Automation Equipment Industry Information

Assembly machinery is crucial to any manufacturing process. Industries that produce mass quantities of products rely on assembly machinery extensively as part of daily operations in their factories and production plants. Assembly systems include conveyors, lifts, pick and place equipment, palletizers, testing equipment, marking equipment, pallet transfer systems, etc. Flexible assembly systems are modular, allowing for expansion and process refinement. These systems can all be manually loaded. Much of the machinery used in assembly is custom-designed for the product to be manufactured.

Automated assembly machines are capable of performing a wide variety of tasks, including welding, eyeleting, metal injecting, riveting, brazing, screw driving, nut driving and soldering. Automated assembly systems may incorporate control, CAD/CAM or turnkey systems. Various movement technologies, such as carousels or other rotary-style systems, continuous motion, inline indexing, walking beam transfer, etc., are also utilized in assembly machinery. Conveyer and palletized machine systems are used in production processes that need continuous in-line motion. High-speed assembly systems typically operate at speeds ranging from 200 to 1000 parts per minute and are used for high-volume production. Automated assembly systems can also be designed to apply secondary marking (e.g. bar-codes, labels) or package the product directly from the assembly machine.

Robotic technology is now becoming a standard part of most assembly equipment. This emergence is making the human component of assembly less of a requirement, at least at the hands-on assembly level. Humans are still needed to program, create and monitor the productivity of fully automated robotic assembly systems. Robots have low maintenance requirements, as they have few electrical and mechanical components. They provide simple, flexible and extremely reliable results. Robots are capable of handling more than just one type of product, provide rapid or automatic changeover and are programmable. They are also easy to integrate into existing assembly systems.

Assembly machinery manufacturers primarily custom-design the equipment based on client needs. Their goal is to design cost-effective, labor-saving systems that provide consistent production. Assembly machinery manufacturers are often capable of designing semi-automated, as well as fully automated systems. In semi-automation, the operator can intervene during various stages of assembly, depending on the design. Services offered by assembly machinery manufacturers may include equipment and control system design, CAD/CAM support, systems integration and on-site support and training. Industries that benefit from these custom-designed assembly systems include the aerospace/aeronautics, agriculture, computer, electrical, medical, semiconductor and food and beverage industries.