Automation – Page 146
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ArticleA game changer
Correlation-free measurements are set to fundamentally and permanently alter in-line measuring technology and ultimately the world of manufacturingThis global innovation not only enables automotive manufacturers to make measuring and production more efficient, but also brings them significantly closer to the smart factory of tomorrow. “Correlation-free measurements will provide an entirely ...
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ArticleSmart welding
Gerhard Posch of Fronius describes future developments and innovations necessary for welding operations to keep pace with the digitalisation of automotive productionThe vision that Internet of Things and Industry 4.0 stand for is clear: The ongoing digitalisation can provide valuable data but its benefit is restricted and very limited. If ...
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ArticleEyes of the factory
As Industry 4.0 continues to reshape production processes and our working environments, experts in measuring and imaging technology can offer solid supportIndustry 4.0, cyber-physical systems or the Internet of Things: the paradigm shift in the production economy is cheerfully progressing under various names. What they all refer to is the ...
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ArticleCapturing detail
New interfaces for simple and robust communication between production plant and measuring system are the key to the advance of Industry 4.0The most important measure for optimising manufacturing processes is quality control involving measurement, analysis, and correction processes. In recent years, the three-dimensional digitising of the actual states of finished ...
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ArticleIn all the right places
Automation is making a difference at BMW Dingolfing but humans are still at the heart of productionOn any given working day, ideas around information and automation present themselves to Reinhard Weindl. In his role as quality manager for technical planning at BMW Dingolfing he has witnessed an ever-growing range of ...
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ArticleDigital vision
The Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology has been one of the leading lights in developing the Industry 4.0 concept. Nick Holt discussed institute’s perspective on this with Dr. Thomas Bobek, coordinator of the Fraunhofer High Performance Center Networked Adaptive Production, and how he saw its future implementation in automotive manufacturingWhat ...
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ArticleSmall steps – big gains
Mike Farish looks at how a leading tier supplier has implemented an IoT strategy to its manufacturing operationsWhat is the best way to implement an Industry 4.0 or Internet of Things (IoT) strategy – a single, intense company-wide campaign or a gradualist approach in which a series of small projects ...
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ArticleBehaviour study
Big data technology has enabled Gestamp to tackle energy consumption at several of its plants and, crucially, closely observe just how equipment behaves in operationBack in 2014, Gestamp resolved to address a noted upturn in its energy consumption. The Spain-based company specialises in designing, developing, and manufacturing metallic assemblies and ...
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ArticleCube route
Data-led analysis and audit are helping Porsche to maintain and enhance its production quality values
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ArticleZero Downtime
GM has ambitious plans to implement a zero down time approach using cloud based computing to connect all of its production robots worldwideRobots are now not just commonplace items of equipment on automotive factory floors they are absolutely vital to the implementation of automated manufacturing strategies that successfully combine the ...
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ArticlePlug and produce
Dennis Kolberg, head of research at the department of innovative factory systems at the German Research Centre for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI), discusses developing and creating the Smart Factory and how Industry 4.0 will result in a paradigm shift in production operations How will I4.0 change the automotive manufacturing industry?Dennis Kolberg ...
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ArticleReal-time reliability
Mike Farish looks at how the Industry 4.0 concept has become a reality at a leading US transmission manufacturerThe concept of Industry 4.0 (I4.0) does not necessarily lend itself to a precise definition. Indeed the fact that more or less the same set of ideas is also known variously as ...
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ArticleNissan Sunderland makes new Qashqai
UK – The improvements to the model cover four areas: exterior design, interior quality, driving performance and the addition of intelligent mobility technologies. The new Qashqai will also be available with ProPILOT autonomous driving capability.The manufacture of the refreshed model, an upgrade on the second generation which was launched in ...
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ArticleSimulation tools for hot-forming aluminium
Using advanced simulation tools, AP&T and ESI say they have implemented several virtual models that reflect the process for hot forming of high-strength aluminium (AA6xxx and AA7xxx). The simulations have been compared to the results of real tests performed at AP&T’s R&D facilities in Ulricehamn, Sweden, and the outcome shows ...
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ArticleWelding processes for manufacturing battery packs
Amada Miyachi Europe says it offers a range of resistance and laser welding capabilities for manufacturing battery packs for hybrid and electric vehicles. These include six laser welding technologies, four resistance welding technologies and micro-arc welding (also known as pulse-arc). The company says its application experts can recommend the right ...
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ArticleVolvo pledges electric motors for all models
Sweden – The vehicle-maker declared “the historic end of cars that only have an internal combustion engine (ICE)” with the decision to fit an electric motor to every model launched from 2019 onwards, which will include full electric vehicles (EVs), plug-in hybrids and “mild” hybrids. The OEM said it was ...
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ArticleBBAC to build EV battery plant
China – An investment running into “three-digit million” euros will enable battery production by the joint venture between Daimler and BAIC Motor, Beijing Benz Automotive (BBAC), representing the German OEM’s first battery manufacture outside its home country. The two partners plan to jointly invest five billion yuan ($758m) in the ...
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ArticleSmarter and safer
As production facilities grow in complexity through the interconnection of cyber, physical and human capabilities, automotive manufacturers are encountering additional safety risks alongside new possibilitiesAutomotive manufacturing is entering what Christian Dunckern, head of BMW Group Production System, Planning, Toolmaking and Plant Engineering, calls “the time of smart devices and digitalisation”, ...
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Article
更加智能、更加安全
随着生产厂通过网络、实体和人力互连，复杂度不断升级，汽车制造商面临更多的安全风险和新的可能性。宝马集团负责生产系统、规划、工具制造和工厂设备工程的部长Christian Dunckern称，汽车制造正在进入“智能设备与数字化时代”。现代化机器人、智能设备和外骨骼装置将帮助员工“成为人类工作环境中重要组成部分”。据Dunckern称，不断发展进步的制造格局提供“更多推动生产系统的选择”。然而，随着人类和机械之间的界限逐步消失，安全性方面的问题也不断显现。2017年3月，宝马宣布了工厂现代化战略，其中一个因素，就是让更多的轻量机器人与人类一同工作，而且到今年年中为止，机器人数量会从40个增加到60个。除了高精确度任务之外，这些机械还要负责艰苦而重复性的任务，从而缓解工人的人体工学负担 — 但同时，安全风险也会提高。但是，宝马集团在这方面已经有些经验了，2013年公司在南卡Spartanburg工厂已经安装了第一个机器人 — ‘Miss Charlotte’，用于安装车门绝缘设备。还有一些例子，比如德国莱比锡工厂将机器人用于粘合车窗工作，在Dingolfing工厂则用于抬升和安装扇形齿轮。在没有传统防护栏，传感器在接触后出现障碍（包括工人）的情况下，会阻止机器人。在德国雷根斯堡有一个变速器安装设备项目，它能更加清楚地展示，大范围工业机器人也可以直接进行人机合作，同样适用类似的保障措施。“我们肯定，未来会有新的非接触性传感系统，以超声波或雷达系统为基础，增强人类与辅助机器人之间的协作。" – Henning Loeser, Audi Audi first used a collaborative robot for final assembly in 2013德国Audi公司也将人机协作视为未来智能工厂理念的关键因素。2013年，Inglostadt汽车车体修理厂安装了年和机器人。两年之后，该工厂引进了‘PART4you’机器，在装配车间使用了大众该集团第一个人机协作机器人，用于将冷凝机膨胀箱从储藏盒里运输给人类操作。据Audi生产试验室主任透露，目前公司在系列生产中开展9个人机项目，其中有5个在2017年末到期。他说，“适用范围从粘合剂应用辅助到单一接合操作辅助，以及降低非人体工学姿势工作的压力等。第一批机器人已经工作，负责连续生产任务重的测量和监管。”Loeser解释说，对人员的保护措施要看具体应用，从非接触性光幕和可控安全区域的激光扫描仪，到机器人本身的触觉敏感性。他说，“尤其是后者，要考虑整个生产环境。也就是说，组件和夹具上的任何锐缘必须要打磨或盖住。” Sick's C4000 is an example of advanced light-curtain technology强调安全性随着汽车制造商不断在工厂采用越来越多的人机团队，传感器供应商（比如Sick公司）预测，对用以保护人员的高科技方案的需求会上升。Sick UK公司负责机械安全的产品专家Martin Kidman说，虽然像防护栏和门户这样的实体屏障仍然用于零部件发放或停顿时间较长的时候，但是机械安全性测试会使流程减速，而且“会容易损耗”。相比之下，像光幕这样的先进技术可以轻松达到安全规格，这里通常需要操作员和维护工人的定期介入，当有人在机器人单元里的时候，通常使用激光扫描仪来阻止机器启动。光幕技术是在20世纪50年代引进的，并不是新技术，但Kidman说，他们走了很长的路，才摆脱了尺寸、材质、反应时间、多功能性、可配置性方便的局限，迎来了现在的“精制多功能安全工具，不断促进生产力和自动化工厂流程”。红外技术的发展，已经能够超过70米，而汽车本身却却变得更小更紧凑。Kidman说，“有了晶体管输出，反应时间要比继电器快得多。”现在的综合功能包括：冲裁，此时要关掉光束，才能使场上固定物突破光幕；光束编码，用于避免两个光幕互相干扰；超驰，暂时停止安全功能；静音，用以区别不同的人和物，让材料通过的时候还能提供访问保护。不断进化的光幕和激光Sick公司的产品能够代表最近的发展，就是在不降低安全性和生产力的同时，提高制造过程中的灵活性。举例来说，Kidman认为C4000是一种拥有“极高综合逻辑功能”的“智能”光幕，也就是说这个产品能够提供多种选择性保护性任务，而不需要增加激光扫许通过描仪、近距离传感器和安全继电器。动态防护能够区别区域内复杂的物体、用品和在场人员（这里的材料必须通过危险区送递）。C4000是在2000年推出的，产品名称是根据其多重光束 — M4000命名的（于2005年引进），但是Sick公司的产品种类很多，足以迎合多种不同的生产环境。公司在数月之前推出的最近产品是Safe Portal Solution，该产品使用了激光扫描仪技术。该设备利用两个垂直安装的扫描仪，同时操控4个保护区域，具有较高的灵活性、双向安全性和持续的防护，比传统光幕覆盖面要小，组件数量少。 As in Sick's Safe Portal Solution, lasers can be used to protect ...
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ArticleBi-metal challenges
Bob Evans and Jon Plawchan of Quaker Chemical Corporation discuss some of the crucial performance and quality aspects required in bi-metal crank bore machiningA highlight of the manufacturing of the crankcase (engine block) is the precision machining of the crankshaft bearing bore. The cylindricity and resulting surface finish for this ...