All Automation articles – Page 14
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ArticleRaising the roof
When it comes to roof gluing, vision systems such as the one in operation at FCA Cassino will lead to a return on investment in a short time Vision systems have become a very powerful tool for automotive manufacturers, allowing them to increase productivity and overall quality while simultaneously ...
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ArticleInterview: Daniël Bottema, AWL-Techniek
Daniël Bottema, research and development manager at AWL-Techniek BV, talked to Dermot Healy about the role AWL hope to play developing the fully automated factory of the future You have been speaking recently about the fully automated factory in presentations to customers. How far along the automation road are ...
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ArticlePick up the pace
To thrive and grow as a tier one global manufacturer of auto seating systems and components requires precision production and very quick turnaround times To support the need for time and material precision, one of the most critical parts of the process is ensuring the right parts are picked, ...
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ArticleAcademic circles
Mike Farish visits Oxford-based start-up YASA, a special electric motor company sprung from academia that’s now attracting the attention of premium OEMsEarly this year a bland-looking industrial estate a few miles to the north of Oxford officially became the manufacturing site for what one of its residents believes to be ...
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ArticleFord automates hot-forming process
Germany - Ford has integrated a automated hot-forming line at its Saarlouis plant, which is located two hours south west of Frankfurt, where it makes the Focus. The company says it is the first time this process has been automated.It works by subjecting boron steel to temperatures of up to ...
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ArticleOpportunity 4.0
Nick Gibbs travels to Barcelona to discover how Gestamp’s own digital revolution is driving efficiency improvements in its energy-hungry hot-stamping operations When your company has expanded to more than 100 production plants, you want to keep a close watch on the production lines in those plants. Especially when you require ...
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ArticleSet the controls
Expertise in plastic component manufacturing will be in ever greater demand during the emobility age. In preparation, global supplier Novares has taken on a new form Following a period of reorganisation and rebranding, the Mecaplast-Key Plastics group spent 2018 settling in to its new identity – Novares The chosen name ...
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ArticleCompetitive advantage
Automotive supplier BENTELER has introduced ABB inspection automation technology to its production plant in Vigo to improve efficiency and stand tall next to its competitors BENTELER is investing in ABB’s digital 3D vision and metrology solutions at its Vigo production plant in Spain, helping it reduce cycle times while ...
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ArticleSchedules to keep
Raffaello Lepratti, vice-president of business development and marketing at Siemens, outlines the company’s SIMATIC IT Preactor planning and scheduling solutionCar buyers’ tastes are becoming more diversified. They are attracted by design and performances, but also by region-specific features and a touch of uniqueness. Cars are one of the few mass ...
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ArticleAlpine scales new heights
One of the most interesting plant revivals in the last 12 months has been Renault’s overhaul of its factory in Dieppe, which now builds the A110 sports car. Nick Gibbs reportsThis is the home of Alpine, the revived sporting brand that Renault may or may not expand to become a ...
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ArticleExtreme flexibility is essential
KUKA offers numerous solutions that are helping vehicle manufacturers to tackle several challenges The automotive industry is undergoing the biggest transformation in its history. Megatrends such as digitisation, autonomous driving and e-mobility have significant implications not only for manufacturers but also for suppliers. What is required are smart production ...
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ArticleNew 5-axis horizontal machining centre
The HF 3500 is a new model to Heller’s 5-axis, horizontal-spindle machining centre range. The company says this machine is intended for 5-sided or simultaneous 5-axis dynamic machining of medium to large batches of complex prismatic parts, ranging from small workpieces to heavier components up to the 550kg maximum table ...
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ArticleLeading a winning team
Nick Holt talks to Ford Craiova’s award-winning engine plant manager, Jo Payne, about the facility’s award-winning enginesJo Payne is no stranger to accolades, having been crowned winner in the manufacturing category of this year’s Autocar Great British Women in the Car Industry awards. She also won the award back in ...
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ArticleAdvancing automotive with AHSS
SSAB explains how advanced high-strength steels address fundamental issues in a dynamic North American market, often at significant cost savings The North American car and truck market is undergoing change at a pace not seen since General Motors declared bankruptcy in 2009. In spite of rising transaction prices and higher ...
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Guiding lights for a smarter paintshop
System experts at Dürr have developed a digital maintenance assistant designed to keep automotive paintshops in full effect With its digital@Dürr concept, Dürr is delivering an important smart factory module. In future, the company will be supporting customers in maintaining painting and sealing robots using a digital maintenance assistant. With ...
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ArticleIndustrial balancing goes e-mobility
As EV makers develop smart-factories, efficient and flexible automation solution for balancing e-drives is at the top of the list, writes Schenck-USA’s Tarek El-Sawaf Increasingly better range and output values of electric power units and, above all, the more stringent environmental regulations for internal combustion engines are increasing the demand ...
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ArticleThe $83,330 article
To combat the dread and burden of unplanned stoppages, ABB explores the potential of machine learning, advanced analytics and connected services In an average large automotive factory, the cost of unplanned downtime can exceed $1 million an hour. This means in the five minutes it will take to read this ...
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On the plus side
Dermot Healy speaks to Daryush Arabnia, COO of Geico, about the new Ctrl + PAINT vehicle body quality scanning system, the latest element in the Smart Paintshop ConceptYou launched the new initiative Ctrl + PAINT in June 2018 at the 2018 SURCAR Conference in Detroit. Can you tell us about ...
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How to outrun the competition
Precision engineering and manufacturing technology specialist Renishaw is poised to support North American customers in tackling a new breed of production challenges Shorter product lifecycles and growing product mix require flexible machining and measurement solutions, which is why Renishaw’s technologies are increasingly being applied to support productive automotive manufacturing. Auto ...
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ArticleForging the deals
Ian Henry examines the key trends in the North American automotive supplier sector where technological progress and feisty trade policies continue to present a range of business challengesWith rapid technology change across the sector as the automotive market accelerates into the era of electrification, the uncertainty over the future of ...