New installation this week

on July 21, 2022

As a change of pace I thought I would share an installation that started this week.

Read full article...

Automated weld dressing

on July 7, 2022

Just about every market can find benefit in process automation. From labor reduction to improving the total time in production there is value in the automation. For some it is the need to improve part to part consistency or just the basic improvement in the over all finished product.

Read full article...

What can you automate?

on March 29, 2022

I often get the question of what can you automate. So I will give a few examples here of things you can as well as a few basic tips.

Read full article...

Follow up on the enclosure project

on February 25, 2022

I received many good questions on the robot working with enclosures. To that end I wanted to provide a little more information.

Read full article...

Robotic application in finishing

on February 23, 2022

From detailed sanding tasks to simple weld removal robotics have a place in finishing. We will take a look at an enclosure application and touch on some of the main points that the company was looking for and how we got there. As always I respect the privacy of the people I work with and to that I will not share more than the company involved approved. So I can not show the final system in detail but can give a good idea of it in general.

Read full article...

A case where automation made sense.

on January 25, 2022

Having an example where automation made sense could be helpful. It may shed some light on what to look for and reasons to move to automate a process or part in general. I will have to limit the detail a bit to protect the parties involved and respect their wishes. But in a general sense it gives a picture of what was automated and the results.

Read full article...

Follow up on enclosure finishing.

on January 21, 2022

I received so many really good questions I thought it may be helpful to share some with the answer to help others that may be faced with the same questions or problems. I am going to try and not go too deep and keep it easy to understand. Be aware the dynamics of each situation and the parts will be different. Keep sending me those questions as I enjoy good questions.

Read full article...

A CNC project to explain a bit more

on December 30, 2021

I had a few good questions sent to me on the last entry so I am going to give a bit of detail on one application to better show the process.

Read full article...

More automation questions and answers

on December 28, 2021

I thought I would share some more of the questions I get and the answers to them. Keeping in mind each application is different some of the general ideas are universal. I welcome your questions so please feel free to ask any you have no matter how simple or complex.

Read full article...

Working with extrusions

on December 20, 2021

Working with an extrusion is one of the things that seems easy but the devil is in the details. Its a product where the final finish can make or break its acceptance. In some cases it can be as difficult or more than mirror polishing. As you tend to see the grain finish through the top coating on an extrusion the margin for error is much smaller. If the finish is not even or straight it will at minimum mean rework or possibly rejection. When you apply the grain you have to be careful not to over round any profile and go just the right depth with the grain. Too shallow and the top coat fills it in and it vanishes, but too deep and coating ends up thin in places and the grain is too pronounced. With the cost and headaches involved with top coating extrusions rework and rejection need to be avoided.

Read full article...