Automotive Industry Warms to 3D Printing August 1, 2019 The auto industry wants to expand the use of 3D printers. Automakers such as Ford Motor Co. and BMW AG are working directly with additive manufacturers concerning deployment of the technology.
Helping smaller companies in U.S. with cyber defense April 23, 2019 Cyber criminals are increasingly setting their sights on today’s digitized manufacturing industry as an entry point into government and commercial supply chains.
How to Automate to Efficiency Without Sacrificing Agility April 26, 2019 There is no shortage of competition in a global market. As a manufacturer trying to get ahead of the pack, automation can help with problems like a limited skilled labor force, quality control issues and suboptimal throughput. But the high initial cost and extended implementation time can be deterrents.
A Free-Wheeling Taxi Service of Sorts Can Set Workers Free April 26, 2019 Manufacturers are facing shrinking product lifecycles with frequently changing customer demands. As a result, they need agile production and flexible factory layouts that can easily be modified whenever needed.
Augmented Reality: In this Case, the Writing’s on the Work Station April 10, 2019 A Michigan company that displays instructions for manual manufacturing processes on work stations via augmented reality (AR) is adding wearables to provide similar guidance.
Structured Vision in Manufacturing April 4, 2019 Structured light systems measure surfaces by projecting a pattern of fringes, then using cameras and sophisticated software to convert them into point clouds of metrology data. Accuracy can reach the single-digit microns over millions of points.
Process Control by Analyzing Metal Temperature Gradients with Fixed Thermal Imaging November 22, 2019 Producing metal products is one of the most energy intensive industries. Improving both energy and production efficiency, as well as ensuring product quality is at the top of any manufacturers to do list. Engineers should consider using fixed thermal imaging cameras to optimize their manufacturing process.
Hey, machining automation is growing up. Time to mark ‘2.’ October 16, 2019 The second level of machining automation is here. It may not be at every shop or factory yet, but it’s coming.
Barriers to robot deployment falling one by one October 16, 2019 Industrial robots are becoming easier to program, more versatile, more cost-effective, more accurate and more mobile. These changes are lowering barriers to entry, shortening return on investment and making robots a more practical investment.
Going digital helped mailbox maker supersize its product October 16, 2019 Cloud technology presents manufacturers with opportunities to improve the flexibility, scalability and efficiency of their operations. Realizing these benefits will require more than simply doing a one-to-one transfer of current technology to cloud-based servers.