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What are the benefits of automation? There are a number of immediate benefits to automation. The one that is often sited is cost reduction through the lowering of labour costs. This can be a big driver, however is sometimes not a significant as most people assume. The main benefits that we find are that we are able to produce a highly repeatable, high quality, product quickly to the market. It is very important in a lot of the products that we are producing that they are repeatable. This means that our customers know that they are getting a product that will work for them every time and allow them to work within very tight constraints. This repeatability also ensures that the quality is consistent, even with the best trained labour force there are quality issues that arise from human error and hand producing product. Automation also allows us to produce at much higher speeds than human labour can achieve. Being able to turn orders around and get them back to the customer in short time frames is a huge advantage to any business that has any degree of lean or efficient manufacturing processes. Through automation we are also continuously upskilling our workforce. This is through both retraining to run more complex machinery, and also in understanding some complex lean manufacturing techniques that come with automation and continuous improvement. And does automation mean that workers can be more productive? Yes, there are a number of reasons why automation enables staff to be more productive. The most basic is that anyone using machinery can complete a job much faster. Machines are more accurate, tire less and can complete simple actions much faster than humans. Where we tend to find we get real productivity gains is when an operator is able to manage […]

Faro Technologies, Inc has released the new Faro Scanner Freestyle3D X Handheld Laser Scanner, a 3D Laser Scanner designed to transform the way the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC), Law Enforcement, and other industries document 3D data through easy to use, intuitive data acquisition. With this release the company’s portfolio now contains two handheld scanners designed to help customers increase productivity, save time and make effective, data-driven decisions. The Freestyle3D X incorporates state-of-the-art scanning technology that delivers enhanced scanning accuracy of 1 millimeter at 1-meter range. It is available with a U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) traceable calibration accessory to provide users with verifiable data accuracy – which is critical for forensic scanning and other highly regulated industries. On-site calibration data is exportable to PDF format allowing information to be easily shared with other team members. The Freestyle3D X also incorporates an automatic flash mode enabling users to scan objects in a variety of lighting conditions. New software tools deliver an intensely detailed visualization of the created 3D point cloud, and an integrated best-point filter enhances the quality of the scan data by reducing noise up to 35%. Finally, post-processing functions have also been improved, offering up to 5x faster data saving speed to further improve productivity on the job site. The Freestyle3D X can be employed as a standalone device or used in concert with FARO Laser Scanner Focus3D X Series Laser Scanners. Point cloud data from all devices can be integrated seamlessly – even in grey scale. “The Freestyle3D X sets the industry standard for ease-of-use and verifiable accuracy among professional, portable scanning devices. The new features such as automatic flash mode, best point filter and new algorithms decisively enhance the overall scanning experience and enable users to carry out more projects with better quality […]

  PIC CAP: Delcam for SolidWorks offers Delcam’s proven machining algorithms fully integrated into the SolidWorks environment. Delcam has launched the 2016 release of its Delcam for SolidWorks integrated CAM software for SolidWorks. This includes a range of enhancements, in particular more options for the Vortex high-efficiency area-clearance strategy, faster creation of multiple set-ups, more efficient turning and user-interface improvements to make programming even easier and faster. Full details on the new release, including video demonstrations of the main enhancements, are on the Delcam for SolidWorks Learning Zone – www.delcam.tv/dfs2016/lz Delcam for SolidWorks offers Delcam’s proven machining algorithms, which are already used by more than 50,000 customers, fully integrated into the SolidWorks environment. The program looks and behaves like SolidWorks, and offers full associativity so that any changes in the CAD model are reflected automatically in the toolpaths. However, this associativity is more intelligent than that offered in many other integrated CAM systems. Delcam for SolidWorks doesn’t simply modify the existing toolpaths but also reviews the choice of cutting tools and machining strategies, and changes them if necessary. The 2016 release includes a number of enhancements to the Vortex area-clearance strategy. Vortex gives the fastest safe metal removal from solid carbide tooling, in particular designs that give deeper cuts by using the full flute length as the cutting surface. It produces toolpaths with a controlled engagement angle and so maintains the optimum cutting conditions for the complete roughing cycle, giving faster machining and longer tool life. The ability has now been added to adjust and fine tune the non-cutting moves of 2.5D and 3D Vortex toolpaths, with options to retract the tool and/or to increase the feedrate. These options can be set individually, or can be combined to achieve an optimum toolpath, with a reduced cycle time. Other roughing improvements […]

Engineers at Oregon State University have developed a new “sustainable development methodology” to help address a social and regulatory demand for manufacturing processes that more effectively consider their economic, environmental and social impacts. The work was recently published in the Journal of Cleaner Production. It outlines a way to help designers and manufacturing engineers carefully consider all the ramifications of their design decisions, and to evaluate the possible different ways that a product could be built – before it ever hits the assembly line. “There’s a lot of demand by consumers, workers and companies who want to make progress on the sustainability of products and manufacturing processes,” said Karl Haapala, an associate professor in the OSU College of Engineering. “There’s usually more than one way to build a part or product,” he said. “With careful analysis we can identify ways to determine which approach may have the least environmental impact, lowest cost, least waste, or other advantages that make it preferable to a different approach.” This movement, researchers say, evolved more than 20 years ago from an international discussion at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, which raised concerns about the growing scarcity of water, depletion of non-renewable sources of energy, human health problems in the workplace, and other issues that can be linked to unsustainable production patterns in industry. The challenge, experts say, is how to consider the well-being of employees, customers, and the community, all while producing a quality product and staying economically competitive. It isn’t easy, and comprehensive models that assess all aspects of sustainability are almost nonexistent. “With current tools you can analyse various aspects of an operation one at a time, like the advantages of different materials, transportation modes, energy used, or other factors,” Haapala said. “It’s much more difficult to consider all […]

PIC CAP: Accessing data from the plant floor has never been easier than with Omron’s new remote desktop programs. By Harry Mulder Use of mobile devices, such as smart phones, to access data from the plant floor is becoming more and more commonplace. The fact that authorised users can now access such real time information from anywhere at any time, is highly attractive to many users. It’s also an integral part of the overall drive to increase efficiency. The technology behind this connectivity is remote desktop, which has been around for many years. This is where a “local” device (usually a computer but not necessarily so) runs its normal programs on the plant floor, as well as a server program. A remote client (again, not necessarily a computer) connects to this local server (usually via the internet) and displays identical information (i.e the local “desktop”) on is screen. The remote client effectively gains full control over the server as keystrokes and mouse actions from the client are mimicked on the local server, as if the user was entering them on the plant floor. Apart from supervisory systems, remote desktops are extensively used by help desks that provide remote assistance to computer users. There are many vendors supplying remote desktop programs: VNC (Virtual Network Computing), TeamViewer, Google Chrome (via plug-in), to name just a few. Even Windows versions as early as XP included in built support for a remote desktop. The technology is now very mature The sheer volume of packages in the market is a testament to how powerful this technique is and how important it is to those who use it. The technology is now very mature and usage is very high, across a wide range of industries. Recently, remote desktops have started to be used in the industrial realm. […]

Hovercraft’s which are also known as air-cushion vehicles or AVC can travel  over land, water, mud or ice and other surfaces. Unlike all the other vehicles we know, a Hovercraft does not touch the ground to get the lift, it uses blowers to produce a large volume of air below the hull that is slightly above atmospheric pressure. The thus generated air cushion makes the vehicle levitate in air making the journey smoother than any other vehicle. Surprisingly the first ever reference of such vehicle was done in 1716 by a Swedish scientist Emanuel Swedenborg and the air cushion design which is symbolic to these vehicles was patented by a British shipbuilder John Isaac Thornycroft in the year 1870. If you look up on the internet you will find a lot of DIY hovercraft projects which can be made with little to no experience and believe me it’s an extremely fascinating vehicle to make. Jan Bürstner is a Hovercraft enthusiast and was working on one such DIY project when he got inspired to make an Open Source 3D Printed Hovercraft. He designed all the parts of the hovercraft himself using the Autodesk’s Inventor 2013 software and has uploaded the same on Thingiverse. This allows anyone with a 3D printed to download the STL and create their own motorised hovercraft design. The current model of the 3D printed Hovercraft is the 3rd iteration and probably the most versatile model. In the earlier version of the Hovercraft Mr. Bürstner, experienced issues like the inability to control them outside of turning around their own axis, the inability to carry weight. The other major issue he faced was that the Vehicle was unable to recover from damages to the propeller caused by small pebbles. This was solved by adding a rubber base which could […]

In the picture: James Kissell, marketing director at WFS For many manufacturing companies, labour is the highest business cost and sometimes also the most variable cost. Manufacturing companies can gain better insight into these costs and how to manage them more effectively with workforce management technology. This can result in significant benefits to the bottom line. Many manufacturing companies still rely on manual processes, spreadsheets, and outdated technology to manage their workforce. However, companies that implement workforce management technology have better insights into scheduling, absence and leave management, and overall compliance. This lets them create lean staffing levels, control labour costs, and improve productivity, helping them achieve cost savings and efficiency benefits. According to a study by the Aberdeen Group, automated workforce management software users achieve 54 per cent more revenue per full-time equivalent worker by automating time and attendance, compared with those that don’t. Using manual processes instead of automating opens up the possibility of errors, particularly when it comes to rosters and leave management. It makes it difficult for organisations to get a clear picture of how their workforce is performing and where they may need to make changes. Workforce management systems ensure greater levels of compliance with wage and hour regulations across different legislative zones. This helps to protect the organisation’s bottom line from unexpected regulatory fines and violation fees. By automating these processes and including self-service options for employees, manufacturing businesses can dramatically reduce the amount of time required to manage their employees according to various workplace regulations and legislation. As well as reducing the amount of time it takes to manage employees, automating workforce management can deliver better insight into the strategic strength of the workforce and better utilisation of resources, resulting in lower costs. Unpredictable schedules can result in unplanned overtime expenses, which can […]