All Article articles – Page 61
-
ArticleAudi to use 5G for production
Germany - The OEM has announced it is working with the Swedish telecommunications company Ericsson in order to explore how 5G can be utilised in vehicle manufacturing. The two will run field tests at Audi's 'Production Lab' in Gaimersheim, Germany."The fully networked factory will have a significant impact on the ...
-
ArticleSchuler acquires press manufacturer
Italy - The forming technology specialist Schuler has acquired Farina Presse - an Italian manufacturer of presses and forging lines. Schuler believes that the move will help it to cement its position in the automotive industry."By acquiring Farina Presse, we have taken a further successful step in our product strategy ...
-
ArticleBMW splashes on new plant
Hungary - The german carmaker has announced it will build an assembly plant in Hungary next year, near the town of Debrecen in the east of the country. Debrecen was selected because of the advantages it offered in terms of infrastructure, logistics connections and proximity to the supplier network. BMW ...
-
ArticleFace grooving tooling system
Sandvik Coromant claims its CoroCut QF tooling has been developed specifically for machining deep and narrow face grooves. The company notes that the insert is tilted for extra stability, while a slit design ensures the correct clamping force is applied. Special rails at the top, bottom and back of the ...
-
ArticleMobile control, electrified solutions
Experts from Conductix-Wampfler examine the developments in state-of-the-art electrified monorail conveyor systemsFlexible and intelligent conveyor systems are today a central element in modern manufacturing and logistics facilities. It began with the simple need to move products automatically during the assembly process or to and from the warehouse. These simple tasks ...
-
ArticleFrom paper labels to smart materials
From the Internet of Things to Industry 4.0, manufacturing is changing. Paper labels no longer fit process complexities; what is required is optimal flexibility and quality assuranceFor 40 years, paper has been a trusted flag in manufacturing, providing sequential work instructions for operators. This simple visual cue has been the ...
-
ArticleLinear table slides
The new T110 linear pneumatic table slides complement its G110 gripper solutions, says Destaco. The company claims they deliver improved speed and reliability for high-speed machine part-transfer, pick-and-place operations, and machine tending applications.Destaco says the T110 table slides have an industry-standard footprint allowing for drop-in replacement and offer 44 model ...
-
ArticleNissan boosts Navara production
Argentina - The pick-up is now being built at the Renault plant in Santa Isabel, Cordoba. Nissan has cited rising global demand for the model as justification for the move."With more than 15 million Nissan pickup owners across 180 countries, trucks are a growing segment across the world and a ...
-
ArticleVW announces two appointments
Germany - Ralf Brandstätter has been named COO of the Volkswagen brand. He will lead its operating business while also remaining the company's board member for procurement."Ralf Brandstätter has outstanding commercial and technical expertise. In the newly-created function of COO he will make a decisive contribution to taking the Volkswagen ...
-
ArticleCSP invests in sheet molding
France - Continental Structural Plastics (CSP) has announced that it will install a new sheet molding compound (SMC) line at its facility in Pouance. Costing a total of €5.1m (US$6m), the line will allow the supplier to expand its range of advanced composite products made with both glass and carbon ...
-
ArticleTravel blog: The American dream
Everything in the US has a reputation for being big. The cities, the cars, even the food - it's all supersized in comparison to anything we have in Europe. So when obtaining content for our upcoming North American supplement, I decided to follow suit and go big by organising a ...
-
ArticleLarge work area dispensing robot
RP-Series robots designed are for adhesive and other fluid-dispensing applications, as well as assembly using UV curing for mounting, tooling and fixturing, says Dispense Works.The company claims the large ground machine-bed surface provides a suitable stable foundation for fixturing and tooling and a built-in advanced jog-and-teach routine simplifies programming with ...
-
ArticleSelf-clinching flush-head studs
PennEngineering says its PEM FHX self-clinching flush-head studs feature an X-Press thread profile that it’s claimed enables quick mating with plastic fasteners in thin metal assemblies. The company says the studs can be installed permanently in metal sheets as thin as 1mm. They press into place using any standard press ...
-
ArticleBenchtop dispensing robot
The Fisnar F4500N dispensing robot offers an expanded format of 500x500mm says Intertronics. Integrated with dispensing equipment from the company’s range, the robot can dispense beads, dots, arcs and infills in three dimensions, with a claimed positioning resolution of 0.001mm/axis.The company says that by adding the appropriate dispensing setup to ...
-
ArticleBMW leverages computer tomography
Germany - The OEM is now using computer tomography (CT) scans during the vehicle prototyping, production and analysis phases at its Research & Innovation Centre (FIZ) in Munich. This follows on from a two year development project, in which BMW and the Fraunhofer Development Centre for X-Ray Technology (EZRT) developed ...
-
ArticleSEAT starts assembling Arona and Leon
Algeria - The Spanish OEM has started building the two models in the city of Relizane, Algeria, at a plant owned by the Volkswagen Group and Sovac. It already assembles the Ibiza here, but as SEAT vice president for marketing and sales Wayne Griffiths explained, localising Arona and Leon assembly ...
-
ArticleSkoda updates three factories
Czech Republic - The OEM has used the summer shutdown period to carry out several updates and maintenance works at three of its plants. It has also taken steps to improve infrastructure in order to relieve congestion around one of the sites.Specifically, the company fitted a new painting line and ...
-
ArticleCummins produces 2m engines
US - The two millionth engine recently rolled out of the Cummins plant in Jamestown, New York. The facility is home to production of the company's IX15, ISX12, X12 and ISM11 diesel engines as well as the ISX12N natural gas engine."Jamestown Engine Plant (JEP) plays an important role in our ...
-
Article
- 塑料引发的问题
汽车制造商对含有塑料成分的材料重视程度不断提高，Steed Webzell带领我们一同梳理机械加工所面临的挑战。最近的研究表明，到2020年每辆车中都会含有350公斤的塑料。因此，对高效经济的塑料加工方法的需求前所未有地高涨；挑战就在这里。缺乏硬度是加工任何复合材料过程中面临的主要问题。所有的切斜工具都依赖加工组件的硬度，这也是金属的固有性可以激发出来的原因。相比之下，塑料零部件在加工的时候被切削工具“掰弯”，在刀具切过之后通常会往回弯，这样很难达到特定的尺寸以及控制误差。在一个车里，塑料零部件可能包括套管、盖子、导引装置、喷嘴、垫片和支座。这些零部件通常由乙酰、丙烯酸、聚甲醛、尼龙和聚碳酸酯制成，这些材料的加工过程中经常要面临碎屑控制难题。低频方案很多公司都了解塑料加工的需求，比如英国哈特福郡附近的Plastic Turned Parts（PTP）公司。PTP公司是英国第一个配备Citizen CNC转头车铣中心的公司，中心里的低频振动（LFV）加工技术已经申请专利。因此，PTP可以消除塑料组件生产过程中的碎屑控制难题。公司常务董事Jonathan Newis说，“对我们来说，低频振动技术的开发已经转变了我们的铣削操作，因此我们可以从开始就对Citizen加工抱有信心，而不是不断地暂定，然后清除‘鸟巢’般的塑料碎屑。”Newis认为LFV在钻深孔的时候尤其高效：“我们完全消除了排屑槽堵塞问题。过去我们通常根据碎屑情况准备两只三个钻头，但是现在可以只要一个工具就进行深孔钻探，排屑槽还依然清洁。”PTP公司为大型汽车制造商提供大量的塑料组件。除了聚四氟乙烯之外，加工车间里使用的塑料材料还有乙酰、聚甲醛、尼龙、聚氯乙烯、聚丙烯、聚乙烯、尼拉特龙、聚醚醚酮、石墨填充聚四氟乙烯等高性能材料，而且还含有各种玻璃增强塑料。批量大小在500至10,000.Newis说：“我们的技术可以满足这些材料的特性需求。”对聚乙烯加工，他说这种材料就是“梦魇”，因为所有工具都会产生碎屑，而且通常在钻孔中就融化。“但是有了LFV技术，在无人的情况下也能操作数个小时。”已经申请专利的LFV技术与传统的曹胜波振动加工不同。这种技术可以编程，可以通过G代码激活，可以满足剪裁循环中的任何应用。更重要的是，机械传动系统的伺服轴线可以顺着刀具给进“振动”，幅度达到数十微米，与主轴旋转同步。工具路径还包括“空切”，这会阻碍碎屑被切成更短的碎片。这种工艺还能降低到头产生切削瘤的产生，这种问题经常导致出现过早失效。可以通过LFV编程中的P1和P2编码，设定碎屑长度，以及振动频率。这能产生巨大好处，因为只要产生超小塑料切片就能阻塞机械。PTP 可以使机床主轴以4000rpm的速度运转，进给率达到0.03mm/rev (P1)或0.05mm/rev (P2)。P1用于普通的碎屑阻断，P2用于小尺寸撤销和钻孔。加工复合材料稍微往西部走，在牛津郡维特你的Shape Machining公司称，最近在复合材料加工取得了一些进展，而且进行软件投资。这就是公司促进Vericut CNC加工雁阵以及模拟CGTech软件的原因。Shape Machining公司由前任第一方程式首席设计师Peter McCool创办，主要为赛车和汽车业提供碳纤维复合材料加工刀具和零部件。通过Vericut软件，Shape公司5轴编程时和机械操作员识别碰撞刀具路径，并避免碰撞。McCool说：“我们程序是迅速接受Vericut软件，并融合到我们的操作流程标准中。每次我们改进，都需要改变和调整。采用Vericut软件是我们快速发展的重要因素。” 右手上的的是没用LFV技术产生的塑料‘鸟巢’，左手上的是使用LFV技术之后的结果现在可以在每个机械设置作业之前完成数控程序。这种战略可以让Shape公司有能力大幅度提高每天的加工时间，从而采用晚班制。当然，像碳纤维复合材料（CFRP）和玻璃纤维增强塑料（GFRP）这样的复合材料在加工的时候都有各自不同的规则。有一个有趣的现象就是，加工这些材料通常都是干场作业。但加工复合材料对生产工程师来说是一种挑战：不仅有分层和撕裂纤维的风险（尽管速度和进给速度较低），而且刀片承受巨大的压力，因为复合材料纤维会快速磨损，从而导致工具更换频繁。为了应对这些问题，通常就需要PCE刀具或拥有类似钻石涂层的刀片。碳纤维复合材料的干加工还造成很多健康和安全隐患。切削过程产生的细粉尘最令人担忧。为了避免员工身处危险境地，就一定要安装通风设备和过滤系统，这些都造价昂贵。复合材料加工润滑剂润滑剂制造商Rhunus Lub公司专注粉尘问题。公司称，正在茨维考应用科技大学研究转换中心的协助下测试新开发的冷却剂。刀具和工件在生产环境中测试磨损和加工质量。第一个开发出来的冷却剂是Rhenus XY190 FC和XT 46 FC。由于担心冷却剂会穿透材料，公司在最坏环境下进行了一系列测试，研究冷却剂和碳纤维复合材料之间的相互作用。结果非常乐观：加工过程中冷却剂短暂的停留并不会改变碳纤维复合材料的性能，而且也没有冷却剂穿透材料的迹象。