All Automation articles – Page 14
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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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Article
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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Article
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 ...
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ArticleSouthern hospitality
Gareth Price visits Hyundai’s major manufacturing facility in Montgomery, Alabama, as it welcomes the return of an SUV to its production linesBack in 2005, Hyundai’s plans to open its first US manufacturing facility came to fruition and the $1.7 billion automotive assembly and manufacturing plant in Montgomery, Alabama, was up ...
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ArticleA bigger, bolder Belvidere
The transfer of the Jeep Cherokee production from Ohio to Illinois was the first part of FCA’s response to the growing demand for more SUVs. Mike Farish reportsOn 1 June last year production of the FCA Jeep Cherokee began at the company’s plant in Belvidere, Illinois, after transferring from its ...
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ArticleThe X Factor
As GM Fairfax gears up to build the new Cadillac XT4 alongside the existing Chevy Malibu sedan, Gareth Price travels to Kansas City to speaks to plant manager Bill Kulhanek about the new eraWhat sort of preparations have you had to make for the new process? Have there been any ...
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ArticleVitronic sets the standard in quality inspections of welded seams
The highest level of quality for safety-critical components in the automobile industry Immediate fault analyses enable rapid intervention in the event of production deviations As weld seam flaws – no matter how small they are – can lead to serious consequences, more and more international companies in ...
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ArticleCentre of operations
Investment in new plants and expansion of existing facilities shows central Europe to be at the heart of vehicle manufacturers’ regional strategiesAt first glance, vehicle production in central Europe – essentially the former communist bloc countries west of the Russian border – appears to centre on Volkswagen with its Skoda ...
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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 ...
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Article4th gen A-Class at Valmet Automotive
Finland – Having built the previous A-Class generation, the Finnish contract manufacturer said that only limited changes were needed at its Uusikaupunki plant to produce the new A-Class. The bodyshop has seen the most upgrades, where all manual workstations are now automated, increasing the number of body shop robots to ...
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ArticleJack of all trades
Ford Otosan’s Inönü plant houses an unusual production mix, and is taking on more projects. Michael Nash investigatesInönü is a small, sleepy town in north-west Turkey. The nearest city, Eskisehir, is a 40-minute drive away and is populated by young students who attend its two universities. Aside from an array ...
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ArticleCollective thinking
Closer collaboration between product development and production teams could lead to significant improvements in vehicle manufacturing processes. Ford Otosan holds a unique position. Michael Nash reports The scenery in Turkey is full of surprises. A quick car journey can lead to towering mountains, pristine beaches and lush forests, while historical ...
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ArticleTesla 'on track' with 3 production
The mass production of electric vehicles (EVs) could have enormous impacts on the automotive industry. With economies of scale comes cost reduction - and the high upfront price of models currently on the market has been slated as one of the most influential factors on their low uptake to date.Tesla ...
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ArticleUniversal compliance compensator
The new U1-050 Universal Compliance Compensator from ATI Industrial Automation is said to combine a variety of features making it adaptable to tasks such as automated assembly, bin picking, loading and unloading machines and robotic finishing.The company claims the unit’s mechanism is suitable for high-endurance applications and offers simultaneous X-Y ...
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ArticleStay in control
Manufacturers face many risks – safety hazards, poor quality, disrupted cycles – leading to loss in time, money and reputationThroughout the years, automotive manufacturers and integrators were introduced to numerous systems to reduce risk, ensure quality, operate at high production levels, and reduce costs while maximising return on investment and ...
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Article
Robôs em ascensão
Avanços na robótica andam de mãos dadas com novas abordagens para a fabricação de automóveis, escreve Chris PickeringA indústria automotiva está em uma encruzilhada. A diante será estabelecida a remodelação mais radical em uma geração, com tendências disruptivas, como eletrificação, condução autônoma e materiais leves, trazendo oportunidade e incerteza em ...
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ArticleTomando o controle
A arquitetura de controle eletrônico e de software subjacente de qualquer instalação de fabricação é crucial para sua operação e requer atualização periódica para garantir a eficácia contínua. Este foi o caso recentemente, quando a Ford precisou realocar e recomissionar uma instalação de armazenamento com mais de cem transportadores em ...
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ArticleTomando el control
La arquitectura de control de software y la electrónica subyacente es crucial para cualquier operación y requiere una actualización periódica para garantizar la efectividad continuada. Informe de Mike FarishAsí sucedió cuando Ford tuvo que trasladar y reinstalar una instalación de almacenamiento con más de cien cintas de transporte en Colonia, ...