All Knowledge Bank articles – Page 10
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ArticleRobot reckoning
ABB Robotics first established itself in China over 30 years ago and has since manufactured over 30,000 robots in applications serving the entire vehicle production process.The range of ABB’s business activities in China stretches from R&D and manufacturing to sales and services. In the fold are 19,000 employees, 36 local ...
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ArticleReady to roll
Rollforming innovations are supporting the crucial development targets of cost saving and weight reduction, writes Heinrich Weber, director of sales and marketing at Dreistern Rollforming has demonstrated its capability to process ultra-high strength steels (UHSS) with a tensile strength up to 1,600MPa. Such steels already contribute significantly toward reducing the ...
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ArticleGuangzhou Automobile Group improves production with MES
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ou9nFaKsNdw[/embed]When Guangzhou Automobile Group (GAC) created its proprietary-brand, passenger-car manufacturing plant, it needed an advanced manufacturing execution system (MES) that could integrate with operations and business systems for seamless information sharing throughout the supply chain. With FactoryTalk ProductionCentre software, GAC is able to use this information for lean production management ...
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ArticleMetrology in focus
Keith Mills of Perceptron reports on how the company is transitioning from selling measurement solutions into a major player in the growing industrial metrology equipment marketUp until February 2015, Perceptron‘s contributions and market share were focused on non-contact fully automated dimensional gauging solutions that provide real-time process and part quality ...
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ArticleSafety comes first
Automatic weld-seam inspection on high-performance EV batteries makes for stable processes and reduced production costs Weld seam inspection system VIROwsi works at high scanning speeds without impacting on line cycle timeA high-performance battery for use in electric vehicles needs to be extremely safe. This demand can only be met by ...
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ArticleEnergy on demand for the oven
Of all the vehicle production processes, the paintshop is the largest consumer of energy. So it’s no surprise that manufacturers are looking for closer control of airflows in the drying ovens Considerable savings on energy were achieved at the Daimler plant at Rastatt following the introduction of the automated intelligent ...
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ArticleFrom paper labels to smart containers
Manufacturing is changing, and paper labels can no longer keep up with the complexity of processes. What’s required is an optimal flexibility and quality assuranceThe process visibility and control that the system provides has created a number of efficiencies For 40 years, paper has been trusted as a visual flag ...
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ArticleReady to roll
Rollforming innovations are supporting the crucial development targets of cost saving and weight reduction, writes Heinrich Weber, director of sales and marketing at Dreistern UHSS bumper with variable radiusRollforming has demonstrated its capability to process ultra-high strength steels (UHSS) with a tensile strength up to 1,600MPa. Such steels already contribute ...
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ArticleFlexible inspection, absolute measurement
Innovative inspection stations are being installed today by major automotive OEMs using Nikon Metrology’s Laser RadarThe Laser Radar provides an alternative to the shortcomings of CMMsThere is an increasing importance for automotive assembly plants to continuously monitor quality throughout the production process. This need is driven by OEMs pushing the ...
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ArticleGood for the image
eFlex Systems’ Dan McKiernan sets out a case study of how managing vision inspection images enabled a major manufacturer to tackle warranty claims and improve root cause analysis at its new transmission plantDue to the detailed nature of automotive transmission manufacturing and the high cost of errors, vision inspection systems ...
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ArticleThe measure of success
Standardised probe tooling by Zeiss is saving time and money at FordFord used a Zeiss CMM system installed for a machine-tool builder serving one of its plantsBack in 2013, Ford Motor Company began a project aimed at global standardisation of probe tooling for measurement systems in their powertrain operations. The ...
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ArticleAn innovative EMS approach
Flexibility and cost savings are just two advantages of the latest Siemens monorail technology, writes Thorsten Riemer, EMS product manager at SiemensThe US automotive market is rebounding nicely along with its economy. Second only to China in numbers, US automotive production is expected to achieve more than 17m units in ...
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Article3D cutting in high speed
As cutting tools, lasers can now process 3D components so quickly that machine operators are being left behind – but Hujer Lasertechnik is still keeping paceCollecting components to place in the machineWhen Erhard Hujer founded Hujer Lasertechnik GmbH in 1994, 3D laser processing was still a niche market. At the ...
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ArticleSafety first
When safety became a key marketing feature for the automotive industry, Swedish steel manufacturer SSAB already had the technical know-how and the products on the market, as Håkan Johansson reports SSAB’s Docol R8 tubes are approved by the drag-racing safety standards body, the SFI Foundation ...
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ArticleAGV can go battery free
Wireless power of IPT enables AGVs to abandon the battery and operate continuously without recharging or risk of down time, writes Eberhard Vonhof of Conductix-WampflerWireless communication has proven to be robust enough for the most demanding manufacturing environmentsAutomated guided vehicles (AGVs) are not solely for delivery and logistics applications. They ...
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ArticleAn innovative EMS approach
Flexibility and cost savings are just two advantages of the latest Siemens monorail technology, writes Nora Schuler, vertical market manager with Siemens automotiveThe Indian automotive market is undergoing a process of transformation that is seeing the average age of car buyers in the country fall year on year. Rapid urbanisation ...
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ArticlePromoting innovation
Geico Taikisha executive vice-presidents Daryush Arabnia and Luciano Dinatale tell Dermot Healy about the company’s paintshop technologies work in China and its distinctive culture of innovationAMS: Can you tell us a little about the history of Geico Taikisha’s involvement in the Chinese market. How did you get involved, and how ...
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ArticleA lift to prosperity
The next-generation KUKA robots aim to meet the boom in demand and help fuel the growth of the manufacturing industry in ChinaLast year, KUKA established a new robot assembly plant in Shanghai, making it the company’s second production base outside Germany. This plant will supply products of world-class quality in ...
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ArticleMastering the art of machining – with robots and motorcycles
ABB Value Provider, VersaBuilt, based in Boise, Idaho, has developed a universal robotic machine-tending solution that works with any CNC machine. It is affordable for the average machine shop, reduces the total cost of production by up to 50% and has been real-world tested while machining some of the world’s ...
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ArticleSSAB – Sitting comfortably with Faurecia
The design of automotive seating has evolved radically over the past four decades. Anna McQueen reports on the developments in materials, sustainability and weight reduction The first focus on seat design from a safety perspective really came about in the 1970s. At that time, millions of people were dying ...