Automation – Page 377
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ArticleFrench finishing finesse for electrostatic bell technology
More and more metal to coverTechnology for saving paintSuccess of flexibilityAs long as people have owned and driven vehicles that are no longer literally powered by horses, they want their car to be protected and to look beautiful. Each layer sprayed on a carbody now has its function exactingly defined ...
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ArticleThe pursuit of paint perfection
E-coating and adaptabilityRobot and manual paintingBaked and polished to perfection – at a priceWaxing the body beautifulTime for expansionAMS visits Rolls-Royce Motor Cars’ paintshop and talked to Chris Wilkes, Manager of Corporate and Site Services and Paint Planning, about finishing the world’s finest cars and the planned expansion to the ...
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Article
Holding tight when the material gets harder
Failure issuesMaterial compatibilityHigher costsSome fastener manufacturers have indicated that the materials some body engineers describe as ‘hard’, they would call quite soft. The steels used are significantly stronger than mild or cold-rolled steel; the aim of using stronger steel is to make fastener products that are thinner and lighter, but ...
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ArticleThe rebirth of a pioneer as Optrel goes independent
Independence and growthA multi-regional brandThe entire rangeLeader in technologyExtending protection for weldersHaving spent several years under the wing of a specialist IPE group, the inventor of the opto-electronic welding mask, Optrel, regained its independence in November 2010. Over the course of several months the single-product Swiss company underwent a reorganisation ...
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ArticleVauxhall Luton UK van plant – a car finish on a commercial
Primer and basecoat – premium processEnergy saving and environmental concernsLearning in Luton – Vauxhall’s undergraduate schemeGaining with the groupMick Bewley’s manual spraying masterclassesThe Vauxhall Van Plant in Luton, some 50 kilometres north of London is home to production of the Vauxhall Vivaro, Nissan Primastar and Renault Trafic vans. The present ...
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ArticleTake control with servo-pneumatic, says Festo
4,000 spot weldsThree solutions on the marketControlled servopneumaticsServo-pneumatic systems for spot welding guns are becoming a more attractive alternative for auto body fabrication. Festo discusses the application of this technology.Increasing standardisation of production processes, along with the demand for improved quality and greater flexibility, has stimulated the market for controlled, ...
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ArticleExplosive growth of plastic parts drives new processes
Adding protection and beautyFaster finishes with fewer stepsUV technology joins a new clearcoatSolvent still a solutionAll that glitters is not chromePerfection in preparation Steam heatAs OEMs strive to develop cleaner and more efficient vehicles and increasingly turn to lightweight materials, the finishing industry is developing systems to keep the quality ...
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EDITOR'S NOTE: Automotive Paintshop Solutions
As I write this we are in a season of great endeavour and achievement. In the UK we are hosting the Olympics where the competitors are striving to deliver winning performances and competing in a fair and respectful way.Pride, passion and respect are also found in the paint industry, as ...
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Article
Advanced technology for arc welding
Fronius has expanded its range of applications for arc welding with CMT Advanced. The company says this new application extends the ability to weld or braze thin and very thin sheets with low levels of spatter. The focus is on applications that demand a low and adjustable heat input. However, ...
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Tube production monitoring system
The production of welded tube requires constant monitoring and Invisuale claims its monitoring systems and tools, available to automotive manufacturing departments, offer tangible economic and technical benefits. The company says these systems are tied to a set of control limits and robust IO for operator alerts, mill integration and historian ...
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Article
Larger smart display for checker vision sensors
Cognex has released SensorView 2, a new smart display for Checker machine vision sensors, which it says will allow production engineers to fully confi gure, test and monitor Checker 4G vision sensors without a PC being required at any stage. The SensorView display has a large 225 mm touch screen, ...
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Standardised cell concept for welding solutions
FlexibleCUBE is a new standardized welding cell from Kuka Systems. The company says this compact cell for automated welding tasks has been designed on a modular principle with numerous confi guration options. Kuka has focused on coordinating the cell with other components from its product range such as positioning units ...
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‘Building block’ connectors for small pitch, high current, high density applications
Molex is now offering an expanded range of customisation, modifi cation and extension (CME) capabilities on variations of its Mini-Fit product offerings and KK system of building block connectors for small pitch, high current, high density applications. The company says CME versions of the Mini-Fit and KK interconnects feature multiple ...
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Article
Solvent-based parts cleaning technology
Dürr Ecoclean claims its new parts cleaning technology is designed to improve process reliability, cost effi ciency and environmental impact of industrial part cleaning operations. The company says its EcoCLab technology allows cleanliness testing to be performed in accordance with VDA 19 as a fully automatic in-line process. Any non-compliance ...
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Adaptive welding offers alternative to traditional methods
Adaptive welding remains a small proportion of the UK’s welding market, but offers improved weld quality and reduced costs according to Bosch Rexroth. The compmany believes this type of system has the potential to offer more control to a production process as it monitors the condition of the weld during ...
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ArticleBody-in-white: Hot spots and high cost
In a spinScanning for solutionsFused with advantagesAll manufacturing engineers know the score when it comes to body-in-white welding. Emerging technologies such as laser welding, remote laser welding, laser-arc hybrid welding and laser brazing are all knocking on the door. The only barrier thwarting their progress to even wider adoption is ...
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Article
Multi-cable entry plates seal to IP66
A range of round cable entry plates have been added to the icotek range of cable and wiring accessories available from M Buttkereit. The company says these can be fi tted in both standard cutouts or metric versions covering thread sizes from M32 to M63 and provide IP66 sealing, together ...
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ArticleNew laser tube processing machine
Trumpf claims its TruLaser Tube 7000 laser tube processing machine can process tubes with a rectangular, round or oval cross-section as well as cut thin-walled or large heavy tubes and incorporate complex contours and cutouts. The company says the machine will also cut tubes and profi les up to 250mm ...
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ArticleNew robot for laser cutting applications
Motoman’s new MC2000 Master Cut robot is designed with high rigidity and precision drives to provide superior path accuracy – within 0.1mm, depending on the application – for laser cutting small holes and sharp corners. The MC2000 has a 50kg (110.3 lb) payload, suitable for a remote laser welding head, ...
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ArticleOnline forum offers engineers solutions to automation problems
Festo has launched a new online technical forum, the Festo Support Community, to give customers quick and easy access to its experts, as well as enabling them to interact with each other, to fi nd the best solutions to their automation and machine building problems. Once they have registered, customers ...