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Assuming management has decided to take substantial steps to improve the production process in a metalworking company, the task of analyzing the cost of various alternatives must begin. When analyzing [...]

The concept of flexible manufacturing is coming of age in the United States and Canada. The application of principles discussed in the US many years ago--but never put into practice--was [...]

American manufacturers are under tremendous pressure from successive waves of low-cost offshore producers. The very products we plan on using to automate our facilities also are under offshore attack. Management [...]

Flexible manufacturing system refers to factory equipment or automated machine-tools joined by computer-numerically controlled automatic material-handling apparatus. It produces assemblies or parts comprising predetermined families, involving mechanical hardware rather than bulk or processed goods like food, chemicals, or primary metals.

Getting into machine vision Suppose that you find yourself in this position regarding machine vision (MV): You've seen MV demonstrated at several trade shows, and you've read a few articles [...]

Industry report-- Information Technology America's standard-bearer, the hightech computer/software/semiconductor and communications industry, is big and outwardly healthy. Inside, though, it almost qualifies for the critical list. As recently as last [...]

The ability to accurately simulate on a computer the operation robots, transfer machines, conveyors, machine tools, welding machines, and controls under actual operating conditions can be a valuable tool for [...]

LANs: Manufacturing's prodigal child The future factory will be a giant network with a lot of smaller systems connected to it--programmable controllers, machine tools, materials-handling equipment, even other computers. If [...]

When I think of current toolroom operations, I'm reminded of a cartoon image showing an extremely modern factory. There are guided vehicles buzzing around; robots with vision are loading machines; [...]

Nix on clicks, bet on chips Allen Bradley has been known for years as the people who make quality relays and controls--things that go clap-clap when you push a button [...]

Flexible manufacturing is a key to totally integrating metalworking manufacturing. In fact, an FMS approach is regarded by most strategic planners as the only way to meet conflicting goals of [...]

Installation of FMS seen as progression Flexible manufacturing will improve US industrial productivity over the next decade, but use of flexible manufacturing systems (FMSs) will not be widespread, according to [...]

Personal computer hype has popularized the term 'User Friendly' and inferred at least that the owner will not find operating one of these high-tech devices to be an unfriendly experience. [...]