Automation – Page 368
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ArticleA changing horizon for GM Holden
Production at Elizabeth into the 2020sDecoding GM’s architecturesGlenn Brooks reports on production of the most advanced Australian-made car yet, soon to roll out at GM Holden’s Elizabeth plant in Adelaide.Holden is one of only seven fully integrated GM global operations that have the ability to design and build vehicles for ...
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ArticleBoosting efficiency at Cummins
Virtual operationCustomer specificationsEnhanced test methodsComponent improvementHeavy-duty diesel automotive engines, “are not overly efficient,” states Mark Firth, executive director of product line management and marketing at Cummins Turbo Technologies. “They convert only about 45% of the energy created when burning the fuel and creating usable power, the rest is lost in ...
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ArticleDrivers of reduction
OEMs have been installing renewable energy sources to reduce energy costs and comply with legislation but the focus is now moving to the manufacturing process itselfPSA Peugeot-Citroën has stated that by 2015 it wants to reduce energy consumption during manufacturing to 2MW per vehicle. GM has also set aggressive targets ...
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ArticleAustralia’s OEM
GM Holden chairman and managing director Mike Devereux, head of GM’s Australian operations, talks to Glen Brooks about future vehicle platforms, the rescue of a key supplier, and overseeing new export programmesAMS: You’ve been chairman and managing director of GM Holden since March 2010, leading the company through a period ...
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ArticleEditor's Note: Reversal of fortune
Over the last few years we have seen the rise and fall of a number of major, seemingly unsinkable vehicle manufacturers, and this picture continues to be redrawn. Like old battleships, although they appeared impressive they proved to be outmoded; too inflexible to adapt quickly enough to major changes. Nautical ...
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ArticleHandling with care
Robots, handling systems and windscreens are superficially the same as they always were, but automotive glass installation today is a very different to even a decade ago.With auto manufacturers controlling manufacturing processes more closely in order to eliminate gaps as much as possible, glass manufacturers too have had to develop ...
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ArticleClear improvements
Malcolm Wheatley discovers that even after more than a century of development, the automotive glassmaking industry is still developing innovative technologiesDevelopments such as water-repellent and heat-reflective glass, in-built sensors, ‘headup displays’, and ultra-violet light-reflective glass are now regularly incorporated into windscreens installed during vehicle assembly. Still the first choiceInnovations for ...
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ArticleSheets ahead
Malcolm Wheatley reports on how advanced production processes have enabled automotive glass to be augmented with added-value technologiesFor the most part, glass alone does not provide the capabilities that a driver most values in a vehicle’s glass components. Instead, from road noise reduction to heat-reflective capabilities, and from built-in antennae ...
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ArticleAt the heart of glass
Strong and cost-effective, developments in glass continue to enhance both production processes and vehicle applicationsIt would be a mistake to think that the business of automotive glass was without innovation. While glassmaking itself hasn’t changed much since the development of float-glass production in the late 1950s, a complex range of ...
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ArticleOnline service for robots
‘Local’ goes globalDirect to the cellDesign-for-maintenance and enhanced remote diagnostics are just two of the latest trends in robot service and support, as Steed Webzell discovers.Robots work hard: it’s one of the main reasons they’re deployed, after all. As a result, alongside the critical nature of the operations they perform, ...
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ArticleGaining control of robot efficiency
The efficiency of robot hardware is being optimised by the relentless development of software. Steed Webzell reports on this rapidly evolving technology areaThere are countless drivers in robot software at present, all of which are intrinsically linked to hardware design. Indeed, according to industrial robot specialist Comau, to achieve the ...
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ArticleEnergy-efficient electric motor range
WEG claims its W22 Super Premium range of electric motors exceeds the yet-to-beimplemented IE4 regulations, enabling manufacturers to increase energy efficiencies throughout their plants and processes.The three-phase induction motor is based on WEG’s W22 motor mechanical design and has been designed to have low operating temperatures, which increases the insulation ...
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ArticleSpring-loaded contacts suited to use in harsh environments
Harwin says it has launched an IP68-rated version of its HotShoe connector technology. Available in standard 8, 12 and 16-way versions, HotShoe connectors employ spring-loaded contacts which maintain a positive contact force against the mating half of the connector, which the company claims ensures reliable connection even under demanding conditions. ...
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Article
Software tool for configuring laser scanners
Sensor manufacturer Micro-Epsilon has released a new version of its Configuration Tools software for the company’s scanCONTROL series of laser scanners. The company says this new version, scanCONTROL Configuration Tools v3.0, enables users to configure their laser scanner via a Windows PC or laptop. As well as improving the user ...
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ArticleVersatile gauging system allows use of robots
Renishaw has expanded its gauging system range with the new Equator 300 Extended Height system. The company says this new variant allows components to be transferred on to the machine on their machining fixtures and also allows the use of automated systems such as robots and conveyors.The system can inspect ...
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ArticleSimulate to facilitate
Steed Webzell explores the latest work in robot cell design and layout, discovering simulation technologies are rooted firmly at the heart of best practice.Gone are the days of marking the reach of robots in chalk on the shop floor to avoid collisions. Today, this vital production engineering function is facilitated ...
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ArticlePlug and play robot automation system
Yamazaki Mazak has launched a new range of robot automation systems designed to require a low-cost investment yet provide a flexible workpiece handling solution. The systems are capable of being utilised across a number of machines in the Mazak range.The newly launched cell enables components of up to 2kg in ...
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ArticleMotion control positioning system offers full servo at reduced cost
Festo has launched a new compact electric cylinder (EPCO) and controller (CMMO), which form part of its optimised motion series positioning system. The company says this offers the advantages of full servo motion but at a reduced cost.The CMMO is a new compact controller, specially designed for the new range ...
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ArticleUnit converts hazardous waste into useable energy
A new compact unit, which enables manufacturing and engineering companies to turn their hazardous waste streams into heat, has been launched by DPS Global.The ST Series technology involves staged and separated pyrolysis and gasifi cation of industrial and hazardous wastes to produce small amounts of ash and heat. DPS says ...
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ArticleAll up for grabs in robot R&D
Steed Webzell talks to technology vendors about which OEM criteria are driving their innovations in robot design and developmentUnimation installed the world’s first industrial robot in 1961 on a production line at the GM Ternstedt plant in Trenton, New Jersey. Obeying step-by-step commands stored on a magnetic drum, the robot’s ...