Latest News & Features – Page 72
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ArticleEaton and Cummins venture forth
To face an ever-widening array challenges, automotive manufacturing has seen numerous instances of partnerships, alliances, mergers and acquisitions entered into as a means to stay healthy Back in 2017, power management company Eaton and engine manufacturer Cummins formed a joint venture for automated transmissions for heavy-duty and medium-duty commercial vehicles. ...
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ArticleAt the leading edge
Steed Webzell looks at edge computing and the hardware requirements for those looking to digitally monitor, measure or control their machining operations Certain terms surrounding digitisation have become pretty familiar over the past 5-10 years: Internet of Things, Industry 4.0 (I4.0), edge computing, big data, smart factory, artificial intelligence ...
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ArticleAugmented assistance
Visit any car manufacturing plant in the world and the majority of production equipment will be similar. The real differences between factories are the human workers and the way in which technology is used to optimise their environment
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ArticleAllies at a crossroads
While boardroom scandal and criminal allegations have tested this longstanding partnership, the ties that bind the Alliance OEMS remain firmly in place With the arrest in late 2018 of Carlos Ghosn, the man who has led the turnaround in the fortunes of both Renault and Nissan in recent ...
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ArticleScania sets sights on Thailand
Thailand - Scania has opened a new assembly facility for truck cabs, truck chassis and bus chassis in the Bangkok Free Trade Zone, Thailand. The Swedish OEM says that the move is an important part of its plan to strengthen its presence in the region. “With this new industrial establishment ...
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ArticleHonda closure deals blow to UK
Honda has announced plans to close its Swindon plant at the end of the current model’s production lifecycle in 2021. The statement, which was published on the company’s website, refers to the changing nature of the global auto industry and Honda’s “commitment to electrified cars” as the main reasons behind ...
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ArticleVW sets out Wolfsburg upgrade
Germany - New bodyshop AGVs, more automated assembly stations and a series of ergonomic measures will feature in a major upgrade at Volkswagen’s Wolfsburg plant Announcing the new programme of improvements at this month’s site symposium, VW said that the changes will improve productivity at the Wolfsburg plant and will ...
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ArticleCorolla confidence
Upgrade and investments at Burnaston see Toyota start production of the new Corolla in the UK, despite all the turmoil of Brexit The UK secretary of state for business, Greg Clark, and the straight-taking Japanese ambassador to the UK, Koji Tsuruoka, joined local dignitaries, business leaders and Toyota executives in ...
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ArticleIs Korea set to become a low-cost country?
In what may be a portentous move for the industry, Hyundai has chosen to try to revive its domestic fortunes by opening the first new car factory to be built in Korea for over 20 years; what is intriguing about this move is that the workers in this plant will ...
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ArticleIn our next issue...
Coming soon in our March-April issue… >> The Renault Nissan Mitsubishi Alliance – We report on manufacturing operations as the OEM’s longstanding partnership faces testing times of scandal and corporate upheaval >> Japan – How are Japan’s OEMs faring at home as they intensify supply to their own domestic market? ...
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ArticleLow heat input welding
The Cold Metal Transfer (CMT) welding process reduces the heat input in comparison to other MIG/MAG processes, claims Fronius. This uses a digital process control, which automatically detects short circuits and then helps to detach the droplet by retracting the wire; during welding, the wire moves forward and is pulled ...
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ArticleNew foam for instrument panels
A new series of systems in its Elastoflex E product group now allows weight reductions and foam densities of around 120g/L without sacrificing any of the material characteristics, claims BASF. Up to 30% of the foam weight is saved, says the company, depending on the component geometry. This Thin-Light system ...
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ArticleProduction resource for e-drive modules
Henkel’s says it offers a range of solutions for the manufacturing of e-drives including Loctite AA 5820, which the company says is suitable to provide a reliable seal of multi-substrates or any flange design of e-drive housings. For stator coil potting applications, it offers a two-component epoxy, Loctite PE 8082, ...
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ArticleIndustrial suction spray gun
The 4100 Xtreme suction spray gun has been developed to paint larger surface areas commonly associate with commercial and general industrial applications, such as machinery, truck chassis and trailers, says Sagola. The gun’s nozzles and needles come in two variants, 1.6 and 1.8 that deliver fine and heavy atomisation respectively ...
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ArticleApp style control for servo press
Schuler says it has designed the control of its new MSP 400 servo press in the style of a smartphone app. The company says the Smart Assist software guides the operator through the setup process, supported using small videos and text modules, and it’s claimed the electronic assistant optimises the ...
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ArticleElectronic actuators
An integrated electromechanical actuator for multi-speed electric axles and an integrated parking lock actuator for ICE, hybrid and electric powertrains have been developed by Schaeffler.The electric axle actuator (EAA) will go into volume production this year and is said to be based on the proven active interlock transmission actuator with ...
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ArticlePneumatic workpiece ejector
The new vario flex pneumatic workpiece ejector allows for the ejector depth to be adjusted flexibly by means of a retaining mechanism, and positioned in the machine exactly as required for the workpiece, claims Hainbuch. It can also be used as a basic end stop for coolant wash or air ...
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ArticlePSA juggles engines and motors
Engine manufacturing facilities around the world are changing. Pressure from governments and changes to legislation are pushing carmakers to develop new internal combustion engines (ICEs), the production of which often requires new assembly lines and equipment. More of these facilities are also starting to ...
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ArticleEmbedded 3D image processing
Vision Components claims its VCnano3D-Z-series, 3D laser scanners are compact and can be easily integrated into OEM applications. The scanners are said to feature a dual-core ARM processor and an FPGA, which calculates a point cloud in order to determine line coordinates in laser triangulation. The company says the laser ...