American, German, Swedish manufacturers gladly adopt factory-within-factory concept October 16, 2019 Manufacturers of all sizes see an uptick in productivity after adding a factory within a factory via an automated machining cell. The cells are small-scale, clearly defined production units, often for a family of similar parts or a product, and they typically include a robotic arm and one or more machine tools.
Mass customization will only work if we return the power to the people October 16, 2019 As I walked the floor this spring at North America’s largest trade show for automation technologies, Industry 4.0 was on everybody’s lips. One of the more complex of our industrial revolutions, Industry 4.0 has been about the Internet of Things: digitizing and connecting things.
IoT + analytics = cool new stuff to sell October 16, 2019 Put the paper and pencil away. Hybrid data management and analysis systems-where users combine paper tracking with computer processing-are no longer meeting the needs of manufacturers for speed, accuracy, traceability and compliance with regulations.
Factory-within-factory idea delivers productivity gains October 16, 2019 Wyoming Completion had a shock when it began machining parts in an automated machining cell. It was a good shock: While the company hoped for a 25-35% boost in production, it experienced 400% improvement.
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.
Round inserts promote better profiling with long overhangs in narrow grooves October 16, 2019 Cutting tool and tooling system specialist Sandvik Coromant is adding round geometry (-RM) inserts to its program of CoroCut® QD parting-off and grooving tools.
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.
Mobile Robots Increase Worker Productivity, Safety October 16, 2019 A mobile fleet of Universal Robots now receives daily work orders to solve ever-changing tasks for high-mix/low-volume electronics manufacturer Scott Fetzer Electrical Group (SFEG; Fairview, TN). Supplied by Universal Robots USA Inc.
Blockchain can power move to monetize Big Data, experts say October 16, 2019 Blockchain can help power the process to monetize Big Data and will play a role in the FDA’s regulations to limit pharmaceutical counterfeiting by increasing security of the drug supply chain, said experts Smart Manufacturing gathered at Westec 2019 for an exclusive blockchain-tech roundtable
