SHANGHAI—The $150 million “factory of the future” that the Swiss innovator ABB announced nearly a year ago is becoming reality in this enormous city’s Pudong New Area.
The U.S. auto industry has been automated for decades. Production of cars and trucks is associated with large, hulking robots fenced off from human employees. Inside those fenced off areas, tasks such as welding are performed. The industry, though, is advancing on the automation front.
Horizontal machining centers (HMCs) are versatile four-axis and, increasingly, five-axis machine platforms that maximize processing of multi-sided large parts by minimizing part handling.
Interoperability will make the autonomous mobile robot’s world go ‘round
The right tooling can have a profound effect on a shop’s competitiveness and future growth.
Larger manufacturing enterprises have benefitted from smart-manufacturing innovations while smaller manufacturers have lagged behind—but that is changing.
The emergence of third-generation advanced high-strength steel, known as 3rd Gen AHSS, may have an impact on automotive manufacturing a trade group said.
Bosch said it is moving forward with volume production of silicon carbide chips.
Key steps are virtual twins and real relationships.
Automakers will need more flexible manufacturing with the shift to electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids and other powertrains, automation company ABB said today in a presentation.