All Maintenance articles – Page 18
-
ArticleCool down, clean up
Beside selecting the right coolant or cutting fluid for the material being machined, ensuring that the fluid is kept clean for as long as possible is just as important, both for quality and cost savingMachine shops using water-based metalworking fluids are being urged to initiate a regular system-cleaning regime, amid ...
-
Article
Hole benefits
New drilling and boring tools for parts such as master brake cylinders and transmission switchgear housings are having a big impact on efficiencyWhen it comes to engine, powertrain and brake system components, hole-making is a primary process that influences both quality and cost. With this in mind, new drilling and ...
-
ArticleDaimler makes factory appointments
France/Germany – Serge Siebert replaces Joachim Betker as site manager of the smart plant in Hambach, with immediate effect. Betker is moving to Mercedes-Benz Bremen to become head of assembly for the Roadster SLC and SL.Siebert helped to pioneer the smart plant, known as ‘smartville’ for its innovative and lean ...
-
ArticleAccessing 'hole' benefits
New drilling and boring tools for parts such as master brake cylinders and transmission switchgear housings are having a big impact on efficiency and can provide genuine competitive gainWhen it comes to engine, powertrain and brake system components, hole-making is a primary process that influences both quality and cost. With ...
-
ArticleBentley launches recruitment drive
UK – The manufacturer announced that 42 places are available for its 2016 intake, starting this September. Twenty of them will join the recently developed manufacturing apprenticeship programme, designed and delivered by Bentley Master Trainers.“As our business continues to grow, we continue to invest – in our people, our products ...
-
ArticleGetting connected at Hannover Messe
The show will highlight innovation in production and process automation, system solutions and industrial ITWith the Industry 4.0 concept high on the agenda, issues of connectivity and data management will be highlighted at this year’s Hannover Messe, along with additive manufacturing, energy efficiency, preventive maintenance and lightweight construction. A massive ...
-
ArticlePipe bending machine control system
Schwarze-Robitec says its NxG 2.0 high-performance control system makes it possible to create a network of bending machines within a company. In addition to a new operating concept, the company says further development of the NxG has made it possible to record and evaluate process data.Integrated sensors provide information about ...
-
ArticleCooling the cost of welding
New technologies promise both to advance joining capabilities and to reduce energy consumptionWith up to 5,000 spot welds in a typical mid-sized car, OEMs are investing in the latest energy-efficient welding technologies to cut costs. The importance of reducing energy consumption has seen this topic come under increasing scrutiny at ...
-
ArticleNissan Sunderland commits to EV batteries
UK – The OEM is investing £26.5m ($38.2m) to secure continued production at its lithium-ion facility, where 300 people are employed in manufacturing, maintenance and engineering. Nissan Sunderland has been making electric vehicles (EVs) since 2013, receiving £420m of investment for the purpose.Referencing global sales for the Leaf of 200,000, ...
-
ArticleCompact machining centre
MAG has introduced its new Boehringer 221/226 Cx series, which it claims is designed for machining the new generation of crankshafts and offers higher milling performance for harder materials.The company says this series of machining centres offers simplified operation and maintenance, as well as a compact, modular design. The Cx ...
-
ArticleAstra aspirations
Vauxhall's old Ellesmere Port plant has been revitalised by a £140m investment to make the newest modelOne of the oldest vehicle manufacturing plants in the UK, Vauxhall’s Ellesmere Port factory in north-west England is undergoing a renaissance. Having been threatened with closure in the recent past – but surviving when ...
-
ArticleTomorrow's automotive world
What will vehicle manufacturing look like in a few decades' time, and how will production be controlled?An initiative called ARENA2036, which is being carried out by the Fraunhofer IPA in Stuttgart, Germany, aims to explore and shape three areas in the design and manufacture of automobiles as they develop over ...
-
ArticleDriving down the skills gap
If the automotive industry is to continue its progress, manufacturers will have to prioritise human resourcesThe US needs to fill no fewer than 3.5m manufacturing jobs over the next decade, according to Deloitte and the Manufacturing Institute, Washington. Meanwhile, UK organisations are pouring £42.9 billion ($64.7 billion) of investment into ...
-
ArticlePolymers with power
Composites are now being explored as alternative materials for engine-cylinder housings and may soon become mainstream – enabling the production of lighter-weight powertrains and more fuel-efficient vehiclesIn as little as three years, automotive engine housings made of polymer materials will start to enter the market as volume production items. That ...
-
ArticleMoving your business
Without automated conveyors, modern high-performance facilities could not function, writes Gilles Hernandez, Global Market Manager Automotive at Conductix-Wampfler.Being a historical leader in mobile energy and data transmission systems, Conductix-Wampfler has been moving the industry in China for more than two decades. Primarily the activities focus has been the heavy industry ...
-
ArticleInterview with Vadim Sorokin, GAZ
The Russian OEM’s president discusses its drive for new business, improved quality and extra productsVadim Sorokin, president, GAZGAZ has a heritage that stretches back to the earliest days of the automotive industry, but as the organisation’s president, Vadim Sorokin, readily concedes, its present form and character date to just 15 ...
-
ArticleGAZ Nizhny Novgorod: A new regime
Systematic investment since 2010 has modernised the facilities, production processes and workforce skills at GAZ's key factory. The new discipline has improved efficiency and quality at this complex operationEven before you reach the production areas of the GAZ plant in Nizhny Novgorod, the site’s character is made apparent by two ...
-
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 ...
-
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 ...
-
ArticleBodyshop of the future
In order to turn its bestselling F-150 into an aluminium vehicle, Ford first had to transform the bodyshop"It’s extremely quiet, it’s clean, it’s small” – this seems like a modest description for the home of the automotive manufacturing innovation that has perhaps caused more noise than any other over the ...