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Manufacturing

Mass customisation makes itself at home alongside mass manufacturing

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While many people might credit Henry Ford with the creation of the assembly line, it was actually one of his employees, Charles Sorensen, who “examined the relationship between people, machines, tooling, and products and organized them to achieve a continuous flow of production”, according to an article by Daniel Theobald, published today on Robotics and Automation News.

Sorensen’s innovation – albeit in Ford’s employ – could be seen as the first example of a cyber-physical system which optimised, indeed launched, a new era of mass manufacturing which emphasised efficiency and productivity.

Sorensen’s assembly line enabled Ford to build a Model T car in two-and-a-half hours instead of the 12 it had previously taken – without compromising quality, and possibly even improving it.  [Read more…] about Mass customisation makes itself at home alongside mass manufacturing

Kärcher Partners with the Aurora Economic Development Council

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Four powerful entities team up for new headquarter site

Kärcher and the US state of Colorado’s Aurora Economic Development Council are teaming up for a new North America headquarter facility in Aurora, Colorado, slated for opening in September 2019.

This next step for Kärcher is to improve the United States operations’ footprint to ensure competitiveness and sustainable growth.

Kärcher is a Germany-headquartered giant manufacturer of cleaning equipment such as vacuum cleaners and its annual revenues are approximately $2.5 billion.  [Read more…] about Kärcher Partners with the Aurora Economic Development Council

BMW Group makes a million 3D-printed components in 10 years

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At the BMW Group, the use of 3D-printed components is on the rise.

Over the last decade alone, the company produced a million parts by this innovative method, and this year output from the BMW Group Additive Manufacturing Center is expected to reach over 200,000 components — a 42 percent increase on last year’s total.

Dr. Jens Ertel, Director of the BMW Group Additive Manufacturing Center: “The use of components made by additive manufacturing in series production of vehicles is increasing particularly strongly at the moment.

[Read more…] about BMW Group makes a million 3D-printed components in 10 years

DAB Pumps digitalises with Siemens MOM

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Siemens has announced that DAB Pumps has selected the Siemens PLM Software Manufacturing Operations Management (MOM) portfolio as part of its digitisation strategy.

Siemens’ MOM portfolio integrates the digital threads of product lifecycle management (PLM) with automation and ERP, breaking down the traditional data silos and allowing a two-way flow of communication.

Through the latest generation of Siemens PLM Software’s MOM solution, DAB Pumps can access Siemens PLM Software’s industry-specific best practices.

[Read more…] about DAB Pumps digitalises with Siemens MOM

BMW Group uses virtual reality to design future production workstations

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Virtual reality is increasingly finding use in BMW Group production. A few months before production of the new BMW 3 Series ramped up in Munich, BMW Group planners have completely laid out individual workstations in a virtual world.

This includes cockpit preassembly, for example, where the cockpit is put together before being installed in the vehicle.

For the first time, building, systems, logistics and assembly planners, together with production employees, were able to assess the whole of the new production area in virtual reality and test new procedures in 3D.

[Read more…] about BMW Group uses virtual reality to design future production workstations

Smart products and factories transforming engineering services industry

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The rapid growth of smart products and smart factories is transforming the engineering services industry as never before, and providers are responding by digitalizing virtually every facet of their services portfolio, according to a new study from Information Services Group, a global technology research and advisory firm.

The latest ISG Provider Lens Quadrant report, the first ever by ISG to evaluate engineering services providers serving the US market, notes providers are moving to address the digital elements of core engineering functions – from concept and physical product development, to optimization of industrial design and operations, to software product and applications software development.

Esteban Herrera, partner and global head of ISG Research, says: “Transforming from a traditional to an agile business environment is key.  [Read more…] about Smart products and factories transforming engineering services industry

Siemens launches additive manufacturing process simulation solution

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Siemens has announced a new additive manufacturing (AM) process simulation solution for predicting distortion during 3D printing.

The product is fully integrated into Siemens’ end-to-end AM solution, which assists manufacturers in designing and printing parts at scale.

Building on Siemens’ comprehensive digital innovation platform and the Simcenter portfolio, the AM Process Simulation solution uses a digital twin to simulate the build process prior to printing, anticipating distortion within the printing process and automatically generating the corrected geometry to compensate for these distortions.

[Read more…] about Siemens launches additive manufacturing process simulation solution

Komatsu claims its autonomous mining trucks have hauled more material than all other companies’ vehicles put together

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Komatsu, a global heavy equipment manufacturer, claims its FrontRunner Autonomous Haulage System – a colossally gigantic driverless truck used in mining – has achieved the “unprecedented milestone” of more than two billion tons of surface material moved autonomously.

Komatsu further claims that this means the FrontRunner system “has now hauled more than all other commercial mining autonomous haulage systems combined”.

Since its first commercial deployment in 2008 at Codelco’s Gabriela Mistral copper mine in Chile, the FrontRunner AHS has experienced exponential growth in cumulative production, breaking the 1 billion tons mark in 2016 and the 1.5 billion tons mark in late 2017.  [Read more…] about Komatsu claims its autonomous mining trucks have hauled more material than all other companies’ vehicles put together

Groupe PSA holds its third annual Booster Day

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60 partners took part in the third annual ‘Booster Day PSA‘, held at the Poissy plant in Greater Paris, which posed 12 technological challenges for the ‘Plant of the Future’.

The partners ranged from suppliers, integrators, start-ups and laboratories to schools, research institutes and public organisations, all of which have a major role to play in shaping the future plant.

The company posed 12 technological challenges and 30 demonstrators were built. Working as a consortium, the partners came up with concrete solutions to the manufacturing challenges posed by the Group.

[Read more…] about Groupe PSA holds its third annual Booster Day

Kuka receives ‘major contract’ from US automotive company

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Kuka says it has received a “major systems engineering contract” from one of the largest US automotive manufacturers.

The industrial robot maker did not name the customer but says the order volume lies in the “high double-digit million euro range”.

The contract is for the design and installation of a highly flexible manufacturing system to produce body components for a mid-size vehicle in the sport utility car segment. [Read more…] about Kuka receives ‘major contract’ from US automotive company