All articles by ams_Steedwebzell – Page 7
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ArticleGetting the right formula in machining
Critical partnershipsFast and furiousThe path to redemptionFirst-rate spindle technology is only one element of a four-part formula leading to optimised machining. As important as the machine tool might be, only the application of the right tooling, coolant strategy and cutting paths will offer up the desired outcome. Neglecting these is ...
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ArticleYour flexible friends in machining
Age of the robotHigh fiveMachine tool investment for producing automotive components is seeing new vigour, as demonstrated by a stream of investment announcements over the past six months by major auto OEMS. Chrysler Group, for example, has pledged to invest $72m in its Toledo machining plant at Perrysburg, Ohio to ...
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ArticleFor good measure
Innovations deliver alternativesStyling and partsWith so much emphasis on putting the ‘rapid’ into rapid prototyping, no one wants to spend unnecessary time in the metrology lab waiting for measurement results. Yet quality control results must still be reliable, as the data will be used to shape product designs and help ...
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ArticleFrom virtual, to reality
Eliminating trial and errorJLR part productionHaving a fully-rendered CAD model on the screen is one thing, but holding a part and assembling it with other prototypes reveals a whole new set of information. An example of this rapid prototyping (RP) in action can be seen at the Jaguar Land Rover ...
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ArticleTotal digital for the new Focus
Improved collaborationCut to sizePLM cuts costsVirtual design drives improved efficiencyWith ever-closer links between 3D simulation tools and factory floor automation, major PLM vendors have pushed digital manufacturing technology from the fringe to the mainstream. Ford is one carmaker that has taken full advantage of such software, an example of which ...
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ArticleHard pressed benefits
Speed is keyWorking with exoticsFlexibility in production and processPress shop productivity is typically controlled by upstream design decisions, from both a product and process perspective. Therefore, close co-operation between car stylists, bodyin-white engineers and press shop engineers is critical. Here, a number of measures dictate success. Designers must minimize the ...
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ArticlePooling the advantages
In the past 10 years, laser welding has moved from an exotic joining solution to a mainstream tool used in most body-in-white facilities. Laser efficiency and flexibilityWelding in 3DLaser welding provides narrow, deep welds and high welding rates, making it well-suited to high-volume applications such as body-inwhite.Here, it is now ...
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ArticleJoint forces
Fasteners, adhesives, brazing, spot welding, arc welding: lots of choice for body-in-white engineers, but which solutions are winning out?Turn key developmentsNew joining methodsCold joiningSelecting the optimum joining method for body-in-white manufacturing is a delicate task. Considering that, in principle, a car body engineer has only three parameters to combine for ...
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ArticleSolid benefits of fluid management
Growing adoption ratesReview nowTougher metals and more advanced and severe metalworking processes, along with the ongoing drive to increase productivity and reduce costs, have seen cutting fluids rise up the agenda at automotive machine shops.Where a neat or aqueous (soluble/water miscible) cutting fluid is selected, it is crucial to monitor ...
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ArticleIn the line of fire: which automated machining is best?
Greater efficiencyFlexible and modularFor years transfer machining lines dominated production halls at automotive plants around the world. Then came the backlash as plants sought greater flexibility, even higher productivity, and improved reliability – downtime at one station can bring the whole line to a halt. But transfer lines have evolved ...
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ArticleA new spin on turning
There is a growing demand among auto parts manufacturers for turning machines with integrated B-axis functionalityRapid evolutionCranking up rigidityOpposites attractMulti-spindle automatics remain hard to beat for high-volume turned parts, but with designers seeking to combine parts or introduce part ‘families’ to reduce assembly time, the resulting added complexity often means ...
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ArticleTechnology for the digital age
Carmakers are using digital technology to overcome increasingly complex and challenging production requirements.Line of dutyInside informationScanning for advantagesOne such company is Bentley. At the company’s plant in Crewe, UK, the luxury carmaker is using Dassault Systèmes’ PLM solutions, including CATIA, ENOVIA, DELMIA and 3DVIA, to exploit 3D visualisation and simulation ...
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ArticleRapid prototyping in the fast lane
Pushing the envelopeMaterial worldPast mattersFor the purposes of engineering-based manufacture, rapid prototyping (RP) is essentially the automatic construction of physical objects using additive manufacturing technology. Put plain and simple, additive manufacturing is now viewed as the first major challenger to the three traditional ways of making things that have been ...
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ArticleProbing for competitive gain at Audi Hungaria
Gearing up for successGet movingThe ‘art’ of measurement is portrayed nowhere so vividly than in automotive applications. With freeform body surfaces and complex, multi-featured engine components, the challenge for engineers is to get the best from metrology equipment to help develop and optimise manufacturing processes.Few can provide a more comprehensive ...
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ArticleYear of the factory for ZF
Developing cost savingsFrom development to productionMaking the gradeWith 123 plants in 27 countries, a global workforce of about 60,000 and total 2009 revenues of €9.4 billion, ZF is one of the largest automotive supply companies, developing, producing and servicing driveline and chassis technologies around the world. In 1984, ZF took ...
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ArticlePressing the advantage
Pressing matters in ChinaPress hardeningThe press shop marks the beginning of the automotive production process. Here, as chassis parts are shaped from precisely cut metal blanks, while corresponding tool sets create body parts such as side frames, doors, bonnets and roofs from sheet metal of various thicknesses.Material details vary between ...
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ArticleJoining options in BIW
Focus on adhesive bondingLaser makes gains in BIWWeapon of choiceAdvanced laser techniquesA wide range of recently-launched vehicles claim to have set new standards in joining innovation and efficiency, the improvements largely gained by using a combination of resistance spot welding and adhesive bonding techniques. While few manufacturers are prepared to ...
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ArticleAutomated fluid management
High-pressure situationsThe daily grindWith virtually all machine shops scrutinising costs, ways to make coolants and cutting fluids go further have taken a much higher priority. One such method is automated filtration and recycling.The inherent nature of cutting metal using machine tools leads to the ingress of contaminants such as chips, ...
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ArticleFast solutions for hard materials
Hard done byRF improvementsWith hardened parts increasingly being called on to provide the long service lives demanded by consumers, ways to improve the efficiency of hard turning and grinding processes are high on the agenda for many automotive manufacturing engineers. Auto components such as bearings, transmission gears, injector nozzles, shafts, ...
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ArticleStandard processes: future potential
Age of the robotAutomated tool monitoringNegotiating obstaclesSmart or ‘Smirt’?The mathematics behind the choice to automate machining operations like milling and turning make financial sense; robots work 24-hours per day with very few sick days; they cut associated labour costs while allowing redeployment of machine tenders; they complete potentially dangerous tasks ...