ROBOTICS:
Tanks a Lot
A maker of well-water tanks needed to improve efficiency, consistency, and ergonomics, so it turned to incorporating robots
Flexcon Industries, a well-water tank maker in Randolph, MA, needed a way to improve efficiency and ergonomics while still producing quality parts, and the answer were robots. It needed to automate some processes to stay competitive in the global market.
COATINGS:
A Gripping Tale
A shop making sliding grippers and stationary grippers for upsetters was getting complaints from customers who were having slippage problems. It solved the dilemma with Carbinite coatings.
At first, customers tried to achieve a more stationary grip by undersizing the radius and depth of the groove in two grippers, but were unsuccessful. Adding a Carbinite coating to the surface of the gripper helped the customer achieve the stationary holding. By adding the coating, customers achieved stability.
WORKHOLDING:
The Clean Plate Club
Machining a large polycarbonate plate wasn’t the problem for this shop, it was how to hold it in place. Taping it down worked, but entailed after-work cleaning. Then the shop found the answer in a vacuum.
The vacuum holding system made machining a polycarbonate plate easier, cleaner, and faster. It was 90 percent faster since there was no cleaning of the plate as there was with the tape-down method.
MACHINE CONTROL:
Toys Aren’t All Fun and Games
There’s no kidding around for a toymaker looking for efficiencies
German toymaker, geobra Brandstätter GmbH & Co., is dead serious when it comes to machine controls. By incorporating NC and CNC software to control its machines, it meets the demands for new part production.
WORKHOLDING:
An Exercise in Problem Solving
An expert in the workholding field offers detailed advice about designing effective, efficient, and economical workholding solutions
The second part in a series about finding a balanced combination of design characteristics at a reasonable cost for workholding solutions is as easy as following these steps.
MATERIALS MANAGEMENT:
No More Scattered Stock
Use of vending-machine technology to control stock and tools let a shop consolidate and standardize tooling, resulting in better item pricing
“We had to clean up over 10 years of data accumulation, a painful process, but one that has provided ample rewards in efficiency, cost savings, and inventory reduction.”
STAMPING:
First and Goal
Football coach headsets sometimes have to take more abuse than the players. Stamping parts that can take it was the goal of shop involved with making the headsets.
A shop needed to keep down the tooling costs of communications headsets. The solution it found gave it the opportunity to avoid costs, yet produce high-quality parts with a quick turnaround time.
SPOTLIGHT
Spotlight on Lasers
A look at the latest laser-related products