All Systems articles – Page 6
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ArticleSet the controls
Expertise in plastic component manufacturing will be in ever greater demand during the emobility age. In preparation, global supplier Novares has taken on a new form Following a period of reorganisation and rebranding, the Mecaplast-Key Plastics group spent 2018 settling in to its new identity – Novares The chosen name ...
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ArticlePiecing it all together
Ian Henry identifies six themes from the moves, mergers and makeovers underway in the global automotive tier supply sector Six themes characterise the automotive supply sector at present, namely: ongoing M&A, the financial challenges faced by the supply base, restructuring and realignment of product portfolios, investment in new facilities, the ...
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ArticleCompetitive advantage
Automotive supplier BENTELER has introduced ABB inspection automation technology to its production plant in Vigo to improve efficiency and stand tall next to its competitors BENTELER is investing in ABB’s digital 3D vision and metrology solutions at its Vigo production plant in Spain, helping it reduce cycle times while ...
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ArticleElectric nutrunners lower costs
A new line of NeoTek smart tools includes a nutrunner that is lighter, more durable and more efficient About six years ago, Cleco set out to totally redesign its line of corded DC electric nutrunners. The company subsequently launched the result – a new line of smart tools called ...
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ArticleWhite light
Michael Nash visits Constellium’s new plant in White, Georgia, from where it supplies BMW with aluminium crash management systemsThe rise of electrification is having a huge impact on vehicle manufacturers and their product portfolios, with many promising to launch a wide variety of new battery electric vehicles (BEVs), plug-in hybrid ...
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ArticleSchedules to keep
Raffaello Lepratti, vice-president of business development and marketing at Siemens, outlines the company’s SIMATIC IT Preactor planning and scheduling solutionCar buyers’ tastes are becoming more diversified. They are attracted by design and performances, but also by region-specific features and a touch of uniqueness. Cars are one of the few mass ...
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ArticleAlpine scales new heights
One of the most interesting plant revivals in the last 12 months has been Renault’s overhaul of its factory in Dieppe, which now builds the A110 sports car. Nick Gibbs reportsThis is the home of Alpine, the revived sporting brand that Renault may or may not expand to become a ...
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ArticleExtreme flexibility is essential
KUKA offers numerous solutions that are helping vehicle manufacturers to tackle several challenges The automotive industry is undergoing the biggest transformation in its history. Megatrends such as digitisation, autonomous driving and e-mobility have significant implications not only for manufacturers but also for suppliers. What is required are smart production ...
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ArticleAdvanced 3D metrology for car body
GOM has worked on improving the speed and accuracy of its latest generation of optical 3D coordinate measuring machinesThe automotive industry has undergone many changes over recent years, and new technologies are influencing production processes with the aim of making manufacturing more efficient. The implementation of robotics on the assembly ...
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ArticleThe perfect weld
Fronius sheds light on how data documentation can improve industrial welding processes in automotive productionIn the increasingly digitalised and interconnected automotive OEM and supplier industries, one factor that is playing a growing role is the efficient acquisition and processing of the data generated in production. This enables manufacturers to optimise ...
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ArticleNew sensors for touch and automate system
Isra Vision says that its MONO2½D- an MONO3D ‘Touch & Automate‘ sensors will now be equipped with embedded technology to speed up scanning times. The company says it is preparing a generation of connective sensors that can be navigated with smartphones or tablets and offer easy usability.It’s claimed these sensors ...
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ArticleFact, not fiction
Mike Farish reports on a sci-fi inspired additive technique that’s gaining interest with automotive manufacturers New items of technology often get hyped as being like something from science fiction, but in the case of one of the most innovative and unusual additive techniques now on the market, continuous liquid interface ...
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ArticleMaking metal add up
Additively manufactured metal parts present a challenge for high-volume production but at the other end of the scale, engineers are successfully developing the process for specialist, low volume parts. Mike Farish reportsAll over the automotive industry companies are exploring the potential of additive techniques to make parts in polymers and ...
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ArticleWaste not…
Karen McCandless reports on vehicle-maker recycling projects ranging from plastic bottles to electric vehicle batteries As vehicle production numbers continue to increase, up from 11.9m in 2013 to 17m in 2017, so do the automotive industry’s waste management efforts continue to improve. The waste generated per unit produced in the ...
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ArticleRobotic materials handling for industrial saws
Kasto claims it can implement combined storage and sawing systems for its customers in which all processes are automated, from storage of the raw material to retrieval of the cut parts. The company says control software can be linked to existing ERP systems offering improved transparency and efficiency. Also the ...
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ArticleExpanding and restructuring
As the move to electrified and autonomous vehicles accelerates, Toyota is expanding in both technology areas and restructuring its operations. Ian Henry reports Toyota is making a number of key organisational changes to simplify and rationalise its operations in response to the fast-changing automotive market. As of the end of ...
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ArticleIndustrial stack lights
The 151SSLD-RYGN-NNS1 3-segment stack light has 40mm diameter indicators, standard height lenses and is suitable for OEM and systems integrator machine builders, says Onyx Industries.The lights use an industrial grade, stainless steel housings and long-life LEDs, and the company says it offers number of options that allow OEMs and system ...
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ArticleStructural adhesive joining solutions
Dow Automotive Systems claims its Betaforce, Betamate and Betaseal structural adhesive solutions will enhance lightweight module construction. The company says its structural adhesives are developed with rapid-cure characteristics that are suited to mass production manufacturing environments. Primerless-to-plastic formulations help remove VOCs from assembly operations, and new multifunctional adhesives are in ...
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ArticleLaser methods to support e-mobility
Frank Gäbler and Dr Jürgen Uebbing of Coherent Rofin discuss the various use for lasers when building electric vehicles Compared to gasoline- and diesel-powered vehicles, electrified vehicles are in their relative infancy, with metals and metal components being deployed in novel ways in order to increase range and improve ...
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ArticleQuality is everything
Volkswagen uses Zeiss AIMax digital-optical 3D sensor technology at its plant in WrzesniaFollowing a site analysis in 2013, Volkswagen decided to construct a new factory in Wrzesnia, Poland, to assemble the Crafter van. The speed at which this enormous factory – one kilometre long and 400 meters wide – was ...