All Additive/3D Printing articles – Page 4
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ArticleAdded value
Although additive manufacturing is not new, the latest techniques are offering OEMs more options for its useThe use of additively manufactured parts in vehicles is now unexceptional, if not yet pervasive, at least at the high end of the market characterised by low volume and high purchase price. But there ...
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ArticleMotor reflex
Brose’s Bernd Kaufer tells AMS how engineering instincts helps him to run the company’s Würzburg plantAt 7:00am each working morning, Bernd Kaufer begins his day by consulting his smartphone. As general manager of Brose’s Würzburg plant, his first task is to check on the status of operations there. Thanks to ...
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ArticleMAN to invest €2.4 billion by 2020
Germany – The funds, equivalent to $2.8 billion, will go towards modernising the company’s sites and improving efficiency across all divisions, and will include a €1.1 billion upgrade at its main plant in Munich between 2015 and 2020. In Munich, MAN is opening a new paintshop, expanded bodyshop, a combined ...
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ArticleHow RFID is changing EDI
With OEMs and tier suppliers seeking benefits on cost, quality, delivery and access to more data than ever before, technology provider Radley Corporation sees manufacturing competitiveness coming not only from emerging technologies but also the adaptation of older, existing technology such as electronic data interchange (EDI) and RFIDFor over 40 ...
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ArticleAll the right tools
Supplying the Asia Pacific region ASSAB not only offers a wide range of premium quality tool steels, but also innovative metallurgical and tooling servicesHeadquartered in Singapore the company has its sales companies and service centres in all of the key industrial markets in Asia Pacific. ASSAB says it is able ...
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ArticleSeat launches 4.0 training programme
Spain – The OEM says that personnel will interact with some of the tools and technology that will become common in production processes in the near future and are already being introduced, including virtual reality, collaborative robots, 3D printing and augmented reality. Of 2,000 employees registered for training, 1,200 have ...
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ArticleFord hopes new top team can Hackett
US – Replacing Mark Fields, who is retiring after 28 years with the company, Jim Hackett will become president and CEO, reporting to executive chairman Bill Ford. The OEM also named Jim Farley, Joe Hinrichs and Marcy Klevorn in new leadership roles under Hackett.Hackett held senior positions outside the automotive ...
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ArticleIt's time to get personal
The advent of 3D printing has set the industry’s imagination racing with regard to how far this innovative technology could actually push technological boundaries, particularly concerning personalisation. We all love choosing the colour scheme, upholstery, wheels and trims for our new cars, so how great would it be if your ...
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ArticleMacro ergonomics
By assessing hundreds of assembly tasks through virtual simulation, ergonomists at Ford have helped to drastically reduce worker-injury ratesIndustrial athletes, that’s how Ford affectionately regards its assembly line employees. The phrase is an acknowledgement of the physicality required to work on an automotive production line. However, the OEM also recognises ...
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ArticleFord trials large-scale 3D printing
US – The OEM is exploring how substantial, one-piece components such as spoilers could be printed for the prototyping and future production of vehicles, with resultant decreases in weight and fuel consumption. Ford is using a Stratasys Infinite Build 3D printer at its research centre in Dearborn, Michigan.“With Infinite Build ...
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ArticlePosition of power
Flexible power distribution systems are energising automotive tier one suppliers’ growthGrowth in the automotive industry is benefiting from an extensive global network composed of thousands of tier one suppliers. While not only good for business, this growth functions as a catalyst for advancements in technology that eventually will be adopted ...
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Article
Layer upon layer
Researchers at Ford Dearborn are keen to see additive manufacturing move on from its prototyping origins and into the mainstream volume production processIn itself, there is nothing new about the automotive industry’s use of the set of techniques generally known as additive manufacturing or 3D printing, in which objects are ...
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ArticleLayer upon layer
Researchers at Ford Dearborn are keen to see additive manufacturing move on from its prototyping origins and into the mainstream volume production processIn itself, there is nothing new about the automotive industry’s use of the set of techniques generally known as additive manufacturing or 3D printing, in which objects are ...
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ArticleInfinite possibilities
Mexico’s firm footing in the automotive industry makes it an ideal market for additive manufacturing technology Additive manufacturing, sometimes known as 3D printing, is a revolutionary technology able to produce complex shapes which cannot be produced by traditional techniques such as casting, forging and machining; expanding the possibilities of ...
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ArticlePSA and Divergent 3D to transform car structures
France – The OEM has signed a Strategic Partnership Letter of Intent relating to multiple development projects in collaboration with the US-based 3D printing company. PSA plans to boost the efficiency of its operations by implementing Divergent 3D technology in its production processes.Divergent 3D has developed a software-hardware platform enabled ...
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ArticlePrinting the future
Additive manufacturing offers many benefits and the technology is seeing wider application in the automotive industryAmong the most recent additive manufacturing (AM) trends are the advantages it can bring to mould-making processes. The quality of plastic components in modern cars has increased greatly over the years in terms of precision, ...
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ArticleTaking Control of quality
AMS previews the array of quality-assurance technologies that will be on display at the Control 2016 showControl 2016 – the International Trade Fair for Quality Assurance – is celebrating its 30th anniversary by featuring techniques and hardware used in quality assurance, including conventional mechatronic measuring systems, 3D metrology, microscopy and ...
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ArticleGetting connected at Hannover Messe
The show will highlight innovation in production and process automation, system solutions and industrial ITWith the Industry 4.0 concept high on the agenda, issues of connectivity and data management will be highlighted at this year’s Hannover Messe, along with additive manufacturing, energy efficiency, preventive maintenance and lightweight construction. A massive ...
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ArticleSubtractive or additive manufacturing?
We all know that improving process productivity is one of the primary means for automotive plants to reduce costs. However, after decades of lean manufacturing initiatives, CI and Kaizen events, most are finding that there’s not much fat left on the bone.It therefore boils down to technology to make the ...
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ArticleEditor's note: A good year?
I don’t usually do end-of-year round-ups, but the events of the previous 12 months posed a question that is worth considering as we begin a new year: was 2015 a good one for automotive manufacturing?The figures would suggest that the answer is ‘yes’. China’s automotive market continued to grow, albeit ...