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Automation and Robotics Article List
Automation and robotics related articles
There are 41 articles related to automation and robotics.
Automation has emerged as an alternative to manual welding, but these robotic and fixed automation technologies tend to work for specific applications, rather than general pipe fabricating. Automation coupled with the flexibility of a human operator during the welding process, however, represents a ...
By: Carl Heinrich - The FABRICATOR®, 9/1/09
Northwest Iowa Community College decided nine years ago that it would commit itself to leading the way in welding technology education. That commitment has not changed as the school recently replaced its 16-year-old robotic welding cell with a Robotic Education cell provided in conjunction by Lincol...
By: Amanda Carlson - The FABRICATOR®, 7/6/09
North American fabricators have not been as active in adopting
automated bending cells as their counterparts in other parts of the
world. But that may be changing. These five questions can help a
fabricator decide how to justify the case for a robotic press brake.
By: Dan Davis - The FABRICATOR®, 6/8/09
Skyline Steel, a subsidiary of ArcelorMittal, recognized in 2001 that for it to win contracts for high-end projects requiring high-pressure and high-strength steel spiral pipe, it would need to become more competitive in price. That's why the company turned to Servo-Robot Corp. and its AUTO-TRAC las...
The FABRICATOR®, 1/15/09
Peripheral equipment for robotic welding can help maximize the effectiveness of an automated workcell and protect the investment from costly damages. Understanding peripheral equipment is the first step in getting the most out of a robotic workcell.
By: Thomas Jaeger - www.thefabricator.com, 10/14/08
What kind of a difference did an automated fabricating system make for Wood Stone Corp., Bellingham, Wash.? Before the system, the company actually had more people in the shop, and they were working 10 hour days for about 4-6 months to make fewer products than are produced today.
The FABRICATOR®, 9/30/08
Case New Holland needed a flexible robotic welding, one that could continually adapt to changing market demands.
By: Jim Berge - The FABRICATOR®, 9/26/08
Robotic welding has entered the job shop market with gusto--and here's why.
By: Geoff Lipnevicius - The FABRICATOR®, 9/16/08
Robotic GTAW is a little-known process that has made significant advancements recently, thanks in part to the advancements made to manual GTAW that have made it more user-friendly and compatible with the environment. Applications that were once nearly impossible to accomplish can be handled with rel...
By: Matt Brooks - www.thefabricator.com, 9/16/08
Robotically welding a part made sense for Tommy Gate Co./Woodbine Manufacturing, Woodbine, Iowa, so they then made plenty of cents available to invest in a robotic welding cell from Genesis Systems.
By: Dan Davis, Editor-in-Chief - The FABRICATOR®, 6/17/08
Fabricators frequently react to the idea of automation with powerful objections, many of which are based on information that is obsolete, incomplete, or simply incorrect. The reality is that automated systems can increase quality, profitability, and production rates; reduce costs and setup times; im...
By: Randall Liette - www.thefabricator.com, 6/15/08
Robots make a lot of sense for tube and pipe welding. The return on investment for a typical robot system can be seen usually within six to 24 months, depending on the parts, complexity of the system, and learning curve of the manufacturer. Quality improvements are typically seen immediately. In add...
By: Chris Norris and Pat Clayton - The FABRICATOR®, 3/11/08
In the world of shorter-run and engineered-to-order production, fabricators want to keep their machines at near or full capacity, which means the business is making money. To accomplish this, the flow of information coming out of the front office has to be fast enough to drive the shop floor automat...
By: Lars Hedman - The FABRICATOR®, 12/11/07
After World War II, equipment manufacturing companies in Asia and Europe designed production systems that were more flexible in nature than systems in the U.S., which were designed for high-volume production. Today this trend is hitting U.S. shores, and U.S. stampers are looking overseas for inspira...
By: Dennis Boerger, Contributing Writer - www.thefabricator.com, 11/6/07
As with so many other ventures in life, successfully implementing a laser automation system rests on one key practice: communication.
By: Michael Monaghan - The FABRICATOR®, 10/9/07
The main hurdle to automating American Standard's bathtub forming line in its Salem, Ohio, facility was integrating new material handling tools into the older press line.
By: Dan Davis, Editor-in-Chief - The FABRICATOR®, 10/9/07
While automation can increase throughput and reduce labor, it doesn't solve manufacturing problems. A manual process that produces poor-quality or inconsistent parts will simply do so at a faster rate if automated. Understanding the process and process variables is the key to troubleshooting problem...
By: Bob Want - www.thefabricator.com, 10/9/07
From its beginning in 1986 as a machine shop, Custom Tube Products has changed to a fabrication shop. Along the way it has adapted to the skilled worker shortage, mainly by trading in its manual processes for automation.
By: Eric Lundin, Editor, TPJ-The Tube & Pipe Journal® - www.thefabricator.com, 9/11/07
Increasingly metal fabricators are turning to automated equipment to reduce production downtime and costs, streamline manufacturing, minimize material handling and address a shortage of skilled labor. Automating punch press operations can range from adding a simple load/unload device to implementing...
By: Anthony Marzullo - The FABRICATOR®, 7/10/07
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The FABRICATOR®, 7/10/07
Can a four-man job shop keep up with the demands of its manufacturing customers? IMS, Shakopee, Minn., will make you think about that and give you reason to question other practices going on in your job shop.
By: Dan Davis, Editor-in-Chief - The FABRICATOR®, 6/12/07
Because any multiple-step manufacturing process is only as fast as the slowest machine, fabricators interested in purchasing an automated tube bender might suddenly find his production line saddled with bottlenecks. It's necessary to analyze the entire production line and learn about the equipment t...
By: Sabine Neff - www.thefabricator.com, 3/13/07
What's the point in purchasing an expensive laser cutting machine if you are going to waste money-making opportunities by unloading parts manually? Good nesting software, proper maintenance, and the latest unloading technology can help to make automated laser cutting and unloading a reality.
By: Liz Kautzmann - The FABRICATOR®, 3/13/07
Gardner Manufacturing, Horicon, Wis., needed automation and flexibility to keep up with more challenging customer demands. The contract manufacturer found its answer with two laser cutting devices with automated material handling and three new press brakes capable of precision bending.
The FABRICATOR®, 10/10/06
Bending and folding of sheet metal components can be approached manually or with automation. The volume—high, medium, or low&—determines the approach.
By: Gregory Guilfoyle - The FABRICATOR®, 7/11/06
To compete in a global market, all stampers need adapt their manufacturing processes. By mixing automation with electronic controls, job shops can increase output and exceed past manufacturing goals.
By: Dean C. Phillips, Contributing Writer - www.thefabricator.com, 6/13/06
Currently, Dana’s Chatham, Ontario division produces several heat shields for fluid-management systems including heat exchangers, valves, and coolers. With higher demand yields and new orders, the stamper needed an automated press line that could improve uptime, quality, and reliability.
www.thefabricator.com, 12/13/05
Deciding what automated cutting equipment is best for your small or medium shop depends on many factors: part size, part thickness, part accuracy, parts quantity, computer skills, and machine payback, or return on investment.
By: Robert Ludwigson - www.thefabricator.com, 5/10/05
Kawasaki’s production encompasses several wheel sizes and designs, which require more than 60 different dies. To become more efficient, the manufacturer wanted two complete press lines—one to make round and rectangular blanks directly from coil and one to stamp finished disks.
www.thefabricator.com, 5/10/05
Not so long ago, setting up a robotic work cell was a trail-and-error affair. However, advances in simulation technology allow manufacturers to visualize a robotic work cell and sort out any problems before setting up the cell. Simulating the work cell's function helps to ensure the cell will yield ...
By: Eric Patty - www.thefabricator.com, 3/8/05
Prince Industries Inc., a contract manufacturer of CNC machined components, branched out into CNC fabricated components several years ago when it purchased two turret punch presses, a plasma machine, and a laser with manual loading and unloading. These machines were quickly overburdened with the gro...
The FABRICATOR®, 12/7/04
Three main types of tube bending equipment are dedicated, CNC, and automated bending cells. Understanding the advantages of each is crucial to deciding which type to purchase.
By: Mike Bollheimer, Contributing Writer - www.thefabricator.com, 7/13/04
Mechanical presses are challenged to provide high-speed production with a greater number of hits per minute, smaller batch runs, and quicker die changes.
By: Errol Neider, Contributing Writer - www.thefabricator.com, 8/14/03
Rovanco Piping Systems Inc. designs and fabricates piping systems for applications such as water (hot and cold), steam, and jet fuel. It sells fabricated pipe—typically with straight or miter end cuts—up to 36 inches in diameter. It provides preinsulated, high-temperature, low-temperature, and conta...
By: Eric Lundin, Editor, TPJ-The Tube & Pipe Journal® - www.thefabricator.com, 6/26/03
Today’s automotive industry is more competitive than ever. To compete with the European, Mexican, and Asian markets, the U.S. market must become more aggressive in finding ways to cut costs.
By: Brad Vigar, Contributing Writer - The FABRICATOR®, 5/29/03
Caterpillar’s Technical Center relentlessly pursues a manufacturing vision for the “…world’s largest welding shop.” Its combination of laser machines for cutting, press brakes for bending, and robots for material handling provide some insight as to how one of the world’s largest metal fabricators en...
By: Scot Stevens, Contributing Writer - The FABRICATOR®, 10/24/02
A contract manufacturer of railroad and telecommunication signal house enclosures had long relied on job shops to supply the sheet metal parts, which it then assembled. But the president, Patti jon Christensen, wanted to bring all the manufacturing under her own roof so she could build the company's...
By: Mike Dorcey, Contributing Writer - The FABRICATOR®, 10/10/02
You're not afraid of automation. You already have automated several cells around high-volume parts. But now you have a new challenge: Integrate several large presses while still maintaining the flexibility to run lower-volume parts?
By: David J. Wage, Contributing Writer - The FABRICATOR®, 6/27/02
The requirements and parameters of automated handling of tubular products are worth a second look, especially if you want to do the job well.
By: Mary Kay Morel, Contributing Writer - www.thefabricator.com, 4/15/02
Robotics and automation are on the rise in welding, especially as the need for welders remains. This article discusses the future of robotics and automation in welding: improvements expected to be necessary, e-commerce concerns, and higher customer demands.
By: Stephanie Vaughan, Contributing Writer - www.thefabricator.com, 2/28/02
Harris Thermal Transfer Products, Newberg, Oregon, is an American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)-code shop that focuses mainly on the production of shell and tube heat exchangers.
By: Richard Herzfeld, Contributing Writer - www.thefabricator.com, 4/24/01
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