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Articles tagged with "automation"
Results: 61
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Attention, all plasma table shoppers: Everything you need to know before you purchase a CNC plasma cutting machineCNC plasma cutting machines are more affordable and easier to operate than ever before. By knowing the right kind of hardware and software makes sense, a fabricator can choose the equipment that makes the most sense for his operation.
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So what if one saw cuts faster than another?: Cutting speed is not the same as process efficiencyTwo similar saws might have significantly different cutting speeds, and given a choice, most fabricators would choose the faster saw. However, the saw's speed isn't the only factor that affects efficiency. Material handling before and after the cut also plays a big role in process efficiency. Fabricators who overlook material handling don't gain all they can in terms of increasing throughput.
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Ask and you shall receive: Job shop tackles inexperience to offer finishing servicesMiller Welding & Machine isn't a typical job shop for a lot of reasons. This family-owned and -operated company, in business since 1963, employs almost everybody in the Miller family -- and tackled its complete inexperience in finishing by investing in a full powder coating and wet paint line in a new facility to serve its customers, who started demanding finishing services five years ago.
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Automating bending, forming operations: Part volume determines processBending and folding of sheet metal components can be approached manually or with automation. The volume—high, medium, or low&—determines the approach.
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Knocked down, but not out: Contract manufacturer makes a comeback, modernizes, automates |
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Pallet changer, tower, or shelving system with that laser?: Options for storing, transferring materialsWhen fabricators decide to automate material handling in their laser cutting operations, they have several choices to make. The decision on whether to automate—and what kind of system makes the most sense—will depend on the shop's capabilities, its production capacity, and available floor space. The options cover the full spectrum, from basic systems that simply unload one pallet and bring in another to large racking systems that maintain a full inventory of raw material and cut parts and can transfer those parts to other machines in the shop.
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Los avances en automatizacíon amplían las capacidades del punzonado: Cómo automatizar su operación de punzonadoCada vez ms, los fabricantes de metal estn cambiando hacia el equipo automatizado para reducir el tiempo y los costos de produccin, hacer ms eficiente la manufactura, minimizar el manejo de material, y atender la escasez de mano de obra calificada. La aplicacin dicta qu tipo de automatizacin se requiere para el trabajo.
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Before you buy: Considerations for turret punch press shoppersMaking an intelligent, economically sound punch press purchasing decision requires careful consideration of many factors, including material size and thickness, material handling capabilities, part complexity and volume, and turret capacity. Take the time to accurately determine your needs. Is that great deal really a wise investment?
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Tapping into new capabilities on punching machines: Metal fabricators are looking to eliminate secondary tapping operationsWhether in the guise of bolt-on tapping units or actual tapping tools that are housed in a turret, precision punch presses can handle tapping chores like never before. As a result, metal fabricators are considering these options to take the manual activity out of the fabricating mix.
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Bright lights, big opportunity: Automation helps a lighting manufacturer keep up with its growing businessOrion Energy Systems, Manitowoc, Wis., has found tremendous success as a company that manufactures energy efficient lighting. The company also found that the best way to keep manufacturing in-step with demand was to bring its metal fabricating activities in-house
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A high-flying metal fabricator: Aircraft components supplier takes off in search of new marketsFrom its beginning in 1986 as a machine shop, Custom Tube Products has changed to a fabrication shop. Along the way it has adapted to the skilled worker shortage, mainly by trading in its manual processes for automation.
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Maximizing your shop floor automation investment: Information flow is key to staying near full capacityIn the world of shorter-run and engineered-to-order production, fabricators want to keep their machines at near or full capacity, which means the business is making money. To accomplish this, the flow of information coming out of the front office has to be fast enough to drive the shop floor automation.
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Now's the time to AUTOMATE: Labor shortage, safety concerns, economic slowdown make robotics a considerationThis article outlines some of the challenges fabricators are facing and how robotics and automation equipmentmakers are trying to address these challenges. Also addressed are different equipment and technological advancements and other factors affecting welding automation.
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Reality TV: Frame-making in the U.S.: Oceanside, Calif.-based fabricator successfully competes in global CRT framemaking marketSumitomo Metal Mining USA (SMMU) Inc. has supplied cathode ray tube frams to some of the largest, high-end television manufacturers in the world from its Oceanside, Calif., facility. Despite the trend in moving manufacturing overseas to take advantage of cheaper labor pools, SMMU believes it is poised to remain competitive while maintaining its U.S. base of operations.
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Japanese metal fabrication: Manufacturing on a bedrock of data: Japanese metal fabricators automate and collaborate to compete and thriveOverseas, metal fabricators have many of the same issues as those stateside, including lack of skilled labor and outsourcing to low-labor-cost countries. In Japan, fabricators tackle those issues by taking automation to new levels.
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Welding Report: Sorting through industry trendsMajor trends for the welding industry include developments in robotic automation, just-in-time production, and new ways to better serve customers.
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Getting lean, job shop style: Ace Metal Crafts’ brand of lean puts employees in the driver’s seatAce Metal Crafts has promoted its own brand of lean that, more than anything, gives employees ownership over the process.
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For flawless cosmetic finish, start at the head: A clean straightening head prevents debris damage during coil feedingStamping cosmetic parts in coil feed lines can be challenging. Cleaning the coil feeding head properly can eliminate waste or scrapped parts caused by debris and contamination.
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Adding flexibility to stamping operations: The roles of material handling and group technology analysisYou're not afraid of automation. You already have automated several cells around high-volume parts. But now you have a new challenge: Integrate several large presses while still maintaining the flexibility to run lower-volume parts?
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What's driving your press?Mechanical presses are challenged to provide high-speed production with a greater number of hits per minute, smaller batch runs, and quicker die changes.
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Optimizing spray nozzle performance for lubrication:: The importance of selection, maintenance, and automation |
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Pressing through power failures:: Transfer press energy overcomes voltage fluctuations at BMWWhen BMW Dingolfing (Germany) decided to modernize one of its transfer presses, the desired benefits included increased line availability, increased production through the use of an electronic transfer system, and reduced maintenance. However, one of its highest priorities was to minimize or eliminate the risk of production loss caused by interruptions to the power supply.
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Total transfer knowledge: The evolution of transfer pressesTransfer systems can deliver flexibility to perform a variety of tasks for current requirements, yet deliver the capability to carry the company at a competitive level over the long haul.
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A need for speed: Dana Corp. increases capacity with three automated hydraulic press linesCurrently, Dana's Chatham, Ontario division produces several heat shields for fluid-management systems including heat exchangers, valves, and coolers. With higher demand yields and new orders, the stamper needed an automated press line that could improve uptime, quality, and reliability.
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Stamping complex parts: Hydraulic presses expand deep-draw capabilitiesBy adding sophisticated hydraulic deep-draw press technology, Tools Inc. was able to greatly enhance its in-house forming and production capabilities.
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Implementing Press Automation: Updates and advancementsTo compete in a global market, all stampers need adapt their manufacturing processes. By mixing automation with electronic controls, job shops can increase output and exceed past manufacturing goals.
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The modern mechanical press: Link motion, servo technology, and slide guide advancementsEnd-user demands for new product configurations, materials, and press capabilities continue to have an impact on the metal forming arena. Mechanical press design improvements and flexibility are keeping up with stampers' changing applications.
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Getting hydraulic press problems under control: Control system upgrade solves reliability problems, expands press capabilitiesArco Industries Inc. bought a 15-year-old, 500-ton Tranemo hydraulic punching press with an antiquated control system. For about one-quarter the cost of a new press, Arco was able to rejuvenate an obsolete press by providing it with contemporary levels of control and productivity.
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Meeting global challenges through employee rewards: Gainsharing can be a big step toward staying competitiveArco Industries Inc. bought a 15-year-old, 500-ton Tranemo hydraulic punching press with an antiquated control system. For about one-quarter the cost of a new press, Arco was able to rejuvenate an obsolete press by providing it with contemporary levels of control and productivity.
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Mechanical presses primed for powerful performances: New materials create a need for high-tonnage presses, larger bedsMetal stampers are using more high-strength steel, which is more difficult to form, requires more tooling stations, and more press tonnage. As a result, stampers are moving away from traditional production methods and investing in presses with higher tonnage capacity and larger beds.
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A new standard in forming bathtubs: American Standard introduces new technology to a older forming lineThe main hurdle to automating American Standard's bathtub forming line in its Salem, Ohio, facility was integrating new material handling tools into the older press line.
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Metalforming lessons learned abroad: What U.S. stampers can learn from global counterpartsAfter World War II, equipment manufacturing companies in Asia and Europe designed production systems that were more flexible in nature than systems in the U.S., which were designed for high-volume production. Today this trend is hitting U.S. shores, and U.S. stampers are looking overseas for inspiration in finding ways to work more efficiently.
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Fabricator finds tubular niche: Job shop uses laser cutting to complement CNC machiningProduction Cutting Services was founded in 1985 as a machine shop to supply parts to agricultural equipment manufacturers in and around East Moline, Ill. It used saws and CNC machining centers to provide tubular parts, but later realized it needed to add more value. It purchased two lasers from Mazak Optonics Corp. It hasn't abandoned CNC machining, though. It uses the lasers to complement its other processes.
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Reducing tube bending cycle times: Automating benders and peripheral equipmentBecause any multiple-step manufacturing process is only as fast as the slowest machine, fabricators interested in purchasing an automated tube bender might suddenly find his production line saddled with bottlenecks. It's necessary to analyze the entire production line and learn about the equipment that is available before automating the bending process.
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All-electric tube benders in control: A look under the hood at characteristics, applicationsAll-electric tube bending machines use electric, closed-loop servomotor axes to control the motion and speed of the bend tooling, providing programmable control over the range of each axis. Otherwise, all-electric tube bending machines are basically rotary draw benders—the design of which have not changed significantly for 50 years.
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Constant radius or variable radius?: Complex bending requires a sophisticated bending technologyWhile rotary draw bending is the mainstay of the tube bending industry, variable-radius bending is making some headway. Variable-radius bending offers many advantages, primarily more sophisticated bends and faster cycle times. However, it has limitations, too. A main one is that an initial bend must be a minimum of approximately 15 degrees.
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Understanding benders and bender applications: Matching them up for optimal outputIf you bend tube for a living, you have many choices when it comes to buying a new piece of bending equipment. Understanding how bending demands have changed over the decades and how bender manufacturers have responded are two key components in selecting the optimal bender for your particular application.
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Affordable automation: Building a processing cell without breaking the bankCompetition is tough and getting tougher. A critical strategy for staying in business is automation. Putting together a flexible, automated system with quick-change capability can help tube fabricators manufacture a variety of parts, both for existing projects and future programs. A few key pieces of equipment and a long-term view of current and future projects can help to justify the expense.
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Don't get stuck wondering about composites: If you have questions about joining composites and their relationship with metal, we have answersAutomakers and other manufacturers are interested in utilizing composites more in their manufacturing operations. Composites come with their own set of challenges, and one of the most important challenges is how to join the engineered material to a metal correctly using an adhesive. When joining materials, adhesives evenly distribute loads and reduce labor time.
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Joining GMAW and GTAW: Hybrid welding takes on a whole new meaning with new technology developmentsOne form of hybrid welding combines both GMAW with a GTAW process in a welding torch. An electronic interface unit containing a plasma power supply controls the hybrid process. Research has indicated that such an approach to welding leads to faster welding times, deep penetration, and cleaner welds when compared with conventional GMAW technology.
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Selecting equipment for a robotic welding workcellSo you've decided to automate your welding process. Now it's time to select the equipment that performs the robotic welding. It's critical to take care choosing the appropriate equipment and an integration partner.
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Intelligent controls improve automotive robotic welding: Current applications and trends |
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Simulating a robotic workcell: Taking the guesswork out of automationNot so long ago, setting up a robotic work cell was a trail-and-error affair. However, advances in simulation technology allow manufacturers to visualize a robotic work cell and sort out any problems before setting up the cell. Simulating the work cell's function helps to ensure the cell will yield the desired results and helps prevent costly mistakes and re-engineering.
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Optimizing flow through robotic welding workcells: A 'Case' Study RevisitedRobotic welding systems can enhance a company's production and bottom line. However, using these systems requires careful thought and planning, building the right infrastructure, and achieving the right balance between robotic and manual operations. This article presents an overview of one company's successful implementation of robotic welding.
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The Pareto principle at workYou may not have heard of Vilfredo Pareto, but you likely have heard of the 80/20 rule attributed to him. In this article, robotic welding expert Jim Berge discusses how the rule, which he believes to be more accurate as 90/10, applies to implementing robotic welding and automation successfully and achieving maximum efficiency.
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Automation in tube and pipe welding: Robots make sense for many reasonsRobots make a lot of sense for tube and pipe welding. The return on investment for a typical robot system can be seen usually within six to 24 months, depending on the parts, complexity of the system, and learning curve of the manufacturer. Quality improvements are typically seen immediately. In addition, by tracking the process, manufacturers can make changes to improve production time and determine the throughput of the system for accurate part production projections.
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Auto weld that ends well: Manufacturer of Tommy Gate liftgates for trucks finds success with robotic weldingRobotically welding a part made sense for Tommy Gate Co./Woodbine Manufacturing, Woodbine, Iowa, so they then made plenty of cents available to invest in a robotic welding cell from Genesis Systems.
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Robotic GTAW: Manual GTAW developments advance automated processRobotic GTAW is a little-known process that has made significant advancements recently, thanks in part to the advancements made to manual GTAW that have made it more user-friendly and compatible with the environment. Applications that were once nearly impossible to accomplish can be handled with relative ease with modern GTAW systems. Even today robotic GTAW continues to improve and advance into new fields to create a better future for the welding industry.
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Automation helps ovenmaker cook up profits: Wood Stone Corp., Bellingham, Wash., learns valuable lessons as a resultWhat kind of a difference did an automated fabricating system make for Wood Stone Corp., Bellingham, Wash.? Before the system, the company actually had more people in the shop, and they were working 10 hour days for about 4-6 months to make fewer products than are produced today.
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Don't be marginalized: How peripherals can maximize your robotic welding performancePeripheral equipment for robotic welding can help maximize the effectiveness of an automated workcell and protect the investment from costly damages. Understanding peripheral equipment is the first step in getting the most out of a robotic workcell.
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Is it time to put a robot in front of a press brake?: Answering these 5 questions can help you determine if automatedNorth American fabricators have not been as active in adoptingautomated bending cells as their counterparts in other parts of theworld. But that may be changing. These five questions can help afabricator decide how to justify the case for a robotic press brake.
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Robotic pipe welding with a human touch: Keeping the operator involved in the act of automating pipe weldingAutomation has emerged as an alternative to manual welding, but these robotic and fixed automation technologies tend to work for specific applications, rather than general pipe fabricating. Automation coupled with the flexibility of a human operator during the welding process, however, represents a new alternative for those companies looking to squeeze more productivity out of the pipe fabricating process.
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Leaping the hurdles to press brake automationUnderstanding the obstacles to automating press brakes requires an analysis of the bending process.
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Manufacturing evolution in the job shop: Contract manufacturer figures out how to accomplish more with lessGardner Manufacturing, Horicon, Wis., needed automation and flexibility to keep up with more challenging customer demands. The contract manufacturer found its answer with two laser cutting devices with automated material handling and three new press brakes capable of precision bending.
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Automatic or manual?: Automation doesn’t solve process problems. People do.While automation can increase throughput and reduce labor, it doesn't solve manufacturing problems. A manual process that produces poor-quality or inconsistent parts will simply do so at a faster rate if automated. Understanding the process and process variables is the key to troubleshooting problems and resolving them to get the maximum gain from automation.
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A change by design: Trailer manufacturer adopts a new CAD/CAM system for its nine manufacturing facilitiesGreat Dane Trailers, one of the world's largest trailer manufacturers, wanted to consolidate on one CAD/CAM software system across its nine manufacturing locations. Following a recommendation from one of its machine suppliers, the company adopted SigmaNEST CAD/CAM nesting software, and just in a nick of time.
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Laser cutting with less labor and less hassle: Machine automation and software help IMS keep the laser running and customers coming backCan a four-man job shop keep up with the demands of its manufacturing customers? IMS, Shakopee, Minn., will make you think about that and give you reason to question other practices going on in your job shop.
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Growing gains with lasers: Job shop uses data management to complement laser capabilitiesJeff Adams may have taken the nontraditional route in manufacturing by starting out in the laser equipment vendor community, but he has since moved to the job shop side of the industry, using his laser knowledge and expertise to help grow his 12-year-old laser job shop in Libertyville, Ill.
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3 ways to get the most from your laser operation: Machine choice, automation, and preventive maintenance |
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Successful automation isn't automatic: Fabricators need to communicate and ask the right questionsAs with so many other ventures in life, successfully implementing a laser automation system rests on one key practice: communication.
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When does a punch/laser make sense?: 3 Questions a fabricator needs to askHawkeye Industries Inc., Tupelo, Miss., was getting more and more orders for parts that required both punching and laser cutting. To meet the growing demand, the company purchased a combination punch/laser machine. Some shops are more suited than others to this technolgy--combination machines can increase profits for some companies, and costs for others. Shop owners should keep five key things in mind when evaluating and purchasing a combination punch/laser machine.
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