Latest News & Features – Page 79
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ArticleCollective thinking
Closer collaboration between product development and production teams could lead to significant improvements in vehicle manufacturing processes. Ford Otosan holds a unique position. Michael Nash reports The scenery in Turkey is full of surprises. A quick car journey can lead to towering mountains, pristine beaches and lush forests, while historical ...
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ArticleA future European giant?
New models and increased market share: Ian Henry reports on PSA’s improving fortunes under Carlos Tavares’ leadershipWhen Carlos Tavares arrived at PSA from Renault in 2014, he set about turning around the loss-making company. His plan, embodied under the strapline ‘Back in the Race’, aimed to restore PSA to profitability, ...
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ArticleGaining PACE!
Groupe PSA’s acquisition of GM’s loss-making European operations raised a few eyebrows. Ian Henry looks at the plan to turn around the Opel/Vauxhall brandsAfter several months of due diligence, the deal was completed on August 1, 2017. Come early November, a new strategy, PACE!, was announced. Having been making a ...
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ArticleA little goes a long way
Gareth Price visits Groupe PSA's plant at Mangualde, Portugal – a factory with a famous 2CV heritage but a secure LCV futureEarlier this year, Groupe PSA announced its plant in Mangualde, northern Portugal, would take on a third shift for its Peugeot Partner and Citroën Berlingo production lines. The move ...
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ArticleTesla 'on track' with 3 production
The mass production of electric vehicles (EVs) could have enormous impacts on the automotive industry. With economies of scale comes cost reduction - and the high upfront price of models currently on the market has been slated as one of the most influential factors on their low uptake to date.Tesla ...
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ArticleVW starts assembly in Kigali
Rwanda - The OEM has unveiled plans to expand its activities in Africa. As well as launching an app-based car- and ride-sharing scheme, it has started assembling the latest generations of its Polo and Passat models at a facility in Kigali - Rwanda's capital city."Rwanda has great potential," noted Thomas ...
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ArticleRobot mounted ultrasonics
Telsonic says its ultrasonic modules and systems are designed to be applied in a number of ways. The company offers the example of mounting a Telsonic converter and sonotrode arrangement to a robot wrist.The robot-mounted system incorporates ambient and chilled air-cooling to allow repetitive welding on polymer materials and says ...
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ArticleUniversal compliance compensator
The new U1-050 Universal Compliance Compensator from ATI Industrial Automation is said to combine a variety of features making it adaptable to tasks such as automated assembly, bin picking, loading and unloading machines and robotic finishing.The company claims the unit’s mechanism is suitable for high-endurance applications and offers simultaneous X-Y ...
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ArticleSimulation-driven design software
Altair has released its Inspire 2018 simulation-driven design software. The company says features of this new version include generating optimised lattice and mixed solid structures, visualising simulation results in 3D and exporting lattice designs in .stl file format for 3D printing.Other new features include design for additive manufacturing with overhang ...
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ArticleCooper Standard builds rubber facility
Mexico - The company has started building a new rubber mixing facility in Aguascalientes. The plant represents an investment of US$11m, covers an area of 100,000 sq. ft, and will employ around 100 people when operating at full capacity."The opening of our new in-house mixing facility in Mexico is an ...
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Article
Manipulation of heavy workpieces
Roemheld says the articulated arms on its new Centrick manipulator allow workpieces of any shape weighing up to 2 tonnes to be continuously rotated and tilted by up to 90°.The company claims this latest addition to the Modulog range is ergonomic and space saving, and it moves components close to ...
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ArticleAAM builds new powertrain plant
Spain - American Axle & Manufacturing (AAM) has started construction of a new 15,000 sq.m facility in Viladecans - a town located 20km southwest of Barcelona. The company says it will house the production of powertrain components for several car makers, such as Renault, BMW, Daimler, Porsche, Audi and Ford.“As ...
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ArticleBandsaw for additive manufacturing
The KASTOwin amc automatic bandsaw has been designed to increase productivity in the additive manufacturing sector, claims Kasto. The company says this saw incorporates a 180° turning device that allows 3D-printed parts on their build platform to be inverted so that the components fall into a container after they have ...
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ArticleTwo-stage, VCR connecting rod
The FEV Group and Hilite International are partnering to develop and manufacture a two-stage, variable compression ratio (VCR) connecting rod. The partners say the goal of this collaboration is to leverage synergies in the development of the product and devise a cost-efficient solution for serial production.The VCR technology meets the ...
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ArticleLight curing adhesive for hard to bond plastics
Panacol says it has developed a new light curing adhesive (Vitralit UV 4802) for the purpose of bonding high temperature resistant thermoplastics, such as Polyetheretherketone (PEEK) with other non-compatible materials.The company says this light curing adhesive based on acrylate resin, which it’s claimed offers excellent adhesion to many plastics such ...
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ArticleNew compact robot series
Fanuc says its compact, general purpose robots are suited to smaller, narrow work spaces and top-mount applications. The company claims its M10iD/12 model is an easy-to-install robot solution for factories and production lines, particularly those with limited floor space.Features include hollow arm, wrist and body, which allow cables and hose ...
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ArticleWater based cleaning systems
For water-based part cleaning processes, Ecoclean says it offers an extensive range of both standard cleaning systems and customer-specific designs. The company’s EcoCflex 3 features the Scara manipulator, which it says has been developed specifically for use in cleaning equipment, replacing the conventional adapted six-axis articulated arm robot. Made with ...
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ArticleGantry-type machining centre
The DMU 340 Gantry has a one-piece, thermo-symmetrical EN-GJS-600 cast iron machine bed featuring cooling for rigidity and accuracy, claims DMG Mori. Working volume is 3,400 x 2,800 x 1,250mm, expandable to 6,000mm in the X-axis and 1,500mm in Z.The company claims the standard machine version with 4,400 x 2,700mm ...
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ArticleReady to roll
The design and manufacturing of tyres is changing with the introduction of new processes. Michael Nash reportsTyre manufacturing processes have been relatively standardised across the automotive industry for many years. Chemicals are mixed with natural rubber to form numerous components, which are then pieced together on a drum before being ...
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ArticleFord hits production emissions target
US - The OEM has achieved its goal of reducing global CO2 emissions from manufacturing operations by 30% per vehicle, eight years earlier than expected. The target was set back in 2010 and was originally planned for completion in 2025.“We are proud of the work we have done to achieve ...