Assembly Automation: Volume 17 Issue 4

Modular assembly: a process not an engineering technique

Steve Jordan

Suggests that when building assembly machines a systematic approach is required for optimum accuracy, repeatability and performance. Accepts that all assembly machines will differ…

ISATA highlights trends in automotive assembly techniques

Anna Kochan

Reports from the ISATA conference on new manufacturing processes which are affecting car assembly techniques. Outlines how hydroforming reduces weight and eliminates welding…

Islands of automation

Richard Matthews

Presents two case studies offering alternative solutions to the automatic assembly of moulded parts, which require further subassembly activities and inspection. Each illustrates…

Modular assembly: not just for phones but also for taps

Anna Kochan

Reviews the Prodel modular assembly system which can easily accommodate changes in product design and market demand. Describes the autonomy of the standard assembly module which…

Human touch to efficient modular assembly system

Juhani Heilala, Paavo Voho

Market turbulence drives assembly plants to constantly adjust their production volume of products, variants and quantities. At the same time, the assembly plant managers must…

Allocating tolerances to minimize cost of nonconforming assembly

Chiu‐Chi Wei

Tolerance assignment plays a vital role in reducing the manufacturing cost, and most optimization models for assigning the tolerances tend to ignore the process capability of the…

Standards support for the virtual enterprise

Paul Clements

Recent developments in global commerce have witnessed the advent of the virtual enterprise#. Groups of companies are forming short‐term relationships to collaborate on one‐off…

Integral attachment using snap‐fit features: a key to assembly automation. Part 4 ‐ selection of locking features

Robert W. Messler, Suat Genc, Gary A. Gabriele

Suggests that, without question, while every step in a systematic approach to the design of parts for assembly using integral snap‐fit features is important, none is more…