Assembly Planbook - June 2008 - (Page 36)

Appliance Assembly can’t be welded without damaging the paint,” explains David Speth, senior engineer at the Edison Welding Institute (EWI, Columbus, OH). With the price of steel continuing to soar, appliance manufacturers have been economizing by using thinner sheet metal. However, traditional joining techniques don’t always work well with thinner materials. “As steel gets thinner, sheets can become more difficult to weld,” explains Speth. “As you go thinner, material strength goes down.” The fasteners and tools that were effective on older, thicker parts aren’t as compatible with thinner materials either. For example, when fastening sheet metal less than 0.025 inch thick, thread stripping becomes a serious issue. The seating torque is too close to the thread-forming torque and the prevailing torque. By using adhesives instead of fasteners or welding, appliance engineers can spread the stress out over a wider area, says Dave Archer, president of Archetype Joint LLC (Orion, MI). Strength and durability have improved as new generations of structural adhesives are introduced for appliance applications. Photo courtesy Dymax Corp. grades are not easily weldable and adhesives eliminate this difficulty.” Appliance manufacturers are also using more prepainted steel to achieve a lower environmental imprint. “As the use of coil-coated steel increases, the use of adhesives may increase, since the substrates Single-Axis, “Mini” Servo Controller • 70% reduction in size • 100% of the software features 41.1 mm 1.62 in SoloistTM MP delivers the full feature set of our SoloistTM family single-axis digital servo controllers in an exceptionally small package. The MP adds to the SoloistTM family's flexibility – the same software platform operates across multiple hardware platforms, with a model that perfectly fits your application. Features/Benefits • Advanced software architecture shortens customer development time • Support for C#, VB.Net, C++, and LabVIEW®; full IDE; multitasking OS • Ethernet networked Soloists permit soft I/O passing and access from a desktop PC 141.2 mm 5.56 in • Host-mode allows sending commands with a PC via Ethernet for immediate execution • Simultaneous control of up to four tasks as well as management of variables and I/O • High-speed position latch inputs and advanced data logging capabilities • Stand-alone operation Dedicated to the Science of Motion AH1107A Aerotech Worldwide United States • Germany • United Kingdom • Aerotech, Inc., 101 Zeta Drive Pittsburgh, PA 15238, USA Ph: 412-963-7470 Japan Email: sales@aerotech.com URL: www.aerotech.com Soloist online community: www.aerotech.com/soloist 36 ASSEMBLY / June 2008 www.assemblymag.com http://www.aerotech.com http://www.aerotech.com http://www.aerotech.com/soloist http://www.assemblymag.com

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Assembly Planbook - June 2008 Contents Editorial Bonding Lines Quality in Assembly Assembly Lines Assembly in Action Fastening or Bonding? Loose Lips Sink Assembly Systems DFMA Cuts Downstream Costs Robots Lend a Hand Products Advertisers Index Classified Leading Lean

Assembly Planbook - June 2008

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