Learn about center bushing installation by robots.
About the presentation The center bushing installation machine for the 787-torque tube with an ABB robot improved workplace safety by eliminating human interaction with hot material. The center bushings are typically installed by preheating the bushing and manually inserting the bushing about the torque tube. Operators must manually handle the pre-heated bushing prior to installation. The operators need to manually place the workpieces at awkward angles and install the center bushings on the workpieces, which can inherently lead to errors and defects in workmanship. In addition, the manual process results in reworks and failures because of the manual steps involved in heating and maintaining the bushing at a fixed location on the workpiece. In other instances, there’s variability in bushing installations as different operators tend to locate the bushing about the workpiece differently. There was also a problem with operator fatigue in handling heavy pieces of machinery. This design includes ABB Robot Studio software, heater control, and the interface between robot and heater control including electrical schematics and safety circuits. All the aforementioned issues are successfully addressed in this design.
Meet your presenter Wen Jiang works in factory automation in final assembly and delivery (FAD), fabrication of hard metals and composite, and manufacturing processes. He has extensive experience and knowledge of hardware, software, system integration in programmable logic controller (PLC), computer numerical control (CNC), motion servo control, robotics, enterprise-control system integration (ISA95), and through control design with Siemens, Fanuc and Allen Bradley (AB), Ladder logic, Micro code, Assembly language, NC program, Human Machine Interface (HMI), Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA), C++, and Visual Basic. He’s a contributor to ISO 23247 digital twin manufacturing framework.
About the company As a global aerospace company, Boeing develops, manufactures, and services commercial airplanes, defense products, and space systems for customers in more than 150 countries. As a top U.S. exporter, the company leverages the talents of a global supplier base to advance economic opportunity, sustainability, and community impact. Boeing’s diverse team is committed to innovating for the future, leading with sustainability, and cultivating a culture based on the company’s core values of safety, quality, and integrity.
Learn how to implement IIoT solutions for robot sensor-level protocols.
About the presentation Sensors are the eyes, ears, and skin of a robot, and are the basic devices for gathering data for Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) applications. In the past, sensors were individually wired to robots and controllers, requiring many cables and a lot of time to set up. Their data was limited (on/off, analog values, etc.), and gathering and using this data in IIoT applications was cumbersome.
Sensor-level networks, such as CANbus, AS-Interface, and IO-Link simplify robot start up. Sensors can be connected to I/O blocks using standard cabling, reducing wiring time and troubleshooting. Built-in advanced capabilities allow more and better data – for example, IO-Link sensors provide process, event, and service/device data, supporting IIoT functions. In addition, these networks easily connect to higher level ethernet or fieldbus protocols and can be directly accessed by control systems or cloud devices using standard masters or gateways.
Meet your presenter Tom Knauer has more than 30 years of experience in the industrial automation industry with equipment/solution suppliers including Balluff, Omron STI, Parker Hannifin, and GE Fanuc. His focus is on product management and business development for sensors, safety, and networking. Recently, Knauer’s work includes robotics, material handling, condition monitoring, general factory automation solutions, and market development. He led Balluff’s activities to evaluate and understand changes in robot and factory automation technologies and the marketplace. He also directed Balluff’s strategy and technology development path based on this information.
About the company Balluff is a leading manufacturer of a wide range of inductive, photoelectric, vision, capacitive and magnetic sensors as well as linear position transducers, RFID systems, and networking products. Balluff products for OEM and factory floor solutions are used to control, regulate, automate, assemble, position, and monitor manufacturing, assembly, and packaging sequences for industries including metalworking, automotive, plastics, material handling, wood processing, aerospace, alternative energy, medical, electrical, and electronics.
Taking place next Thursday, August 25 from 12–12:30 P.M. ET, this free event is your opportunity to connect Nathan Turn, president, Fastems.
The idea of investing in automation technology is daunting even for the most successful of shops but it can be done cost-effectively and efficiently when partnering with your automation solutions supplier. The benefits are many including seamless integration, flexible lines designed for your operation, and a safe environment with little waste. Fastems LLC President Nathan Turner will discuss all of these things and provide real world examples of Fastems customers who have successfully implemented MMTL, FMS and adjacent systems with some help from their friends.
Make sure to register for the August 25, 2022 Manufacturing Lunch + Learn taking place at 12PM ET.
How to make artificial intelligence more accessible.
About the presentation The Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing (ARM) Institute has been working with its more than 300 members to identify and prioritize initiatives that make artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML) more accessible to U.S. manufacturers. In this presentation, ARM Institute Program Manager Michael Skocik highlights findings and resulting activities from the institute’s research, with an emphasis on the role of data, human interaction, and sensory and perception technologies.
Meet your presenter Michael Skocik is a program manager for the ARM Institute, one of nine national manufacturing institutes funded by the Department of Defense. Skocik is responsible for managing a multi-million-dollar portfolio of ARM’s technology and workforce development projects and supporting the process by which they are selected. He has more than 20 years of manufacturing experience and served in roles ranging in quality, product management, research and development, program management, and engineering. Recently, Skocik led the development of the ARM Institute’s flexible roadmap process and served as lead designer and facilitator for workshops on artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). Prior to joining ARM, he was employed by Westinghouse Electric Co. in the roles of marketing development and product management where he managed aftermarket and engineered products for the global commercial nuclear sector. His career experience also includes being senior engineer at Flowserve Corp., one of the world’s largest flow control companies. Skocik is a graduate of West Virginia University with a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering.
About the company The ARM Institute was created in January 2017 through Carnegie Mellon University winning the bid to create a robotics-focused manufacturing U.S. institute. We now operate as a separate non-profit that exists to strengthen U.S. manufacturing through innovations in advanced manufacturing technology, particularly robotics and AI. ARM strives to prepare the workforce to work alongside these technologies.
The 3M VHB Extrudable Tape provides a faster, simpler, more sustainable solution for manufacturing bonding.
3M announces the debut of 3M VHB Extrudable Tape, a new manufacturing bonding solution that brings elevated levels of automation, simplicity, and sustainability across industries. This end-to-end bonding solution combines the benefits of 3M VHB Tapes with the versatility of a liquid adhesive in a single contained footprint enabling usage on any scale.
For more than 40 years, 3M VHB Tape has redefined manufacturing design and assembly processes, allowing users to bond industrial materials quickly, securely, and permanently without the use of mechanical fasteners such as screws or rivets. Initially used for bonding panels to the frames of specialty vehicles like ambulances and box trucks, this new bonding solution proved its ability to distribute stress loads across an entire surface instead of concentrating stress loads around each individual fastener.
The tape combines the best qualities of high strength acrylic foam tape with the versatility of liquid adhesives without their inherent drawbacks. While liquid adhesives offer versatility with application, they can be messy, difficult to handle, increase waste, and require longer curing times, all factors increase manufacturing time and overall costs. In contrast, the 3M On Demand Bonding System – designed to work with the Nordson ProBond System – eliminates liners and container waste while providing immediate material bonding and handling strength. These benefits help streamline, simplify, and speed up production operations.
"3M VHB Extrudable Tape does things no tape or liquid adhesive could ever do", says Patrick Meifert, global portfolio director of 3M. "It's an entirely new category of product and bonding solution for manufacturing innovation. This bonding system creates endless design and application possibilities at scale – whether you're a global multinational or a local manufacturing business."
Simple storage and application Shipped on spools, the tape comes in the form of a long, coiled spool that’s easily stored and doesn't require special packaging or handling. Unlike large, complex liquid adhesive machines, the 3M On Demand Bonding System has a small footprint (30"x37") and very few moving parts, allowing assembly line integration without a list of replacement parts.
Versatile usageThe tape works on curved surfaces, irregular shapes, and dissimilar materials, eliminating the need for unsightly fasteners. The system can manage most inline or offline bonding situations involving metals, glass, rubber, woven surfaces, and plastics, alone or in combination with each other. As a result, 3M VHB Extrudable Tape can be used across multiple parts as a single adhesive that replaces several specialized solutions.
Ultimate efficiency With the tape, bonded parts are ready to be handled immediately, removing steps, and increasing throughput. The system also requires little to no surface preparation.
Automation ready The 3M On Demand Bonding System has a small footprint allowing scalability for manufacturers to move from design to scale-up no matter where they are in the automation journey.
Next level efficiency and sustainability focused The tape's innovative stretch release technology provides a quick and easy adhesive removal process that reduces scrap, waste, and rework, making component repair easier.
Reimagining bonding3M VHB Tapes have been used across a variety of market applications for more than 40 years, so when it came to creating a new product, 3M's scientists, engineers, and developers knew the market and their customers intimately, allowing them to design this product with a new set of priorities. Automation, versatility, and sustainability were the primary goals for 3M VHB Extrudable Tape.
"3M VHB Tapes have revolutionized manufacturing over the past four decades. Today, 3M VHB Extrudable Tape redefines bonding possibilities as we know them", says Patrick Meifert, global portfolio director of 3M. "The idea that we created a bonding solution that is automation-friendly and versatile is exciting for this industry."