January 2017
Digital Issue
The Smart Factory connects and integrates real-time information, advanced technology and human ingenuity in the application of manufacturing intelligence to every aspect of the business. Here are some of the latest systems to welcome you to competition in the Internet of Things. Also Inside:
- Think Induction Heating Is Only For Pipe Welding? Think Again.
- Programming Must-Haves for Successful Laser Tube Cutting
- 3D Printing a Spacecraft Valve Body in Titanium
- How Submerged Arc Welding Can Improve Productivity
Creating a future of automation that is not about man VS. machine, but man WITH machine.
Widely used for pipe welding, induction heating is also a flexible option for flat plate welding and other applications that involve a wide range of part sizes and geometries and heating requirements.
Quality software is the first step to precision tube component manufacturing. Knowing what to look for based on your programming needs will help determine the best solution for your shop.
Automating the shear section of an ironworker with a simple stop and some software is a relatively easy way to reduce cycle times on both shearing and setup and improve part accuracy, eliminate rework, and improve material yield.
Factories in the future will be able to run automatically, for the most part. We are only at the start of this revolution, with a lot more development and integration to come, covering every aspect of a business and the performance of its machinery and resources.
Quality software is the first step to precision tube component manufacturing. Knowing what to look for based on your programming needs will help determine the best solution for your shop.
Printing a part of this size in titanium in such a short time was something that could not have been achieved had the part been machined out of a billet.
As manufacturing moves toward Smart Factories that optimize manufacturing processes, great advances in machine connectivity are adding value to automation, production data management and machine intelligence like never before.
Synching Your Shop Floor: ERP and MES Integration for Better Planning, Insight and Execution
With Video
The integration of ERP and MES starts with a cultural change within a manufacturer that embraces Big Data, mobile and Internet of Things technologies. They must add new data and process integration capabilities to their operations and improve flow/use-of-data from the top floor to shop floor. By doing this now, they will avoid becoming overwhelmed and outflanked by their competition.
Digitalization and Internet of Things technologies will likely increase the volume of cyberattacks. Connected devices, online portals, and sharing of data between enterprises create risks. What can a manufacturer do? Are there safeguards that can be taken? Of course.
Collaborative robots are changing the way humans do work and what types of work are considered valuable. Take a look at how they can offer more flexible production, better quality products with fewer resources, a safer working environment, improved employee quality of life – and more profitability.
The Smart Factory connects and integrates real-time information, advanced technology and human ingenuity in the application of manufacturing intelligence to every aspect of the business. Welcome to competition in the Internet of Things.
Another look at how the Smart Factory connects and integrates real-time information, advanced technology and human ingenuity in the application of manufacturing intelligence to every aspect of the business. Welcome to competition in the Internet of Things.
The integration of next generation machine control technology, robots and automation are making the shop floor in the Smart Factory more productive than ever before.
We’ve come a long way since the introduction of the first PLC. Here are some of the key technologies that will shape industrial automation in the year ahead.
What is the sense in spending millions on automating your factory if your workforce could care less?
Creating a future of automation that is not about man VS. machine, but man WITH machine.
Take a closer look at some of the newest advances in data management, systems integration and automation, robotics and more that can help make your welding operations more productive and profitable.
Widely used for pipe welding, induction heating is also a flexible option for flat plate welding and other applications that involve a wide range of part sizes and geometries and heating requirements.
Ideal for demanding applications in pipe, pressure vessel and tank, railcar manufacturing and heavy construction/mining, this process offers great benefits in its simplest form of single wire welding, plus more in twin wire, tandem wire and multi-wire SAW configurations.
The FIELD system from FANUC provides intelligent condition-based maintenance to help optimize the performance and life of CNCs, robots, peripheral devices and sensors used in automation systems.
The Smart Factory reduces insurance costs and increases productivity and profitability by investing in new systems with advanced technology to protect both workers and equipment. Here are some of the latest advances in protective equipment, safety automation and services, and more that can help make your shop become a safer workplace.
Having data is not enough. Whether the data is identifying and describing the workpiece, the materials, the machines that will make it, the approval specification or other manufacturing criteria, all of the information must be organized in a manner which allows the data to work for you. This is where the digital intelligence of the smart factory comes into play.
Cutting edge workholding automation technology that incorporates robotic workpiece loading/unloading is creating total machine automation for job shops that opens up wide ranges of application possibilities for ever shorter production runs.
The Smart Factory uses cyber-physical automation for tool management at every stage: from purchasing to programming to operation; from selecting, ordering and maintaining the proper tools for particular jobs to precise recommendations for cutting data to generating CNC programs for specific applications.
Successful shops always look for ways to differentiate and innovate for competitive advantage. Cashing in on the entirety of a tool’s life with an advanced tool management system is perhaps the most effective way to do that right now.
Typically caused by improper brush use or using the wrong brush for the application, long wire breakage does not fall under normal brush wear. It can be a costly problem that also poses safety hazards for operators and other workers in the area. Here are some ways to help prevent this issue so that you can get longer life and optimal performance from your power brushes.
Check out how Baldor switched from mechanical gaging to faster, more repeatable air gaging systems that improved their process capabilities, reduced their manufacturing costs, and improved the cycle times in their rotor machining cells.
Here are some of the latest advances in automated measurement that can help improve the productivity and capability of your inspection processes.
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