All articles by aladmin – Page 46
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ArticleFanuc to boost Japanese production
Japan – The robot-maker has purchased 659,000 sq.m of land at Mibu-hanyuda Industrial Park, Tochigi Prefecture, with plans to build new facilities from September 2015. This will enable the company to increase its capacity for CNCs, servo-motors and servo-amplifiers, in line with growing demand in Europe.In addition, at its headquarters ...
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ArticleChevrolet confirms next-generation EV
US – Based on the Bolt electric vehicle (EV) concept, the new model will be built at General Motors’ Orion Assembly plant in Michigan. Orion and the Pontiac Metal Center are the subject of a $200m investment to support the production, the former receiving $160m for tooling and the latter ...
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ArticleMississippi makes 500,000th Corolla
US – Established only in 2011, Toyota's facility in Blue Springs has reached the milestone faster than any of its other plants in the country. Toyota Mississippi and its workforce of 2,000 turned out nearly 180,000 Corollas last year.The plant has over 15 parts and materials suppliers in the state, ...
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ArticleCustom workholding & automation products
DE-STA-CO says it is expanding its custom manufacturing capabilities to provide OEM and end-users with application-designed productivity tools. The company says customers can work directly with its engineers to modify any of its clamping, automation and material handling solutions, to produce products that are matched to a specific application. ...
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ArticleLaser sensor for black or shiny targets
The new Q4X sensor reliably detects distance changes as small as 1mm on challenging targets as black objects on black backgrounds or reflective items, claims Banner Engineering. High excess gain and a 64-element imager combine to minimise errors in detection, counting and validating orientation, says the company. It offers an ...
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ArticleMercedes breaks ground at Iracemápolis
Brazil – The 500m reais ($172m) car plant near São Paulo will start production of the C-Class in Q1 2016, with the GLS compact SUV following in the middle of the year. The initial annual capacity will be 20,000 units, with potential to expand.The establishment of the plant is expected ...
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ArticleGooden takes a seat on GM board
US – Former Lockheed Martin executive vice-president Linda Gooden will become a director from February 5, 2015. She retired in 2013 but currently serves on the boards of several public companies.Gooden began her 40-year career at the Packard Electric Division of GM and spent 34 years at Lockheed Martin, holding ...
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ArticleContiTech’s polyamide crossbeam heading for series production
Germany – The Hanover-based company has developed a transmission crossbeam from fibreglass-reinforced polyamide BASF Ultramid for the rear axle, which is used in all Mercedes-Benz models with all-wheel drive, excluding the AMG range. The new variant is 25% lighter than diecast aluminium.ContiTech claims that the component offers optimum strength, good ...
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ArticleFord's $2.6 billion Valencia investment
Spain – An initial $1.25 billion was announced in 2011, followed by a further $1.37 billion since 2013. The OEM says that Valencia is now one of the “most advanced, flexible and productive” automotive plants worldwide, and will be the sole European source for all six Ford nameplates assembled there.A ...
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ArticleABB VIDEO: Making interior parts
Through ABB’s RobotStudio simulation software, Fitz-Thors and Eissmann experimented with variations on the closed-cell design; after several design iterations, a unique, four-quadrant station, open-cell concept was developed which met the necessary criteria. Rather than bringing the parts to the robot, the robot goes to the parts, from a central, ...
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ArticleKJR in expansion programme
UK – The Coventry-based manufacturer of high-specification car interiors has secured £1.1m of funding to purchase new plant and tooling equipment to cater to increased demand from its clients.As well as enabling KJ Ryan (KJR) to buy new equipment, the funding will provide additional working capital to increase the company’s ...
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ArticleFord apprenticeships backed by British Government
UK – The apprentice programme will be available to A-level school leavers seeking an alternative to a traditional university education. To be developed by Ford and other technology employers along with leading universities, the scheme will include theoretical and practical training in digital skills.Over the past two years, Ford has ...
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ArticleSkoda produces 17 millionth vehicle
Czech Republic – The milestone car, a Skoda Rapid Spaceback, came off the production line at the company’s headquarters in Mladá Boleslav. Production of the 17 millionth vehicle highlights the success of the carmaker’s growth strategy; in 2014, Skoda manufactured and sold more than 1m cars for the first time ...
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ArticleJLR recreates 1948 production line
UK – The Defender Celebration Line at the Solihull plant, West Midlands, replicates the manufacturing set-up which produced the first Series I Land Rover shortly after the Second World War. Jaguar Land Rover is marking the final year of Defender production in the UK.Located by the Defender production line which ...
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ArticleFirst 2016 Acura ILX made at Marysville
US – The sports sedan was completed on the 20th anniversary of the start of Acura production in the country, which launched with the Acura CL at the East Liberty plant in Ohio. North American sales of locally made vehicles have now reached 2m, with a record of 158,043 last ...
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ArticleNew solution for seal gap measurement
Third Dimension claims it has developed a new solution to solve the challenges of measuring automotive seal gaps. The company says it has been tested with a leading automotive manufacturer, accurately measuring gaps from 0mm to 50mm controlling tolerance bands of +/-0.5mm (+/-0.02”). Having designed two patented fixtures; a door ...
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Plug-in safety light curtains
Expanding its range of safety products, SICK claims its deTec2 Core type 2 light curtain offers protective field heights in increments from 300mm to 2100mm and a choice of finger and hand (14mm) or hand and person (30mm) resolution providing protection against operator intervention in accordance with EN ISO 13855 ...
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ArticleApplication centre for advanced materials
Avure Technologies has established an application center to assist fabricators utilising advanced materials in the development of hot and cold isostatic pressing applications. The company says this new facility is equipped with two Hot Isostatic Presses (HIPs) and one Cold Isostatic Press (CIP). Currently hosting projects related to densification (defect ...
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Article£1.5m investment to help VTL supply JLR
UK – The maker of precision-engineered components has now received a total of £5.5m ($8.3m) from BGF since September 2013, alongside loan funding from HSBC. VTL is launching a capital investment programme ahead of an eight-year project to supply engine parts to Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), via Ryobi UK.The parts ...
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Watch Cadillac joining a CT6 body
GM has announced a new combination of joining technologies for the Cadillac CT6. The methods are in use at Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly plant, Michigan.