Content tagged with "automation"
Results: 62
Article
February 9, 2010
Bright lights, big opportunity
Figure 1 Aluminum is used for the frame of Orion Energy Systems' lighting products because it conducts heat five times better than steel. Photos courtesy of Prima Finn-Power North America Inc. Orion Energy Systems is a company that doesn't take its business lightly. A Plymouth, Wis.,... Read more...
Article
October 1, 2009
Tapping into new capabilities on punching machines
By having their precision punch presses put taps in sheet metal parts, fabricators are saving time and money because they no longer need an operator to transfer parts from the punch to a manual tapping unit. Photo courtesy of Prima Finn-Power North America Inc.
Three years ago Sureway... Read more...
Article
September 1, 2009
Robotic pipe welding with a human touch
Pipe welders follow "spool" drawings that map out how the fit-ups are to be joined and how they fit into the overall piping structure to be constructed in the field.
When it comes to welding pipe, a welder has to be highly skilled and prepared for many variables. No two jobs are... Read more...
Article
June 8, 2009
Is it time to put a robot in front of a press brake?
Dan Aronson, president, P&A Metal Fab Inc., Clackamas, Ore., is no stranger to robots. His company runs six robotic welding cells, and it has a 12-year-old robotic press brake cell as well. Robotic welding cells? That's not too unusual, as welding companies have developed cells that can be... Read more...
Article
May 28, 2009
Affordable automation
In today's economic atmosphere, manufacturers face many challenges. For example, if you fabricate tubular components, you probably realize that you can no longer win new business simply by having manually operated equipment ready and assuming that you can staff up with qualified operators and... Read more...
Article
March 10, 2009
Article
November 25, 2008
Don't get stuck wondering about composites
Adhesives distribute stress
evenly along the bond line.
Photo courtesy of Henkel Technologies.
With the price of metals increasing, manufacturers are modifying their designs to offset their rising costs. At the same time, more consumers want to purchase vehicles based on gas... Read more...
Article
October 14, 2008
Article
October 14, 2008
Article
October 14, 2008
Don't be marginalized
Robotic welding systems introduce speed, accuracy, and repeatability into the fabrication process. The repeatability of these systems can increase productivity and reduce welding production costs, thereby maximizing the return on the investment in automation. When compared to semiautomatic... Read more...
Article
September 30, 2008
Automation helps ovenmaker cook up profits
The test kitchen at Wood Stone Corp., Bellingham, Wash., showcases most of the commercial kitchen appliances the company fabricates.
Scuzza me, but you see, back in old Bellingham, that's automation. That slight variation of the old Dean Martin tune makes a lot of sense for Wood Stone... Read more...
Article
September 16, 2008
Robotic GTAW
Many welding applications require precise control, exact penetration, or minimal heat input regardless of bead appearance, while others are focused solely on the surface of the weld. This is where the advantages of gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) are most prominent, and in most situations... Read more...
Article
August 26, 2008
Getting lean, job shop style
Most managers at Ace have been with the company for years. President Dale Ball joined the firm 21 years ago. CEO Jean Pitzo took the reins of her father's business in 1989.
Visit Ace Metal Crafts Co. in Franklin Park, Ill., a stone's throw away from landing lights at Chicago's O'Hare... Read more...
Article
August 26, 2008
When does a punch/laser make sense?
Shops that process enough of the right parts can increase uptime and reduce secondary operations with a combination punch/laser machine. Photo courtesy of TRUMPF Inc.
Business growth led Hawkeye Industries President and CEO Bryan Hawkins to seek a machine that could punch and laser-cut... Read more...
Article
June 17, 2008
Auto weld that ends well
The robotic welding cell Tommy Gate Co. installed two years ago has a footprint roughly 20 feet by 20 feet. Three years ago Peter Dunlop, production supervisor for Tommy Gate Co./Woodbine Manufacturing at the time, and Andrew Fitzgibbon, a manufacturing engineer, asked themselves a question... Read more...
Article
April 15, 2008
So what if one saw cuts faster than another?
As the need for flexibility increases in a shop, the need for high-production-volume cutting decreases.
Comparing one saw to another might reveal quite a few differences, even though the saws might be similar in many ways. One difference might be cutting speed. To many fabricators,... Read more...
Article
March 11, 2008
Automation in tube and pipe welding
Robotic welding of tube and pipe means more control over a task that can be grueling for welders if done manually. Encompassing applications ranging from exhaust systems and fenders to furniture and fencing, tube and pipe welding is a complicated task. That's why robots make so much sense.... Read more...
Article
December 11, 2007
Maximizing your shop floor automation investment
When manufacturing companies invest hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars in shop floor automation, they need to have their machines run at full or near-full capacity to achieve a quick return on investment. In long-run production environments or in job shops, justifying the purchase... Read more...
Article
December 11, 2007
Understanding benders and bender applications
Tube bending methods vary in complexity as much as any fabricating process does. At the simple end are applications that involve tubing so small and bends so simple that bending by hand is a suitable process. Manual bending machines and dedicated hydraulic or pneumatic benders occupy the... Read more...
Spanish
November 6, 2007
Article
November 6, 2007
Metalforming lessons learned abroad
Figure 1 Rolling bolsters are used to quickly change dies that might weigh many tons. The U.S. taught the world about mass production, but now it may be time for the teacher to take some notes on flexible approaches to metal forming. After World War II, consumerism in the U.S. required... Read more...
Article
October 9, 2007
Automatic or manual?
Whether it is as simple as a single CNC tube bender loaded by a robot or as complex as a fully automated line that turns raw coil into a finished and packaged bent tubular product, automated workcells have made their way into nearly every manufacturing theater. Once limited to the... Read more...
Article
October 9, 2007
A new standard in forming bathtubs
American Standard's manufacturing facility in Salem, Ohio, invested more than $1 million to fully automate its bathtub forming line, which consists of a lubricator, two hydraulic presses for deep drawing, two mechanical presses for secondary forming activities, a flange bender, an automated... Read more...
Article
October 9, 2007
For flawless cosmetic finish, start at the head
To remain competitive and profitable in the face of rising energy and material costs and low-cost overseas labor, North American stampers are offsetting these higher costs by increasing pressroom efficiency. Stampers are investing in automation to reduce labor costs and to expand the use of... Read more...
Article
October 9, 2007
Successful automation isn't automatic
Figure 1 The location of structural supports and electrical supplies influence the placement of a laser cutting cell and material handling automation in a plant. As with so many other ventures in life, successfully implementing a laser automation system rests on one key practice:... Read more...
Article
September 11, 2007
A high-flying metal fabricator
Mention the word airplane to most people, and they'll likely think of jet-powered superjumbo aircraft and the ongoing battle between the two titans, Boeing and Airbus. Among Boeing's largest is the 747-400. It measures 232 feet long, has a wing span of 211 feet, has a range of 7,260 nautical... Read more...
Article
August 8, 2007
3 ways to get the most from your laser operation
The first rule of any technology used in a business is that automation applied to an efficient operation will magnify the efficiency. —Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft Corp. To say Mr. Gates lived his conviction successfully would be a vast understatement. To say following his... Read more...
Article
July 10, 2007
Constant radius or variable radius?
Like many industries, the automotive industry is in a state of perpetual change. Automobile manufacturers continuously strive for higher safety ratings, reduced fuel consumption, smaller environmental impact, and reduced costs. To address these concerns, many automakers work to develop... Read more...
Article
July 10, 2007
Mechanical presses primed for powerful performances
Metal stampers are using more high-strength steel, which is more difficult to form than mild steel and requires more tooling stations and press tonnage to produce parts. As a result, stampers are moving away from traditional production methods and investing in presses with higher tonnage... Read more...
Article
July 10, 2007
Knocked down, but not out
Changing from manual processes to an automated flexible manufacturing system allows EPMP Ltd. to manufacture complex bent parts such as this one quickly and without the risk of handling damage. It would be an understatement to say that contract manufacturer EPMP Ltd., Seguin, Texas, got off... Read more...
Article
June 12, 2007
Laser cutting with less labor and less hassle
In February 2007 a four-man precision metal fabricating shop—with the help of two temporary employees—laser-cut more than 500 jobs comprising 73,863 metal pieces and weighing more than 315,000 pounds. That's good news for Chris Hollenback, president of Integrated Manufacturing... Read more...
Article
June 12, 2007
Attention, all plasma table shoppers
The process of choosing a CNC plasma cutting system is much more difficult today than it was 10 years ago, when systems were fewer but more expensive. By 2000 several progressive manufacturers had developed low-cost CNC plasma cutting systems that could run off of a PC. Hardware and software... Read more...
Article
May 8, 2007
All-electric tube benders in control
New developments in all-electric tube bending technology have been in the areas of report generation and diagnostics. The PC controller with networking makes it possible to introduce many interesting diagnostics capabilities, such as a Web cam and a "black box" history file that automatically... Read more...
Article
March 13, 2007
Reducing tube bending cycle times
Two trends—unrelenting cost pressures and the inclination to send manufacturing jobs to low-cost countries—have left many fabricators feeling that they are caught in a trap with no way out. While the pressure to reduce costs will never subside, and the low manufacturing costs in... Read more...
Article
November 7, 2006
Joining GMAW and GTAW
The American Welding Society has defined "hybrid welding" as the combination of two distinct welding energy sources within a single welding process.
Figure 1
A new hybrid welding approach combines a plasma arc and a GMAW arc into one process. These elements detail the process: (1)... Read more...
Article
November 7, 2006
Fabricator finds tubular niche
Although Illinois is known primarily for its fertile fields and agricultural output, it's home to many manufacturing companies too. John Deere incorporated Deere & Co. in Moline. DaimlerChysler manufactures automobiles in Belvidere. Caterpiller's worldwide headquarters is in Peoria. Where... Read more...
Article
October 10, 2006
Manufacturing evolution in the job shop
Because of their press brakes' dynamic crowning and springback compensation technology, Gardner Manufacturing operators can bend long parts without worrying about the material bowing or twisting. Bronze Age, Iron Age, Industrial Age—each period in civilization's history has led... Read more...
Article
September 12, 2006
The Pareto principle at work
The Pareto principle, named for Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto, may be better known as the 80/20 rule. Pareto observed that in most activities, a small fraction (20 percent) of the total activity accounts for a large fraction (80 percent) of the results. I have come to learn that... Read more...
Article
August 8, 2006
Meeting global challenges through employee rewards
U.S. metal stampers are slow to accept the reality that free trade is now a mainstay of our foreign relations programs. Our tradition of protecting national industries behind walls of tariffs, quotas, and similar restraints of trade has eroded at an ever faster rate since post-World War II, when... Read more...
Article
August 8, 2006
Getting hydraulic press problems under control
Although there are many good reasons for investing in used equipment, the downside is that a used machine seldom has the exact configuration you need. And sometimes a specification decision made years earlier by someone at a different company can return to haunt the new owners, which is... Read more...
Article
July 11, 2006
Automating bending, forming operations
Each of these multibend parts was formed on the same CNC bending line in less than 23 seconds. From left to right, office furniture parts, residential furnace door, part with standing hem, and shelving. Traditionally, a sheet metal component goes through the various shearing, punching,... Read more...
Article
July 11, 2006
The modern mechanical press
Photo courtesy of Norlen Inc. A hydraulic press manufacturer made this statement at a recent trade event: "Most mechanical presses function via flywheel motion with a top dead center (TDC) and a bottom dead center (BDC). Full ram extension and full ram retraction always are at the... Read more...
Article
June 13, 2006
Implementing Press Automation
Photos courtesy of Jackie Dorris. To compete in a global market, all stampers need to adapt their manufacturing processes. Press Automation Options Electronic automation of tonnage monitoring, die protection, feed control, job programming, and counterbalance or slide adjust can be... Read more...
Article
May 9, 2006
Optimizing flow through robotic welding workcells
Figure 1
One of the new CNH systems welds on a loader chassis. Veteran industrial robotic user Case New Holland (CNH), Fargo, N.D., recently installed three robotic welding systems. Each system consists of an inverted robot on a large, three-axis traveling column and two... Read more...
Article
March 7, 2006
Stamping complex parts
Wisconsin-based Tools Inc. is proud of its deep-drawing expertise for highly complex parts. In the past, however, producing highly stylized shapes posed a continual challenge. "Our in-house stamping capabilities consisted entirely of mechanical presses," said Chris Snyder, general... Read more...
Article
December 13, 2005
A need for speed
Located in 28 countries, Dana Corporation, Toledo, Ohio, is a supplier of axles, driveshafts, engines, frames, chassis, and transmissions. The automotive supplier, which delivers to major car manufacturers around the world, reported 2004 sales of $9.1 billion. Currently Dana's Chatham,... Read more...
Article
December 13, 2005
A change by design
A Great Dane just happens to watch over the entrance of Great Dane Trailers. You don't become a big dog in manufacturing without knowing about technology and innovation. For the last 100 years, Great Dane Trailers has followed that strategy and is now the largest trailer company in the... Read more...
Article
November 8, 2005
Reality TV: Frame-making in the U.S.
The A member of the CRT frame is a roll formed strip of chromium molybdenum steel, and the B member is a cold-rolled steel tube cut and bent for the application. When brought together, they form the CRT frame for the front of a television. The game of international trade excites and... Read more...
Article
November 8, 2005
Growing gains with lasers
Growing pains with lasers
Significant investment in laser processing equipment helps Laser Precision process both shim-thick stainless steel to 1-inch-thick plate and remain competitive by keeping labor needs low.
It took one phrase to change Jeff Adams' direction in... Read more...
Article
November 8, 2005
Ask and you shall receive
A conveyor carrier takes a part into the dryoff oven.
It's not every day that a small or medium-sized job shop invests in an entire line of new equipment. And buys 65 acres to build a new facility to house and operate it—especially if the company's knowledge and... Read more...
Article
October 11, 2005
Total transfer knowledge
Figure 1 A transfer press can produce large, complex parts or support JIT manufacturing. Historically when a stamping job shop required an automated press system, its choices were limited to progressive-die operations equipped with coil feeders or transfer-die operations with... Read more...
Article
September 13, 2005
Pressing through power failures:
Transfer presses are used in the automobile industry primarily to produce sheet steel body panels. In traditional transfer presses, the press slide and the part transport mechanics are coupled using mechanical transfer. As a result, the vertical motion of the press ram must be coordinated... Read more...
Article
April 11, 2005
Optimizing spray nozzle performance for lubrication:
Figure 1
R&B Wagner uses an automatic lubrication application system that has two reservoirs to hold two different lubricants (at left). Its tube bending personnel can select one lubricant or the other, depending on the application at hand. A plastic tube carries the lubricant... Read more...
Article
March 8, 2005
Simulating a robotic workcell
Like many other software tools, CAD continues to evolve at the speed of . . . real time. Even though we think the world moves at a faster pace each day, a second is still a second, an hour is still an hour, and real time is what matters in the world of manufacturing. Some technologies... Read more...
Article
July 13, 2004
Intelligent controls improve automotive robotic welding
The automotive industry worldwide has experienced dramatic changes in the last 10 years. Challenges facing the industry include increasingly stringent safety rules; requirements for dramatic improvement in fuel consumption; and the necessity to maintain or even reduce the vehicle price, even... Read more...
Article
August 14, 2003
Selecting equipment for a robotic welding workcell
Keep the end result—the product that the robotic workcell is turning out —as your primary focus when you select automation equipment. The entire workcell, no one part of it, is crucial for successful integration and an expedient return on investment. A robot is repeatable and makes... Read more...
Article
August 14, 2003
What's driving your press?
They no longer are dedicated to running one product for their entire life, and once dedicated lines now perform versatile tasks and provide flexibility from one job to the next. Whether it's for setup of a servo roll feed, an in-die transfer system, or a complex tandem line, flexibility... Read more...
Article
August 29, 2002
Automating for the future
Object Tony Thompson and the rest of the crew at Total Tooling Inc. know the importance of quick design time. Success at the nine-person shop in rural Sabina, Ohio—which specializes in designing and manufacturing bend tooling for the automotive and aerospace markets—rests on... Read more...
Article
July 25, 2002
Article
June 27, 2002
Adding flexibility to stamping operations
You're an industrial engineer working in a large stamping facility, and your boss has just asked you to automate the entire process of producing a part that runs across four independently operated presses. To make things tougher, this workcell can't be dedicated to only one part; it must be... Read more...
Article
May 30, 2002
Now's the time to AUTOMATE
Object If you looked at metal fabricators' and manufacturers' wish lists, you might see a lot of similarities among them, but you'd also see something the manufacturing industry has in common with all other industries: the need to do more with less. Here's what fabricators are saying: They... Read more...
Article
June 12, 2001
Leaping the hurdles to press brake automation
Figure 1: This figure shows the ratio of value-added versus nonvalue-added time for a 50-part bending job. In this example, 42 percent of the time needed to bend the parts was spent on setup. Understanding the obstacles to automating press brakes requires an analysis of the bending... Read more...
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