Manufacturing Technology and Automation – Page 11
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ArticleKeeping in focus
Ford has invested in its Saarlouis plant to produce the latest generation of its popular Focus model. Nick Holt visited the plant to get a look at the upgrades to the production process
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ArticleAssembly line automation
Nextsense says its Calipri systems can be used to monitor the process of car assembly from body-in-white to end-of-line final assembly. The company claims its fully automatic C12 cobot systems allows human workers and robots to work side by side in a continuous production line – without separation, mechanical barriers ...
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ArticleThe imitation game
Working with a local robotics start-up in Germany, Volkswagen is exploring a new programming technique that allows assembly workers to teach a cobot all the right moves Volkswagen’s Transparent Factory in the eastern German city of Dresden is arguably one of the more unusual automotive manufacturing sites in the ...
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ArticleRobot guidance system
Perceptron says its AutoGuideMT product for machine tending robotic guidance applications was created with plant floor requirements and operators in mind. It’s claimed the system’s built-in tools will auto calibrate to the part CAD without the need for laser trackers or special targets, and requires only one sensor acquisition to ...
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ArticleConducting smart energy
Energy management has been an important aspect of vehicle production for decades, but innovative new solutions that can be linked are proving extremely effective Road transport is estimated to account for around 17% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Figures from the European Commission suggest that passenger car and heavy-duty ...
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Article
- 能源管理智能化
几十年来，能源管理一直是汽车生产的一个重要方面，但事实证明，能够相互关联的创新新解决方案非常有效 据估计，道路运输约占全球温室气体(GHG)排放量的17%。欧盟委员会的数据显示，欧洲大陆21%的温室气体排放来自乘用车和重型汽车。因此，汽车制造商不断受到政府的推动，以使他们的汽车更加环保。 但是对环境造成破坏的不仅仅是开车造成的。汽车生产也具有重大影响，因此，目前正在世界各地的制造设施中实施许多减少这种影响的方法。能源管理技术的使用就是一个例子，近年来取得了一些令人印象深刻的成果。 选择总监数字化正日益成为世界各地生产设施的组成部分。尽管许多人仍严重依赖手工流程，但在数字工具的帮助下，工人们的效率正在提高，机器人也是如此。来自这些工具的数据可以证明对能源管理有用。 西门子最近安装了Simatic B。位于瑞士圣加仑的GF铸造解决方案工厂的数据能量管理系统，该公司在那里为汽车行业生产铝和镁合金压铸件。该系统允许GF跟踪在每台机器上使用的电力、水、气体或压缩空气的数量，以及使用时间。 例如，发现两台压铸机在周末消耗了4,500立方米的压缩空气，尽管没有使用。GF的能源经理伯恩哈德塞勒(Bernhard Thaler)解释称:“这么大的数字很难察觉。”然而，在一年的时间里，它很快就积累起来了。因此，公司能够通过突出和消除两台机器的浪费来实现显著的节能。 梅赛德斯-奔驰(Mercedes-Benz)在汉巴赫(Hambach)的智能汽车工厂中和二氧化碳 该小组还能够确定当他们的8个熔炉从燃烧石油转为使用丙烷气体时所节省的能源。仅在一个铝熔炼炉中，每吨能源消耗就减少了630千瓦时，二氧化碳排放量减少了16%，氮氧化物减少了40%。 GF表示，在实现了显著的节能减排目标后，该公司迫切希望研究在其其它设施引入该系统的可能性。塞勒强调:“其中一个有趣的好处是，这种能源管理解决方案不仅具有可扩展性，而且支持跨厂利用。”简而言之，GF可以将不同工厂的每个系统连接起来，让该公司能够精确地找出哪些表现良好，哪些可以改进。 GF的EDP和通信技术项目经理迈克尔内鲍尔(Michael Nebauer)表示，圣加伦工厂的安装过程非常简单，其他设备应该也很容易安装。每个压铸机和熔炉上都有控制箱和接口。它们收集有关流程和所使用的能量的数据，然后将这些数据发送到服务器并由标准web浏览器访问。他补充说:“由于在虚拟伺服器上安装及透过虚拟网络环境设定能源数据传送，我们得以为能源管理系统建立一个成本低廉的基础设施。” “由于安装在虚拟服务器上，并通过虚拟网络环境设置了能源数据传输，我们得以为能源管理系统实现一个成本低廉的基础设施” - Michael Nebauer, GF 描绘图片罗克韦尔自动化公司(Rockwell Automation)全球汽车高级顾问比尔萨维尔(Bill Sarver)表示，在汽车生产厂的所有不同区域中，油漆车间消耗的能源最多。 他认为，几乎所有的汽车制造商都在研究提高油漆车间效率的方法。大多数汽车制造商都在转向福特的车型，在这种车型上，你要涂好几层油漆，然后才会固化。 在AMS的11月到12月的一期中，许多专家概述了改进油漆店的创新方法，例如PPG的技术总监William Brunat和Geico Taikisha的执行总监Luigi Lazzari。解决方案包括低温固化的涂料和新的热泵技术。 罗克韦尔与汽车制造商合作开发了一种模块化的油漆整流器，这种整流器可以减少油漆的使用，同时还能最大限度地降低能耗。Sarver解释说:“它的工作原理是为每辆车创建一个配置文件，这样就不用静态算法在每辆车上应用相同数量的油漆，而是允许对每辆车的油漆应用程序进行调整。”“当没有车辆在上漆时，系统可以关闭整流器，这样它们就不会消耗任何能量。”你可以把这个概念应用到整个过程中。它的工作原理是探测车辆的位置并关闭电力系统，或者将其置于控制状态，在这种状态下，车辆消耗的能源更少，而系统表示，鉴于车辆的位置，它们不会被使用。 该公司还拥有一个软件工具，可以用来提高空气流量，温度和湿度。它以前被用于食品和饮料行业，但萨弗说，现在已经证明它可以减少油漆车间的能源使用量。喷漆整流器和控制软件都可以连接到Rockwell的FactoryTalk VantagePoint系统，这是一个基于web的系统，可以进行深入的数据分析。 时机决定一切为了减少生产过程中的能源消耗，几家oem厂商发布了报告，总结了它们的目标，并描述了它们最近面临的一些挑战。例如，在2018年4月，PSA集团发布了2017年企业社会责任报告(CSR)，其中包含了关于其制造业务的碳足迹的详细章节。该公司发现，2015年至2017年间，其欧洲工厂的能源消耗增长了1.5%，与此同时，汽车产量增长了6.6%。 报告说，主要的担忧是焦炭的使用急剧增加。焦炭是一种在没有空气的情况下加热煤炭而产生的高碳燃料。PSA位于法国中部Sept Fons铸造工厂使用改材料开发铁。 尽管能源消耗的增加，OEM设法节省大约200万欧元(约合227万美元)，在2017年实现能源消耗控制措施。公司称，“主要行动是在Vigo实施的。” ...
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ArticleCasting a duo
Two innovative metal forming techniques could have a significant impact on the press shop of the future
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ArticleA high-performance build
The Audi R8 series of sports cars is described as being closer to motor racing than any other on-the-road vehicles. Mike Farish takes a closer look at the manufacturing operation The latest versions of both the Coupe and Spyder convertible variants of the R8 are made at Audi Sport’s Böllinger ...
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ArticleSmartly pressed
OEMs and suppliers are teaming up to design and construct a state-of-art press shops, duly networked for an industry 4.0 approach More on Stamping Ford Saarlouis Gestamp Constellium, Georgia Skoda Mlade BoleslavArguably the main technological factor most commonly associated with metal pressing and forming equipment is ...
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ArticlePassing the test
As modern vehicles become more sophisticated, production testing technologies and processes need to keep up. Mike Farish looks at developments with both carmakers and tier suppliers
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ArticleTravel blog: Big game in SA
There are a handful of countries in the world that remain relatively untouched when it comes to the new car market, with sales of used cars traditionally dominating. In South Africa, for example, sales of used cars outweigh those in the new car market by more than two to ...
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ArticleAcademic circles
Mike Farish visits Oxford-based start-up YASA, a special electric motor company sprung from academia that’s now attracting the attention of premium OEMsEarly this year a bland-looking industrial estate a few miles to the north of Oxford officially became the manufacturing site for what one of its residents believes to be ...
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ArticleFord automates hot-forming process
Germany - Ford has integrated a automated hot-forming line at its Saarlouis plant, which is located two hours south west of Frankfurt, where it makes the Focus. The company says it is the first time this process has been automated.It works by subjecting boron steel to temperatures of up to ...
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ArticleOpportunity 4.0
Nick Gibbs travels to Barcelona to discover how Gestamp’s own digital revolution is driving efficiency improvements in its energy-hungry hot-stamping operations When your company has expanded to more than 100 production plants, you want to keep a close watch on the production lines in those plants. Especially when you require ...
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ArticleSet the controls
Expertise in plastic component manufacturing will be in ever greater demand during the emobility age. In preparation, global supplier Novares has taken on a new form Following a period of reorganisation and rebranding, the Mecaplast-Key Plastics group spent 2018 settling in to its new identity – Novares The chosen name ...
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ArticleAlpine scales new heights
One of the most interesting plant revivals in the last 12 months has been Renault’s overhaul of its factory in Dieppe, which now builds the A110 sports car. Nick Gibbs reportsThis is the home of Alpine, the revived sporting brand that Renault may or may not expand to become a ...
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ArticleNew 5-axis horizontal machining centre
The HF 3500 is a new model to Heller’s 5-axis, horizontal-spindle machining centre range. The company says this machine is intended for 5-sided or simultaneous 5-axis dynamic machining of medium to large batches of complex prismatic parts, ranging from small workpieces to heavier components up to the 550kg maximum table ...
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ArticleLeading a winning team
Nick Holt talks to Ford Craiova’s award-winning engine plant manager, Jo Payne, about the facility’s award-winning enginesJo 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 back in ...
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ArticleForging 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 challengesWith rapid technology change across the sector as the automotive market accelerates into the era of electrification, the uncertainty over the future of ...
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ArticleSouthern hospitality
Gareth Price visits Hyundai’s major manufacturing facility in Montgomery, Alabama, as it welcomes the return of an SUV to its production linesBack in 2005, Hyundai’s plans to open its first US manufacturing facility came to fruition and the $1.7 billion automotive assembly and manufacturing plant in Montgomery, Alabama, was up ...