 percent of the country is not at high risk for COVID.

Picking the Low-Hanging Fruit

Assemblers that are new to automation are well-advised to start with a simple project and grow from there.

John Sprovieri

March 23, 2022

Does this sound familiar? Management envisions "a sea of robots" on the shop floor. They haven't deployed robots before, and they don't have a specific goal in mind. They just want "automation." The next thing you know, there's a collaborative robot on the loading dock. Your job: Find something to do with it.

Assessing the Current State

Before attempting to automate an assembly process, engineers should have specific goals to achieve or problems to solve.

John Sprovieri

March 22, 2022

Poet and civil rights activist Maya Angelou wrote, “You can’t really know where you are going until you know where you have been.”

Step Feeder Supplies Magnets for Automotive Assembly

Five Things: Feeders

John Sprovieri

March 10, 2022

Step Feeder Supplies Magnets for Automotive Assembly; Two Feeders Are Synced for Assembly Automation; Hopper Keeps Feeder Bowls Topped Up...

Congress Passes Bill to Aid Domestic Production of Microchips

John Sprovieri

March 9, 2022

In January, Intel announced that it will invest $20 billion in a new microchip manufacturing facility near Columbus, OH. The fab is expected to create 3,000 company jobs, 7,000 construction jobs, and tens of thousands of additional jobs for suppliers and partners.

Retool, Rebuild or Start Over?

In the right application, manufacturers can reuse some or all of existing assembly systems for new projects.

John Sprovieri

March 2, 2022

Product life cycles are getting shorter. For example, 20 percent of consumers replace their televisions every four to five years; another 5 percent replace their sets every one to three years. Smartphones are even worse. On average, consumers replace their phones about every 2.5 years.

Robots Assemble PPE

John Sprovieri

February 9, 2022

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the healthcare industry faced a large-scale shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE), which put frontline workers at risk of infection.