How fast can you fasten? In assembly line production, fastening speed is a key indicator of production volume. It can even be a factory’s bottleneck, limiting the number of pieces completed. In fact, improving fastening speed can often be the most effective way to increase production and, in turn, revenue. However, speed is no substitute…
If it moves, salute it. If it doesn’t move, pick it up. If you can’t pick it up, paint it. Naval recruits following this time-honored advice may be able to grasp the basic necessities of keeping their ship trim and themselves out of trouble. But the apparent simplicity of these rules, under closer examination, reveals…
Manufacturing high volume products—such as electronics, toys, or appliances—requires speed and precision. After all, hundreds of thousands of identical products have to be assembled and fastened, correctly, in as little time as possible. Many products involve multiple fasteners that require complex fastening sequences. Most, if not all, of the fasteners have specific torque requirements. Often,…
Emergency equipment varies widely. Simple tools—like backboards, braces, anchors, pulleys, ladders, and axes—intermingle with more complex equipment like SCBA gear, ventilation fans, HAZMAT-rated suits, the jaws of life, and even remote-controlled or autonomous search and rescue drones. For each of the many, far-ranging types of emergencies in the civil, industrial, wildland, marine, or military spheres,…
Whether you’re producing large volumes of products or small batches with low or no tolerance for failure, repeatability is king. Of course, in an imperfect world, perfect repeatability is easier aspired to than achieved. So, what’s the solution? Testing your tools as often and as accurately as you’re able. The electric and pneumatic tools you…
Modern appliance manufacturers must work continuously to improve the efficiency of their operations in the face of stiff competition domestically and abroad. Producing household or commercial appliances—like dishwashers, washing machines, or televisions—requires a faster pace and greater accuracy than ever to meet the market’s demands for speed and volume. At the same time, lightweight, inexpensive…
We’ve come a long way since Rossum’s Universal Robots. Robots today are rising in every industry, from manufacturing to agriculture to warehousing and logistics. Such robots are tasked with delicate, dangerous, and demanding tasks which require power and precision. As such, companies manufacturing robots must build to careful specifications to make certain the robots are…
Theme parks are a fantastic American tradition. What’s more fun than strapping yourself to a metal seat that will hurtle you upside down at 80 mph? Harking back to the days of traveling carnival barkers and the roadside attractions (world’s largest frying pan!) of early U.S. highway culture, theme parks are a unique and colorful…
The Importance of Validating Torque Wrenches in Tire Shops When you’re running a tire shop, you’re not just selling tires. You’re selling safety and security, the knowledge that when a customer drives away, they’re driving on a set of wheels that’s safe for the road. As a matter of course, the work you do on…
Efficiency separates companies. Given the same costs for supplies and access to the same demand, companies operating in the same space are competing based on who is able to produce more, faster, and at a lower cost. Increasing production line efficiency can be achieved by many means, and the most effective methods depend on the…