Equipment News
Machining vise
Kurt Manufacturing says its DX6 CrossOver vise features strategically located holes for through-the-body mounting to achieve closer positioning of multiple vises. The company says this vise also uses sine keys, which can be inserted into pre-drilled dowel holes in the unit’s base for positioning onto t-slots, machine tables, grid plates, ...
Parts sorting and storage system
Said to have been developed to meet the needs of the automotive industry, Daifuku’s SPDR temporary storage and sortation systems for spare parts features an automated robotic arm, which automatically lowers and raises to grasp a range of tote sizes, and it’s claimed is suitable for kitting operations. Daifuku says ...
FFC/FPC connectors
Two FFC/FPC connectors designed for the growing information market needs of automakers are now available from Molex. The Easy-On FFC/FPC connectors are offered in 0.5mm pitch and 1.0mm pitch forms and both feature a double-bottom contact terminal design that removes dust and contaminants from the connection, claims the company.
New piston developments
MAHLE says it is developing a new generation of piston coatings that are intended to guide and reduce the heat entering the pistons. The company claims this initially reduces the demand for piston cooling, and the increased exhaust gas temperature allows a higher quantity of energy to be extracted by ...
Assembly 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 ...
Corolla confidence
Upgrade and investments at Burnaston see Toyota start production of the new Corolla in the UK, despite all the turmoil of Brexit
PSA 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.
Casting a duo
Two innovative metal forming techniques could have a significant impact on the press shop of the future
Smartly 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
Passing 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
Developing the sustainable paintshop
Dermot Healy spoke to Dr Luigi Lazzari, executive director (Europe-Africa) at Geico Taikisha, about the company achieving its goal of a sustainable paintshop ahead of schedule
IIoT comes to paintshops
New software from Dürr can help paintshops utilise the latest Industrial Internet of Things technology to collect, evaluate and visualise robot and process data
The clean machines
Paintshop cleanliness is a vital aspect of the coating application process. Mike Farish finds out what it takes to keep the paint finish blemish-free
A positive response
Daimler is embarking on a major corporate restructuring in the hope of improving its ability to face upcoming challenges in the automotive sector