All Equipment articles – Page 3
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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 ...
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Gestamp opens two new facilities
Spain - The company has opened a new plant in Matsusaka - it's first in Japan. Costing around €40m (US$46m), the facility will be used to make body-in-white components using hot stamping, and will initially supply Honda. "Gestamp’s strategy is always to accompany our customers and we are proud to ...
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Audi uses AI in press shop
Germany - The company has worked with the production technology division of the equipment and metal forming technology competence center to develop software that automatically recognises and marks cracks in sheet metal parts in a matter of seconds. It is currently being tested at Audi's factory in Ingolstadt, but could ...
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Grid reference
Mike Farish visits Williams Advanced Engineering to see how the company delivers a distinctive F1 take on an innovative electric vehicle platform One of the implications of the growth of the market for electric vehicles is the opportunity it provides for newcomers possibly to become major players in the automotive ...
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Extreme 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 ...
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The perfect weld
Fronius sheds light on how data documentation can improve industrial welding processes in automotive production In the increasingly digitalised and interconnected automotive OEM and supplier industries, one factor that is playing a growing role is the efficient acquisition and processing of the data generated in production. This enables manufacturers to ...
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Personal protection equipment
DuPont says it now offers Tychem garments, including gloves, to help provide workers with the protection required in hazardous environments. To enable users to select the correct garments and gloves appropriate to chemical exposure hazards the company now has its SafeSPEC personal protective equipment (PPE) selector tool. The Tychem gloves ...
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Fact, not fiction
Mike Farish reports on a sci-fi inspired additive technique that’s gaining interest with automotive manufacturers New items of technology often get hyped as being like something from science fiction, but in the case of one of the most innovative and unusual additive techniques now on the market, continuous liquid ...
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Leading a winning team
Nick Holt talks to Ford Craiova’s award-winning engine plant manager, Jo Payne, about the facility’s award-winning engines Jo 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 ...
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Time for an upgrade
As Toyota shapes up its global manufacturing network to build the new vehicle platform, Nick Holt visits the OEM’s Valenciennes facility to see the progress being made To meet the challenge of rapidly changing markets and segment volatility, the development and adoption of common, modular vehicle platforms is now a ...
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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. ...
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Welcoming arms for Kirchhoff
Dermot Healy speaks to CMM programmer James Mitchell about working with Faro Technologies at the Kirchhoff Automotive plant in Lansing, Michigan Kirchhoff Automotive is one of the leading global suppliers of body structures, sub-assemblies and stamped products to major automotive manufacturers. Working closely with manufacturers from an early design ...
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Welcome to Naperville
With the increasing use of schwartz ’s roller hearth furnaces for press-hardening in North America, a relocation helps the US subsidiary to meet demand The globally active schwartz Group, the world market leader* in heat-treatment equipment for press-hardening, has evolved into a key supplier to the automotive industry. ...
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The $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 ...
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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 Concept You launched the new initiative Ctrl + PAINT in June 2018 at the 2018 SURCAR Conference in Detroit. Can you tell ...
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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 ...
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Forging 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 challenges With rapid technology change across the sector as the automotive market accelerates into the era of electrification, the uncertainty over the future ...
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Spoilt for choice
Eight different models are made at DTNA’s Cleveland plant, and a high level of customisation means that thousands of options are available to customers. Michael Nash reports
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Nissan upgrades US assembly plants
US - The OEM has announced that it is spending $170m to support production of the new Altima, which is now entering its sixth generation, at its two plants in Smyrna, Tennessee and Canton, Mississippi. The model is set to go on sale this fall. "Nissan's continued investment in our ...
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From prototype to production
The use of additive manufacturing technologies has now moved passed their initial application area of just ‘rapid prototyping’ While now seeing use in limited production roles, additive techniques are still being put to use in new and innovative ways as product development tools. One example is the Plastics 3D Printing ...
