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1 month ago | 
assemblymag.com | John Sprovieri
Factory managers in Asia are bullish that, by 2040, factories will rely almost completely on AI-enabled self-learning machines and robots, overseen and assisted by human workers. Their peers in Europe and the U.S. are more cautious, but agree the future of manufacturing will look quite differently from today. These are findings from Accenture’s new report, Rethinking the Course to Manufacturing’s Future.
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1 month ago | 
assemblymag.com | John Sprovieri
Copper has been the industry standard for bus bars in electric vehicles (EVs) due to its superior conductivity and reliability. However, the rising costs and heavier weight of copper make it less attractive as automakers focus on reducing vehicle weight and improving cost efficiency. Aluminum is emerging as a compelling alternative.
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1 month ago | 
assemblymag.com | John Sprovieri
TechnologiesLean Manufacturing AssemblyWorkstations Assembly The average product life cycle is around five years, although this can vary greatly depending on the product, the industry and market conditions. The life cycle for some products might last only months, while others can persist for decades.
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1 month ago | 
assemblymag.com | John Sprovieri
Panorama Antennas has been manufacturing antennas for more than 75 years. The London-based, family-run business got its start making antennas for radio and television, but has since expanded into technology for first-responders, telecommunications and enterprise applications. These antennas are not merely metal poles with attached wires. They are sophisticated electronic assemblies—and they can require a lot of screws. Installing all those fasteners is a monotonous task.
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1 month ago | 
assemblymag.com | John Sprovieri
The choice of pneumatic or electric actuators involves an evaluation of performance, component costs, system costs and productivity gains. Each has inherent advantages and disadvantages. Electric linear actuators are intriguing, however, for their programmability, precision and energy savings. Perhaps one of these new motion control products can play a role in your next machine design. IAI America Inc. has introduced a compact version of its Elecylinder electric linear actuator.
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1 month ago | 
qualitymag.com | John Sprovieri
All the robots in the world won’t help your assembly process, if your parts are not in the right place or the right orientation for pick up. Vision systems can help. They can recognize different parts, determine how they are positioned, and tell a robot exactly how and where to pick them up and drop them off. The newest technologies take advantage of artificial intelligence to overcome inconsistent lighting or changes in optical scale. Here’s a look at four of the latest technologies.
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2 months ago | 
assemblymag.com | John Sprovieri
Last fall, the CEO of a major supplier of assembly technology supplier assured me that spending on capital equipment would pick up in 2025 after the November presidential election, because manufacturers wanted certainty in the market before making investment decisions. Well, it’s been six months since the election, and certainty has been hard to find. Tariffs are on; tariffs are off. Tariffs are up; tariffs are down. It’s hard to keep up.
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2 months ago | 
assemblymag.com | John Sprovieri
In 1840, Jerome Increase Case started a small business in Rochester, WI, threshing his neighbors’ crops with horse-powered machines. Over time, Case tinkered with the equipment to improve its performance. Two years later, he came up with a new and improved threshing system powered by water, rather than horses, and he founded a company in nearby Racine to supply the machines nationwide.
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2 months ago | 
assemblymag.com | John Sprovieri
Motion control technology is constantly evolving. Consider collaborative robots, for example. Cobots are designed to operate safely with or near people. But, that inherent safety goes out the window if the cobots are paired with actuators or end-effectors that are not designed to be collaborative. That’s why Thomson’s new Movotrak cobot transfer unit caught our eye. Read all about that and three other innovative new motion control products below.
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2 months ago | 
assemblymag.com | John Sprovieri
Choosing between linear and rotary indexers for an automated assembly application depends primarily on the size of the product and the space available on the plant floor. Most products assembled on rotary indexers are small, with each assembly process taking seconds, not minutes. Rotary indexers typically range in size from 18 inches to 15 feet in diameter. In general, these systems are best for simple assemblies—eight parts or less—that can be completed with 12 to 16 stations.
