Latest News & Features – Page 87
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ArticleAudi to use 5G for production
Germany - The OEM has announced it is working with the Swedish telecommunications company Ericsson in order to explore how 5G can be utilised in vehicle manufacturing. The two will run field tests at Audi's 'Production Lab' in Gaimersheim, Germany."The fully networked factory will have a significant impact on the ...
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ArticleSchuler acquires press manufacturer
Italy - The forming technology specialist Schuler has acquired Farina Presse - an Italian manufacturer of presses and forging lines. Schuler believes that the move will help it to cement its position in the automotive industry."By acquiring Farina Presse, we have taken a further successful step in our product strategy ...
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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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ArticleFace grooving tooling system
Sandvik Coromant claims its CoroCut QF tooling has been developed specifically for machining deep and narrow face grooves. The company notes that the insert is tilted for extra stability, while a slit design ensures the correct clamping force is applied. Special rails at the top, bottom and back of the ...
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ArticleLinear table slides
The new T110 linear pneumatic table slides complement its G110 gripper solutions, says Destaco. The company claims they deliver improved speed and reliability for high-speed machine part-transfer, pick-and-place operations, and machine tending applications.Destaco says the T110 table slides have an industry-standard footprint allowing for drop-in replacement and offer 44 model ...
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ArticleNissan boosts Navara production
Argentina - The pick-up is now being built at the Renault plant in Santa Isabel, Cordoba. Nissan has cited rising global demand for the model as justification for the move."With more than 15 million Nissan pickup owners across 180 countries, trucks are a growing segment across the world and a ...
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ArticleVW announces two appointments
Germany - Ralf Brandstätter has been named COO of the Volkswagen brand. He will lead its operating business while also remaining the company's board member for procurement."Ralf Brandstätter has outstanding commercial and technical expertise. In the newly-created function of COO he will make a decisive contribution to taking the Volkswagen ...
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ArticleCSP invests in sheet molding
France - Continental Structural Plastics (CSP) has announced that it will install a new sheet molding compound (SMC) line at its facility in Pouance. Costing a total of €5.1m (US$6m), the line will allow the supplier to expand its range of advanced composite products made with both glass and carbon ...
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ArticleTravel blog: The American dream
Everything in the US has a reputation for being big. The cities, the cars, even the food - it's all supersized in comparison to anything we have in Europe. So when obtaining content for our upcoming North American supplement, I decided to follow suit and go big by organising a ...
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ArticleLarge work area dispensing robot
RP-Series robots designed are for adhesive and other fluid-dispensing applications, as well as assembly using UV curing for mounting, tooling and fixturing, says Dispense Works.The company claims the large ground machine-bed surface provides a suitable stable foundation for fixturing and tooling and a built-in advanced jog-and-teach routine simplifies programming with ...
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ArticleSelf-clinching flush-head studs
PennEngineering says its PEM FHX self-clinching flush-head studs feature an X-Press thread profile that it’s claimed enables quick mating with plastic fasteners in thin metal assemblies. The company says the studs can be installed permanently in metal sheets as thin as 1mm. They press into place using any standard press ...
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ArticleBenchtop dispensing robot
The Fisnar F4500N dispensing robot offers an expanded format of 500x500mm says Intertronics. Integrated with dispensing equipment from the company’s range, the robot can dispense beads, dots, arcs and infills in three dimensions, with a claimed positioning resolution of 0.001mm/axis.The company says that by adding the appropriate dispensing setup to ...
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ArticleBMW leverages computer tomography
Germany - The OEM is now using computer tomography (CT) scans during the vehicle prototyping, production and analysis phases at its Research & Innovation Centre (FIZ) in Munich. This follows on from a two year development project, in which BMW and the Fraunhofer Development Centre for X-Ray Technology (EZRT) developed ...
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ArticleSEAT starts assembling Arona and Leon
Algeria - The Spanish OEM has started building the two models in the city of Relizane, Algeria, at a plant owned by the Volkswagen Group and Sovac. It already assembles the Ibiza here, but as SEAT vice president for marketing and sales Wayne Griffiths explained, localising Arona and Leon assembly ...
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ArticleSkoda updates three factories
Czech Republic - The OEM has used the summer shutdown period to carry out several updates and maintenance works at three of its plants. It has also taken steps to improve infrastructure in order to relieve congestion around one of the sites.Specifically, the company fitted a new painting line and ...
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ArticleCummins produces 2m engines
US - The two millionth engine recently rolled out of the Cummins plant in Jamestown, New York. The facility is home to production of the company's IX15, ISX12, X12 and ISM11 diesel engines as well as the ISX12N natural gas engine."Jamestown Engine Plant (JEP) plays an important role in our ...
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ArticleThe problem with plastic
With automotive manufacturers looking at ever increasing levels of plastic-based materials content, Steed Webzell examines the challenges for machine shops Recent research suggests that by 2020 the average car will incorporate 350kg of plastic-based materials. As a result, the need for efficient and economic machining methods for plastics has ...
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ArticleMotoring on
Mike Farish reports on the development and manufacture of an innovative electric motorThe rise of electric vehicles and the need for new, efficient powertrain technologies has provided smaller companies with the opportunity to establish themselves as major players – particularly as component or sub-system suppliers – if they can offer ...
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ArticleSteel makes a strong case
With the push for powertrain electrification gaining strength producers of high-strength steel are preparing themselves to capitalise reports James Bakewell In 2017, global sales of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) reached 1.3m units, according to Frédéric Painchault, head of Global Automotive Marketing at steelmaker ...