Product Design: An Important Key to Factory Automation Success
Automation equipment comes in many different configurations and formats. Lean work cells, hard automation, robotic assembly cells, flexible palletized conveyor systems, semi-automatic manual workstations, or any combination of these types, are common in today’s factories. The possibilities for different machine concepts are truly limitless. The factory automation solution you utilize, to produce a particular product, […]
Manufacturing Workplace Lighting & Air Quality
Older manufacturing and metalworking plants can be dark, smelly and dirty places negatively affecting the employees working in this dangerous environment. Air quality standards and guidelines for lighting type, quality, lux levels and placement are available for general industrial environments, as well as a variety of very specific work situations and tasks. Manufacturers have several […]
Production System Design: When to Use Lean (or Flexible) Work Cells, Hard Tooled Automation, or a Hybrid Manufacturing System
Designing a production system to manufacture a product is a complex and challenging task. Process engineers and company management must decide on the labor, equipment, and methods they will use to produce a quality product in the desired output volumes. Cost and lead time of custom equipment, production rate, process risk, product lifecycle, flexibility, safety, […]
Understanding the Evolution of Industrial Robots
Industrial robots have made dramatic advancements over the last 20 years. Huge leaps in both hardware and software performance have made them faster, more durable, and much easier to integrate. To understand today’s industrial robots, it is beneficial to understand their evolution. Developed over 50 years ago, primarily for use in the automotive industry, robots […]
Understanding the Key Operating Principles of World Class Manufacturers
Many companies are reshoring their manufacturing operations and this “clean slate” allows them to do it the right way, the very first time. Automated and modern, these new factories are engineered to become the flagship production facilities for these global corporations. To be successful, manufacturers need a solid foundation on which to build their new […]
The Trend Toward Reshoring of Manufacturing to North America
Recent events, especially the U.S.-China trade war and the COVID-19 pandemic, have exposed the fragility of global supply chains. Leading up to the current disruptions, companies seeking the lowest labor rates had stretched their supply chains far away from some of their major markets most notably the United States. Many companies took advantage of the […]