Assembly Planbook - April 2008 - (Page 30) Quality in Assembly Springs, MS, which is scheduled to ramp up in 2010. Quality and Lean Continued quality problems for any company will eventually lead to problems with customers. “They may be willing to overlook a price increase every now and then, but a customer will rarely forgive a quality problem,” notes Jamie Flinchbaugh, a partner in the Lean Learning Center (Novi, MI). “Quality is rarely seen as a competitive advantage by manufacturers. But, the absence of it is a serious disadvantage. “The opportunity for bad quality is constantly creeping back into the organization,” adds Flinchbaugh. “Quality isn’t static. It’s a moving target that’s hard to sustain without constantly evolving and improving the process.” Both large and small manufacturers have discovered that quality control is something that is not isolated from lean manufacturing. “Quality was never meant to be separate from lean,” Flinchbaugh points out. “The two Toyota is experimenting with new ways to deliver parts to the assembly line to reduce potential quality problems. Photo by Austin Weber City, Japan, Toyota has removed traditional parts bins from the plant floor. Instead, bins are strategically placed inside car bodies. The company plans to implement the innovative technique at its new $1.3 billion plant in Blue ROBOTIC END EFFECTORS The ATI Collision Sensor with standard auto reset. Because downtime is never an option. Energy Absorbing Piston Spring Channel—optional spring allows for two trip points, with or without air Stem, Cam, and Reset Spheres—engineered by ATI from hardened tool steel for precision auto-reset performance Sensitivity Adjustment Screw— adjusts sensitivity to fit a wide range of applications The Collision Sensor prevents end-effector damage from robotic crashes and reduces downtime by automatically resetting to within 0.001 inches of pre-crash position. • New tool steel construction for maximum durability and strength • Variable-adjust sensitivity settings for crash detection • Optional spring for tripping with or without air • Compliant in X, Y and Z axes www.ati-ia.com 919.772.0115 30 ASSEMBLY / April 2008 www.assemblymag.com http://www.ati-ia.com http://www.assemblymag.com
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