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manufacturing

Manufacturing in the USA: The same story told from many angles

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Most stories have at least two sides, usually one negative and one positive, depending on your point of view or what aspect of the story you choose to highlight. 

So, for example, if you read CNN you will see mentions of “record” levels of business, such as in the sectors of automaking and aerospace.

“US aircraft production is at a record high and well ahead of the rest of the world,” says CNN, adding that the auto industry is “within 7 per cent of record levels, making 12 million cars and trucks a year”.  [Read more…] about Manufacturing in the USA: The same story told from many angles

Rethink Robotics signs exclusive distribution deal with Hunan Cothink in China

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Hunan Cothink will distribute Sawyer and Baxter robots throughout the country

Rethink Robotics has reached an exclusive agreement with collaborative robotics provider Hunan Cothink Robotics Technology Company to distribute its robots to the entire Chinese manufacturing community.

Rethink Robotics and Hunan Cothink originally announced a partnership in February of this year that awarded Hunan Cothink distribution rights in northern and southern China, but the success of the relationship and the demand for Rethink Robotics’ smart, collaborative robots has led to a new, exclusive deal that covers the entire Chinese geography.

Earlier this year, Hunan Cothink was formed as a separate division with a new sales and support organization that is designed to bring Rethink’s robots to the Chinese market and help Chinese manufacturers build smarter factories. Hunan Cothink also distributes Rethink Robotics’ Baxter robot worldwide.  [Read more…] about Rethink Robotics signs exclusive distribution deal with Hunan Cothink in China

Additive manufacturing or 3D printing? What’s the difference?

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“Additive manufacturing” is increasingly used interchangeably with “3D printing”, so they essentially mean the same thing. The only difference seems to be that “3D printing” is used more by maker communities – hobbyists and inventors – and still retains some sort of novelty value, whereas “additive manufacturing” – despite being the newer term – is more likely to be preferred in industry circles, perhaps because it has the sound of an established technology. 

But it’s not really an “established” technology in the sense that it’s only been around for a relatively short time.

According to 3DPrintingIndustry.com, it was only in 2007 that a 3D printer was available for less than $10,000 – from a company called 3D Systems, which is today one of the most well-known providers of the technology.

The most advanced 3D printers still cost quite a lot of money, especially those used by high-end manufacturers, but there are good-quality, entry-level machines available today for as little as a few hundred dollars.  [Read more…] about Additive manufacturing or 3D printing? What’s the difference?

Huawei starts smartphone manufacturing in India

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Huawei says it is reaffirming its commitment to India with its decision to start manufacturing smartphones in India in collaboration with “sketch-to-scale” engineering design solutions company Flex.

Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad, India’s union minister, information and technology, law and justice, made the announcement at Huawei’s “Make in India” inauguration ceremony in the Indian capital, New Delhi.

Starting from this month, the Flex manufacturing plant in Chennai will manufacture one of the Honor smartphones models. The plant will have the capacity to make 3 million units by the end of 2017.  [Read more…] about Huawei starts smartphone manufacturing in India

Chinese energy company employs Sawyer industrial robot from Rethink Robotics

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Five Sawyer robots power flexible production in smart metering, power distribution and energy management 

Wasion Group, a provider of integrated solutions in smart metering, smart power distribution and energy management in China and international markets, has deployed Rethink Robotics’ Sawyer industrial robot on its assembly line for manufacturing single-phase energy meters.

Wasion is moving forward with smart manufacturing initiatives by leveraging smart, collaborative Sawyer robots that are easy to deploy and can meet the precision specifications for the companies’ factories.

Wasion is said to produce 35 million units of various smart metering, power and energy management equipment annually. With a diversified product portfolio, Wasion’s production lines need to accommodate a variety of products in lower volumes.  [Read more…] about Chinese energy company employs Sawyer industrial robot from Rethink Robotics

Chinese manufacturing industry setting itself copy deadline

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Picture of Haima Mazda factory, China, by John Lloyd

China-based investment expert Edward Tse, CEO of Gao Feng, says Chinese manufacturers have progressed from being considered “shanzai” – copycats – to embracing the idea of becoming developers of advanced robotics and automation systems

Chinese electrical appliance manufacturer Midea’s move to acquire Kuka, the German robot maker, could be a defining moment in the evolution of China’s manufacturing sector.

China’s reliance on low-cost, labour-intensive manufacturing to power its immense economy is no longer attractive, mainly due to the rise in labour and other costs.

The world’s second-largest economy needs to seek alternative ways to grow and companies like Midea are showing the way.  [Read more…] about Chinese manufacturing industry setting itself copy deadline

Faurecia launches $64 million smart factory in Columbus, Indiana

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Picture credit: Faurecia via DBusiness.com

Faurecia has unveiled a $64 million “digital factory”, or smart factory as some call it, which the company says showcases the future of manufacturing.

Faurecia says the Columbus, Indiana-based emissions control technologies plant represents the industrial giant’s digital transformation.

Faurecia, which is a leading automotive technology supplier, says the $64 million Columbus South plant is a “data-driven manufacturing facility”.  [Read more…] about Faurecia launches $64 million smart factory in Columbus, Indiana

Virtual factory: Manufacturing improvements with PLM

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Adam Bannaghan, technical director of Design Rule, discusses three ways that the digital continuity of product lifesycle management helps manufacturers deliver high quality innovative products with ease

No one hates being faced with a problem they weren’t expecting more than manufacturers. During the design and build process, unplanned events can increase cycle times and have a detrimental impact on the management of materials and working hours.

There is now a demand in the manufacturing sector for a system that provides real-time visual status and control, alongside product quality predictions. Enter, product lifecycle management (PLM).

PLM is used by different sectors for various reasons. For manufacturers, the virtual production element is used to improve the planning, management and optimisation of industrial operations.  [Read more…] about Virtual factory: Manufacturing improvements with PLM

Rethink Robotics’ Sawyer signs deal with Korean company TPC Mechatronics

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Rethink Robotics has reached a deal with a South Korean pneumatic equipment manufacturer and distributor. 

TPC Mechatronics will utilise Sawyer collaborative robots from Rethink Robotics in its own facility, as well as the facilities of its customers, in “an effort to move the entire industry toward smarter factories”, according to the companies.

The exclusive distribution partner of Rethink Robotics in Korea, TPC Mechatronics’ core customer base consists of a wide range of industrial manufacturers.  [Read more…] about Rethink Robotics’ Sawyer signs deal with Korean company TPC Mechatronics

Manufacturing: Smarter than the average factory

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What’s all this talk about “smart factories”? It’s just a bunch of machines being connected to the internet, right? What’s the big deal? What’s the big idea?

True, it’s all about connectivity. But that is, in fact, a very big deal – lots of very big deals, lots of very small deals, just lots and lots of deals, which, when combined, is indeed a huge, historic shift in industrial production, encapsulated by some in terms such as “Industry 4.0” or “Industrial Internet”.

Having been articulated, arguably, by the Germans, talk about “the fourth industrial revolution” or “Industrie 4.0” has permeated virtually all conversations about the future of manufacturing.  [Read more…] about Manufacturing: Smarter than the average factory