Magnetic field-assisted finishing

Magnetic field-assisted finishing, sometimes called magnetic abrasive finishing, is a surface finishing technique in which a magnetic field is used to force abrasive particles against the target surface. As such, finishing of conventionally inaccessible surfaces (e.g., the inside surface of a long curved pipe) is possible. Magnetic field-assisted finishing (MAF) processes have been developed for a wide variety of applications including the manufacturing of medical components, fluid systems, optics, dies and molds, electronic components, microelectromechanical systems, and mechanical components.
History.
MAF was initially developed as a machining process in the US in the 1930s, with the first patent in the 1940s. University research in the Soviet Union, Bulgaria, Germany, Poland, and US began in the 1960s with practical usage appearing by the 1980s and 1990s. The growth of the semiconductor, aerospace, and optics industries have resulted in the continued development of better methods for attaining high form accuracy and surface integrity.
Theory.
Magnetic Assisted Finishing or "MAF" is essentially the manipulation of a homogeneous mixture of magnetic particles and abrasive particles with a magnetic field to impart a machining force on a workpiece. Relative motion between the particle mixture and the workpiece surface result in material removal. Since MAF does not require direct contact with the tool, the particles can be introduced into areas which are hard to reach by conventional techniques. Additionally careful selection of magnetic particles and abrasive particles give rise to surface texture and roughness control that was previously impossible especially for hard to access areas.
Field sources.
The magnetic field source in MAF is typically an electromagnet or a rare earth permanent magnet. A permanent magnet offers high energy density, lack of overheating resulting in a constant flux density, low cost, ease of integration into existing CNC equipment, and simplicity. Some applications require adjustment of the flux density during finishing, or require a switching magnetic field, which is only attainable with an electromagnet since the magnetic field in a permanent magnet cannot simply be switched off.
Equipment.
Relative motion between the magnetic/abrasive particle mixture and the workpiece is essential for material removal. There are several options for achieving the necessary motion. A common setup is the rotation of the magnetic pole tip. This is done by either rotating the entire permanent magnet setup or by rotating only the steel pole. Another method which is commonly utilized in internal finishing is the rotation of the workpiece, this is unfortunately limited to axial symmetric workpieces. In addition to rotational motion there is oscillatory and vibrational configurations that are applicable.
Force on a particle.
Start with the common expression for force on a magnetic dipole moment in a magnetic field,
From here, make the assumption that the moment of the magnetic particle is co-linear with the applied field. This is a reasonable assumption given the small size and high susceptibility of the magnetic particles. So the equation becomes,
Using the following identities to obtain a more usable equation to describe the force experienced by a single magnetic particle,
Substituting the above definitions into the magnetic force equation yields,
where,
Brush.
Brush formation.
It is theorized that the formation of the brush is governed by three driving energies. The first energy Wm is the magnetization energy between particles which result in the formation of magnetic chains of particles. The next energy is known as Repulsion energy Wf this is the separation of adjacent chains of material particles driven by the Faraday effect, this is the reason why the chains do not immediately mix into one giant chain. Finally the third energy is called the Tension energy Wt, this refers to the energy required to counteract the curved magnetic chains.
Forces applied by brush.
The force applied to the surface by a magnetic particle in the magnetic brush can be divided into two components. The normal force and the tangential force.
The normal force at the surface applied by a magnetic particle can be defined as a function of area S and magnetic field B in the following expression:[3]
The tangential force of the brush can be defined as a change in energy of the brush due to an obstruction. Since the magnetic particle prefer to be in the lowest energy state, an increase in energy due to deviation from the magnetic flux lines can result in a horizontal "restoring" force which is acted on the surface of the workpiece. This restoring force can be defined as:
Material removal.
The combination of tangential force and normal forces exerted by the brush onto the workpiece is theorized to remove material from the top peaks of the surface asperities. This process is repeated as the contact between the brush and the surface continues during the finishing operation. Over time the surface roughness of the workpiece surface reaches a minimum value, this is due to the physical limitations of the current finishing setup. Specifically the selection of iron particles and abrasive particles dictates the minimum surface roughness that can be achieved. As the surface roughness decreases smaller abrasive particles are necessary to continue material removal.
MAF is capable of achieving roughness values ranging from 200 μm Ra down to 1 nm Ra with ease, demonstrating the degree of customization available to a MAF setup. The particle sizes for the magnetic particles in the brush dictate the finishing force which is governed by the magnetic force on a particle equation. however increasing particle size has adverse effects such as the inability to hold small abrasives and the presence of air gaps as a result of a larger packing factor. In order to alleviate these problems it is common practice to mix the magnetic particles with both large and smaller particles to "fill" the "holes" of the brush, the small particles effectively coat the larger particles within the particle chain. Close control of the surface texture and roughness can be manipulated through the selection of the right abrasive size and oscillation speed and spindle rpm. Generally speaking the faster the motion of the brush the more dense the finishing marks on the surface and the higher the surface roughness.
Types.
MAF can be divided into three main categories, each defined by the type of magnetic particles utilized in the finishing operation. Each type has its specific niche that it may fulfill better than its counterparts therefore knowing the application of the process is key to selecting the proper finishing operation. The different MAF processes are listed in increasing surface roughness resolution while decreasing in applied force. This is primarily due to the reduction in iron particle size from one type of finishing to the next. These processes are just general terms and examples for some MAF setups, it is import to note that each of these process' have different variations to increase to applicability to other workpieces.
Magnetic abrasive finishing.
Magnetic Abrasive Finishing refers to using 1 μm - 2 mm iron particles mixed with an abrasive to apply the machining force through manipulation of the particles with a magnetic field. The magnetic particle and abrasive mixture is commonly referred to the "magnetic brush" because it appears and behaves similar to a wire brush. Unlike a conventional brush the magnetic chains of particles are flexible and will conform around any geometry. As the displacement of the brush increases beyond the flexibility of the bush the magnetic bristles are able to break and reform further increasing the flexibility and versatility of this finishing process. Therefore, this specific variety of MAF is aimed towards finishing of the free form external surfaces such as airfoils or prosthesis. However it can also easily be applicable to internal finishing processes and is especially effective at finishing the internal surfaces of workpieces that are difficult to access otherwise such as capillary tubes and other small gauge needles. The main difference between internal and external finishing operations is the location of the brush and the workpiece however the application of force is essentially the same hence the material removal mechanism is identical in both cases. One key parameter that the user needs to be aware of is the proper completion of the magnetic circuit to ensure the magnetic flux uniformly permeates through the workpiece at the desired finishing location. The addition of an oil based lubricant, the magnetic brush can also be considered a magnetorheological fluid.
Magnetorheological finishing.
Magnetorheological finishing or "MRF" uses the shearing of a viscous mixture of micron sized iron particles, abrasives, and oil to impart a machining force or pressure onto the workpiece surface. This magnetic particle mixture is commonly referred to a ribbon and is extremely viscous in the presence of a magnetic field, the increased viscosity and different fluid properties are similar to those of a Bingham fluid rather than a Newtonian fluid. In a typical MRF finishing setup the MRF fluid is pumped onto a rotating wheel which is connected to an electromagnet. When the electromagnet is activated the fluid transitions to a more viscous state, the workpiece is then pressed onto the fluid resulting a shearing of the fluid which results in material removal at the interface between the workpiece and the MRF. One of the characteristics of a Bingham fluid is as speed increases the force required to shear proportionally increases therefore an increased wheel rotational rate results in an increased machining force when sheared. This particular setup is ideal for large free form nonmagnetic workpieces such as glass optics. It is also commonly applied to large nonmagnetic workpieces where the thickness of the work results in difficulty in getting the magnetic field to permeate effectively at the desired location hence this setup does not rely on the careful design of the magnetic circuit.
Applications.
Sub-nanometer scale polishing
Magnetic fluid finishing.
In magnetic fluid finishing a solution of ferrofluid and abrasive particles are used as the magnetic particle mixture. Typically this is applicable for applications where even the other types of MAF are unable to access or when a less viscous medium is desired. One example application of magnetic fluid finishing is silicon micropore optics, in the case of this particular optic the side walls are to be finished to <1.0 nm rms for x-ray reflection. The pores are 5μmx20μmx300μm which makes it virtually impossible to access with any conventional technique. The magnetic particle and abrasive solution is placed in an alternating and switching magnetic field to encourage fluid flow from one side of the optic to the other side. This flow results in material removal of the sidewalls through the momentum of the fluid and shearing of the side walls with the abrasives. Another application is in the finishing of ceramic bearing balls. This is also known as magnetic float polishing and employs a magnetic fluid with a magnetic "float" to ensure an even pressure distribution on the sphere surface during rotation. This results in a uniform application of finishing force onto the workpiece surface.


Aluminium foam sandwich

Aluminium foam sandwich (AFS) is a sandwich panel product which is made of two metallic dense face sheets and a metal foam core made of an aluminium alloy. AFS is an engineering structural material owing to its stiffness-to-mass ratio and energy absorption capacity ideal for application such as the shell of a high-speed train.
Production and materials.
In terms of the bonding between face sheets and foam core the processing of AFS is categorised into two ways – ex-situ and in-situ bonding.
Ex-situ bonded AFS.
Ex-situ bonding is achieved by gluing face sheets with an aluminium foam by adhesive bonding, brazing or diffusion bonding. Foams used in this method are either closed-cell or open-cell. When a closed-cell foam is used then it is produced from aluminium alloys either by liquid metal route (e.g. Alporas, Cymat) or by powder metallurgy route. Open-cell foam core is made of aluminium and other metals as well. Face sheets are chosen from a variety of aluminium alloy, and other metals such as steel.
In-situ bonded AFS.
For in-situ bonded face sheets the core is closed-cell foam. The goal of in-situ bonding is to create a metallic bonding between the foam core and face sheets. This is achieved in three ways. A foamable precursor is expanded between two face sheets. When the liquid foam comes in contact with the solid face sheets a metallic bond is established. This is difficult to realize as the oxidation of both aluminium face sheets and foam prevent forming a sound bonding. There is also a risk of melting the face sheets. This procedure is successful when steel is used as face sheets instead of aluminium, while the foam core is aluminium.
Another strategy is to rapidly solidify the surface of a foamable molten metal before it can foam into a dense skin while the interior of the metal evolves to a foam structure. This process yields in an integral-type foam structure. Integral foam sandwich is made of aluminium alloys (AlCu4, AlSi9Cu3) and magnesium alloys (AZ91, AM60). In this process the material for the core and face sheet is the same.
The third way to achieve in-situ bonding consists of compaction of metal powders together with face sheets. This sandwich-compact assembly goes through several rolling steps to attain desired precursor and face sheet thickness. After which this three-layer composite is heated to transform the core layer into foam. The melting point of the face sheet material is above the melting point of the foamable precursor material. The precursor composition is usually Al-Si, Al-Si-Cu or Al-Si-Mg alloys while the face sheets are 3xxx, 5xxx and 6xxx series aluminium alloys.
Pre- and post-processing of AFS panels.
It is possible to manufacture a complicated 3D shape from in-situ bonded AFS. In case of the second type, i.e. integral foam moulding, the desired geometry of the foamed part is achieved by designing the mould inside which the foam is cast.
In the case of the third type the three-layer composite precursor is reshaped prior to foaming. Heating of such part yields in a 3D shaped foam part. The three-layer composite AFS panels are also reshaped after foaming by forging. If an AFS is made of heat treatable alloys, the strength is further enhanced by age hardening. In order to join two AFS parts or to join an AFS part with a metallic part several joining technologies are employed, such as laser welding, TIG welding, MIG welding, riveting, etc.


Slotting fee

A slotting fee, slotting allowance, pay-to-stay, or fixed trade spending is a fee charged to produce companies or manufacturers by supermarket distributors (retailers) in order to have their product placed on their shelves or within their supply chain. The fee varies greatly depending on the product, manufacturer, and market conditions. For a new product, the initial slotting fee may be approximately US$25,000 per item in a regional cluster of stores, but may be as high as US$250,000 in high-demand markets.
In addition to slotting fees, retailers may also charge promotional, advertising and stocking fees. According to a Federal Trade Commission study, the practice is "widespread" in the supermarket industry. Many grocers earn more profit from agreeing to carry a manufacturer's product than they do from actually selling the product to retail consumers. Fees may serve to efficiently allocate scarce retail shelf space, help balance the risk of new product failure between manufacturers and retailers, help manufacturers signal private information about potential success of new products, and serve to widen retail distribution for manufacturers by mitigating retail competition. For vendors, slotting fees may be a move by the grocery industry to profit at their suppliers' expense.
Some companies argue that slotting fees are unethical as they create a barrier to entry for smaller businesses that do not have the cash flow to compete with large companies. The use of slotting fees can, in some instances, lead to abuse by retailers such as in the case where a bakery firm was asked for a six figure fee to carry its items for a specific period with no guarantee its products would be carried in future periods.
The same practice is also common in major bookstore chains in the US, dating from as far back as the mid-nineties.


Jakob Bengel

Jakob Bengel was a chain and costume jewelry factory, founded by Jakob Bengel in 1873 in Idar-Oberstein, Germany.
Until 1920, the company specialized in the production of watch chains and chatelaines (pendants for pocket watches). In the 1920s and 1930s, it became one of the leading manufacturers of fashion jewelry in the Art Deco style.
It was during the Bauhaus and Art Deco period that designers were looking to obtain new materials and inspiration to produce costume jewelry.
Inspired by French Avant-Garde and other fashion trendsetters such as Coco Chanel, Bengel started to produce experimental jewelry. The pieces, catalogued 1924–1939, combined brass and chrome with geometric shapes of colored galalith.


Sheet moulding compound

Sheet moulding compound (SMC) or sheet moulding composite is a ready to mould glass-fibre reinforced polyester material primarily used in compression moulding. The sheet is provided in rolls weighing up to 1000 kg. Alternatively the resin and related materials may be mixed on site when a producer wants greater control over the chemistry and filler.
SMC is both a process and reinforced composite material. This is manufactured by dispersing long strands (usually >1”) of chopped fiber, commonly glass fibers or carbon fibers on a bath of thermoset resin (typically polyester resin, vinyl ester resin or epoxy resin). The longer fibers in SMC result in better strength properties than standard bulk moulding compound (BMC) products. Typical applications include demanding electrical applications, corrosion resistant needs, structural components at low cost, automotive, and transit.
Process.
Paste reservoir dispenses a measured amount of specified resin paste onto a plastic carrier film. This carrier film passes underneath a chopper which cuts the fibers onto the surface. Once these have drifted through the depth of resin paste, another sheet is added on top which sandwiches the glass. The sheets are compacted and then enter onto a take-up roll, which is used to store the product whilst it matures. The carrier film is then later removed and the material is cut into charges. Depending on what shape is required determines the shape of the charge and steel die which it is then added to. Heat and pressure act on the charge and once fully cured, this is then removed from the mould as the finished product. Fillers both reduce weight and change the physical properties, typically adding strength. Production challenges include wetting the filler, which could consist of glass microspheres or aligned fibers rather than random chopped fibers; adjusting die temperature and pressure to provide the proper geometry; and adjusting chemistry to end use.
Advantages.
Compared to similar methods, SMC benefits from a very high volume production ability, excellent part reproducibility, it is cost effective as low labor requirements per production level is very good and industry scrap is reduced substantially. Weight reduction, due to lower dimensional requirements and because of the ability to consolidate many parts into one, is also advantageous. The level of flexibility also exceeds many counterpart processes.
Physical properties.
Properties vary depending upon filler and resin types, with compounds using aligned fibers (especially long fibers) being subject to greater anisotropy. Typical ranges are listed below.


Hyundai Mobis

Hyundai Mobis (short for "Mobile" and "System") is a public South Korean car parts company. Founded as Hyundai Precision & Industries Corporation  in 1977, the company forms the "parts and service" arm for the South Korean automakers Hyundai Motor Company, Genesis Motors and Kia Motors. As of 2014, it was the "world's No. 6 automotive supplier."
History.
Headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, it was founded on June 25, 1977 as Hyundai Precision & Industries Corporation. In 2000, the company changed its name to Hyundai Mobis. The company forms the "parts and service" arm for the South Korean automakers Hyundai Motor Company, Genesis Motors and Kia Motors. In 2013, the company had revenue of US$ 33 billion. As of 2014, it was "the world's No. 6 automotive supplier" in "Bloomberg".
In June 2023, the company ranked #464 on the Forbes Global 2000, with a market cap of US $15.14 billion.
 In 2015, it had revenues of $32.11 billion.
Products.
The company offers chassis, cockpit, and front-end modules; safety products, including airbags; headlights; anti-lock brake system and electronic stability control products; steering parts; multimedia systems; Kia Connect systems; injection-molded plastic parts, such as instrument panels, carriers, and bumpers; and steel wheel rims and decks. It also supplies after-sales service parts for vehicles. Concentrating its resources on A/S parts sales, module parts manufacture and parts export, Hyundai MOBIS has firmly established its position as the leading auto parts specialist company.
Car production.
In the 1990s, Hyundai Precision produced the Hyundai Galloper and Santamo cars at the Ulsan plant next to Giant Hyundai motor complex. Hyundai motor Ulsan complex was at that time the world's single largest motor plant of 1.5 million units production capacity.
I.E 5 assembly plant of 30,000 car production annual capacity since 2000s, but production shifted to the Hyundai Motor Company in 1999.


Rotary union

A rotary union is a union that allows for rotation of the united parts. It is thus a device that provides a seal between a stationary supply passage (such as pipe or tubing) and a rotating part (such as a drum, cylinder, or spindle) to permit the flow of a fluid into and/or out of the rotating part. Fluids typically used with rotary joints and rotating unions include various heat transfer media and fluid power media such as steam, water, thermal oil, hydraulic fluid, and coolants.
A rotary union is sometimes referred to as a rotating union, rotary valve, swivel union, rotorseal, rotary couplings, rotary joint, rotating joints, hydraulic coupling, pneumatic rotary union, through bore rotary union, air rotary union, electrical rotary union, or vacuum rotary union
Function.
A rotary union will lock onto an input valve while rotating to meet an outlet. During this time the liquid and/or gas will flow into the rotary union from its source and will be held within the device during its movement. This liquid and/or gas will leave the union when the valve openings meet during rotation, and more liquid and/or gas will flow into the union again for the next rotation.
Often functioning under high pressure and constant movement, a rotary union is designed to rotate around an axis. A rotary union's design can be altered to change this or to increase the psi or rpm it needs to withstand as well as the number of valves required.
Composition.
While rotary unions come in many shapes, sizes, and configurations, they always have the same four basic components: a housing unit, a shaft, a bearing (mechanical) (or bearings), and a seal. Rotary unions typically are constructed from stainless steel to resist rust and corrosion, but many other metals can be involved, like aluminum.
Housing.
The housing is the component that holds all of the other elements of the rotary union together. The housing has an inlet port, which is a threaded port to which the hose supplying the medium will be attached. The rotary union may also have an outlet port, if the same joint is being used both to supply fluid to a roll and to remove fluid from the roll. In smaller rotary unions the housing is stationary. In larger rotary unions the housing is usually bolted to the drum or roll using a flange. In these cases the housing rotates at the same speed as the drum
Shaft.
The shaft is the component that carries the medium through the rotary union into the drum or roll. In many cases the shaft will turn with the drum or roll. In some cases, like in larger flanged rotary unions, the shaft may be stationary while the housing rotates. The bearings and seal are typically assembled around the shaft.
Bearing.
The second most important part of the rotary union is the bearing. A rotary union may have only one bearing, but multiple bearing are much more common. Roller bearings; such as ball bearings and tapered roller bearings; or non-roller bearings, like graphite bearings and bronze bushings, may be used in a rotary union. The bearings are always used to allow a part of the joint, either the shaft or the housing, to rotate
Mechanical seal.
The heart of the rotary union is the seal. The seal prevents the medium from leaking outside the rotary union while in operation. Seal types can vary from pusher-type end face mechanical seal, non-pusher type end face mechanical seal, lip seals, and o-ring seals. Most rotary unions have more than one seal.
Types of rotary unions.
Many rotary unions incorporate multiple ports, some of which are designed to handle different types of material simultaneously.
A rotary union with a straight port transfers the substance directly through the rotary union. Other designs include an elbow port, which causes the material to flow out at an angle, and multiple ports. A multiple port rotary union looks like a perforated cylinder. At the end of the cylinder is a threaded screw with a seal or seals that lock on to it. The material being transferred flows into the cylinder and out of the input holes.
In the case of a rotary union with multiple inputs, chambers separated by seals keep the materials from inadvertently mixing. This type of rotary union is often used in the manufacture of plastics and other petroleum products, for which multiple inputs may need to be streamlined, but kept separate.
Uses.
Many assembly lines incorporate multiple rotary unions, because they are highly versatile and take up less space than other devices designed for a similar purpose. Rotary unions also appear in automobiles and other machines that require constant supplies of lubrication, air, or other liquids in order for moving parts to run smoothly. Brakes, for example, use rotary unions to maintain a constant supply of pressurized brake fluid. Rotary unions are also heavily used in crude oil processing, the chemical industry, commercial food production, and pharmaceutical applications.
Agriculture.
Equipment used in grain harvesting including combines, tractors, grain carts and threshers employ rotary unions. Once harvested, many crops will be processed with equipment that uses rotary unions. Food processing equipment that use rotary unions include cooling conveyors, flaking mills, shredders, steam cookers, starch dryers, rotary cutters and roll-forming.
Automotive.
Auto manufacturing is a diverse user of rotary unions for a broad range of parts or components and materials, whether machined steel, iron or aluminum, stampings, plastics, glass or paperboard. Rotary unions are used for operations that require coolant, lubricant or hydraulics.
Car washes.
There are two kinds of car wash facilities that use unions: the automatic and the hand operated. Most manufacturers of automatic systems have several revolving brushes which use 55 series to introduce low pressure detergent water through the supporting shaft to the brushes. In addition, automatic car washes have spinners that require rotary unions to transmit high-pressure water into the spinning mechanisms.
Converting.
Downstream processing of paper, plastic film, foil and related substrate materials into finished, printed packaging such as bags, pouches, labels, tags, folding cartons and corrugated shipping cases is called converting. Rotary unions are used in all types of converting for water, steam, thermal oil, air or hydraulics.
Machine tools.
Rotary unions may be used to transmit coolant, cutting oil, MQL, pressurized air in a bearingless or bearing supported configuration. Besides coolant delivery, rotary unions are used for chucking, tool sensing, rotary index table and other machine tool applications.
Mining.
Electro-hydraulic equipment used in mining operations employ rotary unions including shuttle cars and coal cars, drill heads, backhoes, clam shell cranes and drag lines. In addition, boom hoists, retrieving drums and bucket drum clutches each require rotary unions.
Oil and gas.
Drilling rigs (oil or gas) use air clutches and brakes that require rotary unions. Water unions are used to flush mud from the drill tip, and must withstand shock and vibration in this severe application. Oil and petrochemical refineries use batch mixers, flaking mills, blenders and drying rolls that each require rotary unions. The development of subsea oil and gas fields requires specialized equipment. Subsea swivels, manufactured by Dynamic Sealing Technologies, Inc., are designed for deepwater oil production systems that provide equipment operations added flexibility when lowering flowlines in harsh waters down to depths reaching 3,500 meters.
Paper.
Paper applications span the supply chain from the raw pulp and paper mills, to the downstream paper converters. Mills use steam joint and siphon systems and water unions for heating and cooling. Converters use rotary unions for heating and cooling rolls, as well as winders with air clutches and brakes.
Plastics.
The manufacturing of plastic materials encompasses a wide variety of applications including cast film, blown film, foam, flexible and rigid sheet extrusion, single and multi-layer co-extrusion, blow molding, thermoforming, pelletizing, wire and cable, injection molding and winding. Rotary unions are used for heating or cooling the many processing rolls throughout the wide variety of applications. In addition, rotary unions for air and hydraulic service are used in winding and injection molding applications. Many of today's modern winding applications will also utilize electrical slip rings.
Printing.
Printing on flexible rolls of paper or plastic films requires rotary unions for air or hydraulics, as well as chill rolls for temperature control. Web offset and sheet printing equipment use many rotary unions on the ink vibrator and chill rolls.
Rubber.
Rubber is compounded on big industrial mixers which use rotary unions for water cooled rolls. Rubber extrusion is similar to plastic extrusion, with rotary unions used to cool the extruder screw.
Steel.
The steel industry is one of the largest users of rotary unions primarily for continuous casting machines (CCM) which use rotary unions to cool the numerous rolls that support molten slabs as it moves by gravity through various segments onto a run-out table to downstream annealing and heat treating. The slab is formed into coil or sheet. Coil is further converted in processing centers that require hydraulic unions for actuation of mandrels.
Textiles.
The textile industry is a large user of water, steam and hot oil unions. Weaving, dyeing and finishing processes are the largest users of rotary unions.
Tires.
Rubber tire plants use industrial mixers, extruders, calendar train cooling stacks and rayon slashers to make tire cord. Rotary unions are used in every process for temperature control.
References.
https://www.rix-us.com/rocky-rotary-joints/


Fluke Corporation

Fluke Corporation manufactures industrial test, measurement, and diagnostic equipment, including electronic test equipment. It was started in 1948 by John Fluke while he was employed at General Electric.
History.
John Fluke founded Fluke Corporation in October 1953 as the John Fluke Manufacturing Company, Inc., producing electrical metering equipment.
In 1987, Fluke partnered with the Dutch electronics manufacturer Philips. Together, the companies developed the scopemeter, an instrument combining features of an oscilloscope and a multimeter. Fluke purchased the testing and measurements division of Philips in 1993 for $41.8 million. The Philips PM series of measurement instruments was rebranded as Fluke.
Fluke was bought by the Danaher Corporation in 1998. Danaher spun off several subsidiaries, including Fluke, in 2016 to create Fortive.
Subsidiaries.
Pomona Electronics.
Pomona Electronics is a company specializing in electronic test equipment and accessories. It was founded in 1951 by Joseph J. and Carl W. Musarra, who were brothers. Founded to manufacture test cable harnesses for examining television cathode-ray tubes. the company started in a factory location around the size of a living room. By 1976, it was owned by ITT Industries, which in 1999 sold it to Fluke. In 2002, Pomona Electronics relocated its manufacturing facility to Everett, Washington.


C&I Eurotrans XXI

C&I Eurotrans XXI is a coachbuilder based in Bucharest, Romania. The company was established in 2002, and it is specialized in manufacturing coachwork for minibuses based on chassis from a series of other manufacturers.
Cibro.
The company's main product has been the Cibro minibus, introduced in 2005, and developed on a Mercedes-Benz Vario chassis. It featured a capacity range from 23 to 30 seats and was manufactured in four different levels of comfort.
In 2010, a new version of the minibus, called Cibro 2, was launched. It is manufactured at the new production facility, located in the village of , Ilfov County. The factory is ISO 9001 certificated and has been implementing ISO 14001 certification.


Giles G-202

The Giles G-202 is an unlimited-level aerobatic airplane designed by Richard Giles.
This carbon fiber composite monoplane was manufactured by AkroTech Aviation in Troutdale, Oregon. The tandem two-seater was based upon the single-seater Giles G-200.
The G-202 was produced and sold as kit plane by AkroTech, and slightly modified as the CAP 222 by Avions Mudry (France).


Service management

Service management in the manufacturing context, is integrated into supply chain management as the intersection between the actual sales and the customer point of view. The aim of high-performance service management is to optimize the service-intensive supply chains, which are usually more complex than the typical finished-goods supply chain. Most service-intensive supply chains require larger inventories and tighter integration with field service and third parties. They also must accommodate inconsistent and uncertain demand by establishing more advanced information and product flows. Moreover, all processes must be coordinated across numerous service locations with large numbers of parts and multiple levels in the supply chain.
Among typical manufacturers, post-sale services (maintenance, repair, and parts) account for less than 20% of revenue. But among the most innovative companies in service, those same activities often generate more than 50% of the profits.
Benefits.
The main drivers for a company to establish or optimize its service management practices are varied:
Components.
Generally, service management comprises six different capabilities that companies should consider for optimization:


CAD/CAM in the footwear industry

CAD/CAM in the footwear industry is the use of computers and graphics software for designing and grading of shoe upper patterns and, for manufacturing of cutting dies, shoe lasts and sole moulds. CAD/CAM software is a PC-based system, which is made up of program modules. Today, there are 2D and 3D versions of CAD/CAM systems in the shoe industry.
Computer aided design was introduced in the shoe industry in the 1970s. Initially, it was used primarily for pattern grading. It enabled manufacturers to perform complex grading relatively easily and quickly. CAD systems today have been developed with a much wider range of functions. Logos, textures, and other decorations can be incorporated into product designs of both the uppers and soles to help reinforce branding on all areas of the model. It automates routine procedures, increasing speed and consistency, whilst reducing the possibility of mistakes. CAD data can now be used effectively for a wide variety of activities across footwear manufacturing business. CAD/CAM generates data at the design stage, which can be used right through the planning and manufacturing stages.
Latest improvements in the CAD/CAM technology are:
With CAD/CAM software, footwear manufacturers can cut their time to market dramatically and so increase market share and profitability. In addition, the power and flexibility of the software can overcome restrictions to the designer's creativity imposed by traditional methods.
Sole design.
CAD/CAM software can be used to generate machining data for shoe sole models and moulds Shoe sole mould makers are able to strengthen their capabilities of mould design and production techniques to meet the market demands for shorter product life cycle, quality improvement and handling versatile pattern design. This helps especially sports shoe producers to manufacture products rapidly and to introduce them earlier than their competitors.
3D CAD/CAM is the core technology for shoe sole mould in the footwear industry and develops towards specialization.
Benefits of CAD/CAM in the mould manufacturing are:
References and suppliers.
Commercial suppliers of CAD CAM for the footwear industry are listed on Shoeinfonet.com:

London College of Fashion library web site lists some of the same

No specialised open sources suppliers are listed, although Wikipedia lists several free general purpose products for 2D CAD/CAM and some for 3D.


Vibration welding of thermoplastics

Vibration welding (also known as linear or friction welding) refers to a process in which two workpieces are brought in contact under pressure, and a reciprocating motion (vibration) is applied along the common interface in order to generate heat. The resulting heat melts the workpieces, and they become welded when the vibration stops and the interface cools. Most machinery operates at 120 Hz, although equipment is available that runs between 100–240 Hz. Vibration can be achieved either through linear vibration welding, which uses a one dimensional back and forth motion, or orbital vibration welding which moves the pieces in small orbits relative to each other. Linear vibration welding is more common due to simpler and relatively cheaper machinery required.
Vibration welding is often used for larger applications where the parts to be joined have relatively flat seams, although the process can accommodate some out of plane curvature. Recently, the automotive industry has made extensive use of the process to produce parts like manifolds and lighting assemblies whose complex geometries prevent single component molding processes.
Advantages and disadvantages.
Vibration welding has numerous advantages over other conventional plastic welding processes. Since the heat is created at an interface, the molten polymers are not exposed to open air, preventing oxidation and contamination of the weld during the process. No filler material is required, and when welding components of the same material the joint can be expected to be just as strong as the bulk material. Heating is localized to the interface, decreasing the chances of material degradation seen with other processes which require a heat source well above the melt temperature of the material. The process itself is cost effective, with no consumables and short cycle times. Vibration welding produces virtually no smoke or fume, requires little surface preparation, and works well for a multitude of applications, making it well suited to mass production environments.
Vibration welding does have its drawbacks, however. The process does not lend itself well to low modulus thermoplastics or to joints between plastics with relatively high differences in melting temperatures. Vibration welding requires part specific fixturing and joint designs, and the part will be exposed to rigorous vibration during the welding cycle which may damage sensitive or miniature components. The finished weld will be surrounded by a significant amount of flash, which must be removed if appearance is an issue. Alternatively, joint geometries which hide the excess flash can be used. Lastly, the process is not well suited to welding of anything other than relatively flat joints.
Vibration welding process.
The vibration welding process consists of four steps: solid friction, transient flow, steady state flow, and solidification.
Solid friction.
In this first stage, vibration is commenced between two cold parts pressed together at a constant pressure. The frictional energy causes the polymers to heat. In this stage there is no weld penetration as melting has not yet occurred.
Transient flow.
In the transient flow step the polymer's surface begins to melt. The melt layer thickness quickly grows, causing the frictional forces to decrease. This decrease in friction decreases the heat input to the system, and a lateral flow of molten material begins to occur.
Steady state flow.
In this phase the melting rate of the material matches the flow of material extruded at the lateral surfaces. The material flow and thickness of the melt layer become constant. This is the step that determines the quality of the weld. This step is maintained until the desired ‘melt down’ thickness (thickness of the molten material) is achieved. At that time the vibration is stopped and the weld is allowed to cool.
Solidification.
During solidification the vibration is stopped, while pressure is maintained on the workpieces until no more molten material remains. Once cooled to room temperature, the joint should have near the strength of the bulk material. Pressure is only relieved once the joint reaches an acceptable strength.
Equipment.
A vibration welding machine is essentially a vertical machine press in which one side has been modified to vibrate.  The main components are the vibrating assembly, a lifting table, and a tooling fixture.
Vibrating assembly.
The vibrating assembly is a moving element driven either by hydraulics or more commonly, electromagnets. In the electromagnetic version, the heart of this assembly is a tuned spring-mass system powered by electrical coils acting on oppositely charged lamination stacks. The frequency of the electrical charges is matched to the mechanical frequency of the system. Although the amplitude can be adjusted on the machine the frequency can only be changed by changing the mass of the vibrating assembly. The moving portion of the tooling is affixed to the vibrating assembly.
Lifting table.
The lifting table is a hydraulic assembly attached to the fixed portion of the tooling. The lifting table brings the workpieces together, and applies pressure between the moving and stationary portions of the tooling.
Tooling.
Tooling refers to the fixtures which are attached to the vibrating assembly and lifting table that hold the work pieces in place. Tooling is application specific, and must allow for workpieces to be quickly switched out after every welding cycle. It is imperative that the tooling matches the workpieces closely enough to prevent any relative motion between the tooling and the workpieces, as this would reduce the amplitude of the weld and lower heat input as well as dimensional tolerances.
Process variables.
The vibration welding process has five main variables: frequency, amplitude, pressure, time, and depth.
Frequency.
Frequency refers to how many times per second a vibration cycle is completed. Most machinery runs at 120 Hz, although machinery is available that runs from 100–240 Hz. Frequency is dependent on the mass of the vibrating assembly, and as such can only be changed by switching out components of the assembly.
Amplitude.
Amplitude refers to the distance traveled during each vibratory cycle. Higher amplitudes tend to be used with lower frequencies, and vice versa. Higher amplitudes increase heat input at the cost of cleanliness and dimensional tolerances, making them more useful for larger parts. Lower amplitudes range from 0.7-1.8mm, while higher amplitudes describe cycles that cover 2-4mm.
Pressure.
Pressure is the primary controller of melt layer thickness, and must be kept within an optimal range in order to produce quality joints. Although pressure can vary between 0.5-20MPa across different materials and geometries, the tolerances for a given application are quite tight. Too little pressure will prevent sufficient heat generation, while too much pressure can cause all of the molten material to squeeze out of the joint. Both scenarios will result in a weak weld. Pressure is controlled by the lifting table.
Time.
The length of time that vibration is applied to the workpiece is another key factor. Time is directly proportional to heat generation and material loss to flash. Processes can be either time or depth controlled, with most modern processes being depth controlled. A depth controlled process will have a variable time, and vice versa.
Depth.
Depth refers to the distance traveled by the workpieces after vibration is started. Sometimes referred to as displacement, it is directly related to the amount of material loss to flash. In general depth should be kept close to or above the thickness of the melt layer at the beginning of the steady state stage. After this value, more depth only results in loss of material without an accompanying rise in joint strength.
Weld design.
Weld design for vibration welding must include a relatively large flat surface, although some out of plane curvature can be accommodated for. The most common type of joint is a butt joint, where two flat pieces with the same cross section are welded together. Variations on this joint can include u-flanges, tongue and groove joints, and even double tongue and groove joints. When appearances are important, flash traps can be used. Flash traps refer to  hollow areas in the cross section next to the weld area that collect the flash and hide it from view.


Industrial engineering

Industrial engineering is an engineering profession that is concerned with the optimization of complex processes, systems, or organizations by developing, improving and implementing integrated systems of people, money, knowledge, information and equipment. Industrial engineering is central to manufacturing operations.
Industrial engineers use specialized knowledge and skills in the mathematical, physical and social sciences, together with the principles and methods of engineering analysis and design, to specify, predict, and evaluate the results obtained from systems and processes. There are several industrial engineering principles followed in the manufacturing industry to ensure the effective flow of the systems, processes and operations.
This includes:
These principles allow the creation of new systems, processes or situations for the useful coordination of labor, materials and machines and also improve the quality and productivity of systems, physical or social. Depending on the subspecialties involved, industrial engineering may also overlap with, operations research, systems engineering, manufacturing engineering, production engineering, supply chain engineering, management science, management engineering, financial engineering, ergonomics or human factors engineering, safety engineering, logistics engineering or others, depending on the viewpoint or motives of the user.
History.
Origins.
Industrial engineering.
There is a general consensus among historians that the roots of the industrial engineering profession date back to the Industrial Revolution. The technologies that helped mechanize traditional manual operations in the textile industry including the flying shuttle, the spinning jenny, and perhaps most importantly the steam engine generated economies of scale that made mass production in centralized locations attractive for the first time. The concept of the production system had its genesis in the factories created by these innovations. It has also been suggested that perhaps Leonardo da Vinci was the first industrial engineer because there is evidence that he applied science to the analysis of human work by examining the rate at which a man could shovel dirt around the year 1500. Others also state that the industrial engineering profession grew from Charles Babbage’s study of factory operations and specifically his work on the manufacture of straight pins in 1832 . However, it has been generally argued that these early efforts, while valuable, were merely observational and did not attempt to engineer the jobs studied or increase overall output.
Specialization of labour.
Adam Smith's concepts of Division of Labour and the "Invisible Hand" of capitalism introduced in his treatise "The Wealth of Nations" motivated many of the technological innovators of the Industrial Revolution to establish and implement factory systems. The efforts of James Watt and Matthew Boulton led to the first integrated machine manufacturing facility in the world, including the application of concepts such as cost control systems to reduce waste and increase productivity and the institution of skills training for craftsmen.
Charles Babbage became associated with industrial engineering because of the concepts he introduced in his book "On the Economy of Machinery and Manufacturers" which he wrote as a result of his visits to factories in England and the United States in the early 1800s. The book includes subjects such as the time required to perform a specific task, the effects of subdividing tasks into smaller and less detailed elements, and the advantages to be gained from repetitive tasks.
Interchangeable parts.
Eli Whitney and Simeon North proved the feasibility of the notion of interchangeable parts in the manufacture of muskets and pistols for the US Government. Under this system, individual parts were mass-produced to tolerances to enable their use in any finished product. The result was a significant reduction in the need for skill from specialized workers, which eventually led to the industrial environment to be studied later.
Pioneers.
Frederick Taylor (1856–1915) is generally credited as being the father of the industrial engineering discipline. He earned a degree in mechanical engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology and earned several patents from his inventions. His books, "Shop Management" and "The Principles of Scientific Management", which were published in the early 1900s, were the beginning of industrial engineering. Improvements in work efficiency under his methods was based on improving work methods, developing of work standards, and reduction in time required to carry out the work. With an abiding faith in the scientific method, Taylor did many experiments in machine shop work on machines as well as men. Taylor developed "time study" to measure time taken for various elements of a task and then used the study observations to reduce the time further. Time study was done for the improved method once again to provide time standards which are accurate for planning manual tasks and also for providing incentives.
The husband-and-wife team of Frank Gilbreth (1868–1924) and Lillian Gilbreth (1878–1972) was the other cornerstone of the industrial engineering movement whose work is housed at Purdue University School of Industrial Engineering. They categorized the elements of human motion into 18 basic elements called therbligs. This development permitted analysts to design jobs without knowledge of the time required to do a job. These developments were the beginning of a much broader field known as human factors or ergonomics.
In 1908, the first course on industrial engineering was offered as an elective at Pennsylvania State University, which became a separate program in 1909 through the efforts of Hugo Diemer. The first doctoral degree in industrial engineering was awarded in 1933 by Cornell University.
In 1912, Henry Laurence Gantt developed the Gantt chart, which outlines actions the organization along with their relationships. This chart opens later form familiar to us today by Wallace Clark.
With the development of assembly lines, the factory of Henry Ford (1913) accounted for a significant leap forward in the field. Ford reduced the assembly time of a car from more than 700 hours to 1.5 hours. In addition, he was a pioneer of the economy of the capitalist welfare ("welfare capitalism") and the flag of providing financial incentives for employees to increase productivity.
In 1927, the then Technische Hochschule Berlin was the first German university to introduce the degree. The course of studies developed by Willi Prion was then still called Business and Technology and was intended to provide descendants of industrialists with an adequate education.
Comprehensive quality management system (Total quality management or TQM) developed in the forties was gaining momentum after World War II and was part of the recovery of Japan after the war.
The American Institute of Industrial Engineering was formed in 1948. The early work by F. W. Taylor and the Gilbreths was documented in papers presented to the American Society of Mechanical Engineers as interest grew from merely improving machine performance to the performance of the overall manufacturing process, most notably starting with the presentation by Henry R. Towne (1844–1924) of his paper "The Engineer as An Economist" (1886).
Modern practice.
From 1960 to 1975, with the development of decision support systems in supply such as material requirements planning (MRP), one can emphasize the timing issue (inventory, production, compounding, transportation, etc.) of industrial organization. Israeli scientist Dr. Jacob Rubinovitz installed the CMMS program developed in IAI and Control-Data (Israel) in 1976 in South Africa and worldwide.
In the 1970s, with the penetration of Japanese management theories such as Kaizen and Kanban, Japan realized very high levels of quality and productivity. These theories improved issues of quality, delivery time, and flexibility. Companies in the west realized the great impact of Kaizen and started implementing their own continuous improvement programs. W. Edwards Deming made significant contributions in the minimization of variance starting in the 1950s and continuing to the end of his life.
In the 1990s, following the global industry globalization process, the emphasis was on supply chain management and customer-oriented business process design. The theory of constraints, developed by Israeli scientist Eliyahu M. Goldratt (1985), is also a significant milestone in the field.
Comparison to other engineering disciplines.
Engineering is traditionally decompositional. To understand the whole of something, it is first broken down into its parts. One masters the parts, then puts them back together to create a better understanding of how to master the whole. The approach of industrial and systems engineering (ISE) is opposite; any one part cannot be understood without the context of the whole system. Changes in one part of the system affect the entire system, and the role of a single part is to better serve the whole system.
Also, industrial engineering considers the human factor and its relation to the technical aspect of the situation and all of the other factors that influence the entire situation, while other engineering disciplines focus on the design of inanimate objects.
"Industrial Engineers integrate combinations of people, information, materials, and equipment that produce innovative and efficient organizations. In addition to manufacturing, Industrial Engineers work and consult in every industry, including hospitals, communications, e-commerce, entertainment, government, finance, food, pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, sports, insurance, sales, accounting, banking, travel, and transportation."
"Industrial Engineering is the branch of Engineering most closely related to human resources in that we apply social skills to work with all types of employees, from engineers to salespeople to top management. One of the main focuses of an Industrial Engineer is to improve the working environments of people – not to change the worker, but to change the workplace."
"All engineers, including Industrial Engineers, take mathematics through calculus and differential equations. Industrial Engineering is different in that it is based on discrete variable math, whereas all other engineering is based on continuous variable math. We emphasize the use of linear algebra and difference equations, as opposed to the use of differential equations which are so prevalent in other engineering disciplines. This emphasis becomes evident in optimization of production systems in which we are sequencing orders, scheduling batches, determining the number of materials handling units, arranging factory layouts, finding sequences of motions, etc. As, Industrial Engineers, we deal almost exclusively with systems of discrete components."
Etymology.
Etymology.
While originally applied to manufacturing, the use of "industrial" in "industrial engineering" can be somewhat misleading, since it has grown to encompass any methodical or quantitative approach to optimizing how a process, system, or organization operates. In fact, the "industrial" in "industrial engineering" means the industry in its broadest sense. People have changed the term "industrial" to broader terms such as industrial and manufacturing engineering, industrial and systems engineering, industrial engineering and operations research, industrial engineering and management.
Sub-disciplines.
Industrial engineering has many sub-disciplines, the most common of which are listed below. Although there are industrial engineers who focus exclusively on one of these sub-disciplines, many deals with a combination of them such as supply chain and logistics, and facilities and energy management.
Methods engineering
Facilities engineering & energy management
Financial engineering
Energy engineering
Human factors & safety engineering
Information systems engineering & management
Manufacturing engineering
Operations engineering & managementOperations research & optimization
Policy planning
Production engineeringQuality & reliability engineering
Supply chain management & logistics
Systems engineering & analysis
Systems simulation
Related disciplines
Organization development & change management
Behavioral economics
Education.
Industrial engineers study the interaction of human beings with machines, materials, information, procedures and environments in such developments and in designing a technological system.
Industrial engineering degrees accredited within any member country of the Washington Accord enjoy equal accreditation within all other signatory countries, thus allowing engineers from one country to practice engineering professionally in any other.
Universities offer degrees at the bachelor, masters, and doctoral level.
Undergraduate curriculum.
In the United States, the undergraduate degree earned is either a bachelor of science (B.S.) or a bachelor of science and engineering (B.S.E.) in industrial engineering (IE). In South Africa, the undergraduate degree is a bachelor of engineering (BEng). Variations of the title include Industrial & Operations Engineering (IOE), and Industrial & Systems Engineering (ISE or ISyE).
The typical curriculum includes a broad math and science foundation spanning chemistry, physics, mechanics (i.e., statics, kinematics, and dynamics), materials science, computer science, electronics/circuits, engineering design, and the standard range of engineering mathematics (i.e., calculus, linear algebra, differential equations, statistics). For any engineering undergraduate program to be accredited, regardless of concentration, it must cover a largely similar span of such foundational work – which also overlaps heavily with the content tested on one or more engineering licensure exams in most jurisdictions.
The coursework specific to IE entails specialized courses in areas such as optimization, applied probability, stochastic modeling, design of experiments, statistical process control, simulation, manufacturing engineering, ergonomics/safety engineering, and engineering economics. Industrial engineering elective courses typically cover more specialized topics in areas such as manufacturing, supply chains and logistics, analytics and machine learning, production systems, human factors and industrial design, and service systems.
Certain business schools may offer programs with some overlapping relevance to IE, but the engineering programs are distinguished by a much more intensely quantitative focus, required engineering science electives, and the core math and science courses required of all engineering programs.
Graduate curriculum.
The usual graduate degree earned is the master of science (MS), master of science and engineering (MSE) or master of engineering (MEng) in industrial engineering or various alternative related concentration titles.
Typical MS curricula may cover:
Differences in teaching.
While industrial engineering as a formal degree has been around for years, consensus on what topics should be taught and studied differs across countries. For example, Turkey focuses on a very technical degree while Denmark, Finland and the United Kingdom have a management focus degree, thus making it less technical. The United States, meanwhile, focuses on case studies, group problem solving and maintains a balance between the technical and non-technical side.
Practicing engineers.
Traditionally, a major aspect of industrial engineering was planning the layouts of factories and designing assembly lines and other manufacturing paradigms. And now, in lean manufacturing systems, industrial engineers work to eliminate wastes of time, money, materials, energy, and other resources.
Examples of where industrial engineering might be used include flow process charting, process mapping, designing an assembly workstation, strategizing for various operational logistics, consulting as an efficiency expert, developing a new financial algorithm or loan system for a bank, streamlining operation and emergency room location or usage in a hospital, planning complex distribution schemes for materials or products (referred to as supply-chain management), and shortening lines (or queues) at a bank, hospital, or a theme park.
Modern industrial engineers typically use predetermined motion time systems, computer simulation (especially discrete event simulation), along with extensive mathematical tools for modeling, such as mathematical optimization and queueing theory, and computational methods for system analysis, evaluation, and optimization. Industrial engineers also use the tools of data science and machine learning in their work owing to the strong relatedness of these disciplines with the field and the similar technical background required of industrial engineers (including a strong foundation in probability theory, linear algebra, and statistics, as well as having coding skills).


Capability (systems engineering)

A capability, in the systems engineering sense, is defined as the ability to execute a specified course of action. A capability may or may not be accompanied by an intention. The term is used in the defense industry but also in private industry (e.g. gap analysis).
Capability gap analysis.
The Joint Capabilities Integration Development System is an important part of DoD military planning. The "Operation of the JCIDS" introduces a Capability Based Analysis (CBA) process that includes identification of capability gaps. In essence, a Capability Gap Analysis is the determination of needed capabilities that do not yet exist. The Department of Defense Architecture Framework (DoDAF) suggests the use of the Operational Activity Model (OV-5) in conducting a CGA.


Medigen Vaccine Biologics Corporation

The Medigen Vaccine Biologics Corporation (MVC; ) is a pharmaceutical company headquartered in Neihu, Taipei, Taiwan.
History.
The company was founded in October 2012. During the COVID-19 pandemic in Taiwan, the company produces the MVC COVID-19 vaccine to fight the virus.
Manufacturing plant.
The company has a manufacturing plant in Hsinchu Biomedical Science Park, Zhubei City, Hsinchu County.


The Genie Company

GMI Holdings Inc. (dba The Genie Company) is an American manufacturer of garage door openers & related accessories. It was founded in 1923 as the Alliance Manufacturing Company, located in Alliance, Ohio. At the time the company produced a broad line of consumer, industrial and military products. In May 1954, the Alliance Manufacturing Company first produced its own garage door opener and called it Genie. In 1983 the company entered the home and shop vacuum market, and in 1985 it changed its name to Genie Home Products. Overhead Door Corporation purchased the company in 1994. The Genie Company is headquartered in Mt. Hope, Ohio. The company distributes its openers & accessories through professional dealers and retailers throughout the United States and Canada. The company President is Mike Kridel.
Genie's factory is located in nearby Baltic, Ohio.


StreetScooter C16

The StreetScooter C16 was an electric car shown in 2014 by the electric vehicle manufacturer StreetScooter (otherwise known for making electric commercial vehicles).
The 2-seater city car had a metal frame, however all of its exterior plastic parts were 3D-printed on the Objet1000 printer by Stratasys using ABS polymer. The production vehicle was meant to weigh about 450 kg without the battery, have a "minimum" range of 100 km, reach a top speed of 100 km/h and have a price tag of under 10,000 EUR.
The vehicle was shown at the EuroMold in Frankfurt in 2014.


Conveyor belt furnace

A conveyor belt furnace is a furnace that uses a conveyor or a belt to carry process parts or material through the primary heating chamber for rapid thermal processing. It is designed for fast drying and curing of products and is nowadays widely used in the firing process of thick film and metallization process of solar cell manufacturing. Other names for conveyor belt furnace include metallization furnace, belt furnace, atmosphere furnace, infrared furnace and fast fire furnace.
Usually, a conveyor furnace adopts a tunnel structure and is composed of multiple controlled zones which include zones for preheating, binder burn out, heating, firing, and cooling. A conveyor furnace also features fast thermal responses, uniform and stable temperature distribution; it can heat treated parts to around 1050 °C. Belt speed of a conveyor furnace can be up to 6000mm/min. Products are heated efficiently by infrared radiation (it can also be ceramic heaters or IR lamps) and are dried and fired after passing through the controlled zones, followed by rapid cooling.
Process applications.
Thick film processing.
After a paste is screened onto a substrate and it settles for 5–15 minutes at room temperature, it undergoes oven drying at 100-150 °C for 10–15 minutes to remove solvents. Firing is then completed in conveyor belt furnaces at temperatures between 500 and 1000 °C.
Crystalline silicon solar cell Manufacturing.
Electrical contacts are usually formed by screen printing. The firing is done in conveyor belt furnaces at a temperature of about 700 °C for a few minutes. Upon firing, the organic solvents evaporate and the metal powder becomes a conducting path for the electric current.
Thin film solar cell manufacturing.
A transparent conducting glass, coated with doped SnO2 or ITO film, is used as a substrate. A thin film, such as CdS, is then deposited through CSS or CBD techniques. The CdS film is heat treated by a conveyor belt furnace in a reducing atmosphere or in the presence of CdCl2 at 400-500 °C.
Dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) manufacturing.
TiO2 nanoparticles have been used extensively to increase the interfacial surface area in dye-sensitized solar cells. Nanoparticle films are generally made by screen printing a paste of titania nanocrystals and then sintering the particles together at 450-500 °C in a conveyor belt furnace.


Gunther Mele

Gunther Mele Ltd. is a Canadian manufacturer and supplier of retail packaging. The company's headquarters are located in Brantford, Ontario. Gunther Mele is privately owned and has operations in the United States, China and Canada.
History.
Gunther Mele was established in 1857 by two German immigrant brothers and was originally named the E&A Gunther Company. The company’s mission statement was "Everything for the Jeweler except Jewelry". They supplied jewelry packaging, watch materials, and workshop tools to independent jewelers, jewelry chain stores, and large department store jewelry departments.
In 1962, a great-grandson of the founders was killed in an automobile accident after leaving a trade show. His widow sold the company to Mele Manufacturing Company of Utica, New York. In 1987, Douglas M. King, who is the current owner and CEO, purchased Gunther Mele from Mele Manufacturing. Mele Manufacturing was a major jewelry case manufacturer which owned Farrington Packaging, which itself made cases for Cross Pen, Schick Shavers and many consumer product companies. His son, Darrell King, joined the company in 1995 and now serves as the company's president.
Business Overview.
Over the years, the company has evolved into one of the largest suppliers of packaging and packaging-related products in North America. The company employs over 250 people in two facilities including a manufacturing plant in Brantford, Ontario, Canada, and an operation in Buffalo, New York, United States.
The company manufactures cotton-filled paper boxes as well as poly bags, paper bags, reusable bags, and a variety of printed ribbon, seals and packaging accessories. Gunther Mele has been an early adopter of environmentally friendly packaging, licensing TDPA oxo-biodegradable technology from epi-global and utilizing FSC approved suppliers of papers for it shopping bags. Reusable non-woven fabric style bags have become a major category for Gunther Mele.
In addition to manufacturing capabilities, the company has more than thirty years experience working with manufacturers in Asia and established a "working venture" with several overseas manufacturers. Product volume with these three manufacturing companies in China is substantial and allows the company to control production schedules, quality and delivery. Gunther Mele also owns a Chinese company called KDI Limited, located in Hong Kong, which acts as a sourcing agent, liaises with factories in quality, delivery and production methods and facilitates the company's importing activities.


Hicks-neutral technical change

Hicks-neutral technical change is change in the production function of a business or industry which satisfies certain economic neutrality conditions. The concept of Hicks neutrality was first put forth in 1932 by John Hicks in his book "The Theory of Wages". A change is considered to be Hicks neutral if the change does not affect the balance of labor and capital in the products' production function. More formally, given the Solow model production function
a Hicks-neutral change is one which only changes formula_2.


Through-silicon via

In electronic engineering, a through-silicon via (TSV) or through-chip via is a vertical electrical connection (via) that passes completely through a silicon wafer or die. TSVs are high-performance interconnect techniques used as an alternative to wire-bond and flip chips to create 3D packages and 3D integrated circuits. Compared to alternatives such as package-on-package, the interconnect and device density is substantially higher, and the length of the connections becomes shorter.
Classification.
Dictated by the manufacturing process, there exist three different types of TSVs: "via-first TSVs" are fabricated before the individual component (transistors, capacitors, resistors, etc.) are patterned (front end of line, FEOL), "via-middle TSVs" are fabricated after the individual component are patterned but before the metal layers (back-end-of-line, BEOL), and "via-last TSVs" are fabricated after (or during) the BEOL process. Via-middle TSVs are currently a popular option for advanced 3D ICs as well as for interposer stacks.
TSVs through the front end of line (FEOL) have to be carefully accounted for during the EDA and manufacturing phases. That is because TSVs induce thermo-mechanical stress in the FEOL layer, thereby impacting the transistor behaviour.
Applications.
Image sensors.
CMOS image sensors (CIS) were among the first applications to adopt TSV(s) in volume manufacturing. In initial CIS applications, TSVs were formed on the backside of the image sensor wafer to form interconnects, eliminate wire bonds, and allow for reduced form factor and higher-density interconnects. Chip stacking came about only with the advent of backside illuminated (BSI) CIS, and involved reversing the order of the lens, circuitry, and photodiode from traditional front-side illumination so that the light coming through the lens first hits the photodiode and then the circuitry. This was accomplished by flipping the photodiode wafer, thinning the backside, and then bonding it on top of the readout layer using a direct oxide bond, with TSVs as interconnects around the perimeter.
3D packages.
A 3D package (System in Package, Chip Stack MCM, etc.) contains two or more chips (integrated circuits) stacked vertically so that they occupy less space and/or have greater connectivity. An alternate type of 3D package can be found in IBM's Silicon Carrier Packaging Technology, where ICs are not stacked but a carrier substrate containing TSVs is used to connect multiple ICs together in a package. In most 3D packages, the stacked chips are wired together along their edges; this edge wiring slightly increases the length and width of the package and usually requires an extra “interposer” layer between the chips. In some new 3D packages, TSVs replace edge wiring by creating vertical connections through the body of the chips. The resulting package has no added length or width. Because no interposer is required, a TSV 3D package can also be flatter than an edge-wired 3D package. This TSV technique is sometimes also referred to as TSS (Through-Silicon Stacking or Thru-Silicon Stacking).
3D integrated circuits.
A 3D integrated circuit (3D IC) is a single integrated circuit built by stacking silicon wafers and/or dies and interconnecting them vertically so that they behave as a single device. By using TSV technology, 3D ICs can pack a great deal of functionality into a small “footprint.” The different devices in the stack may be heterogeneous, e.g. combining CMOS logic, DRAM and III-V materials into a single IC. In addition, critical electrical paths through the device can be drastically shortened, leading to faster operation. The Wide I/O 3D DRAM memory standard (JEDEC JESD229) includes TSV in the design.
History.
The origins of the TSV concept can be traced back to William Shockley's patent "Semiconductive Wafer and Method of Making the Same" filed in 1958 and granted in 1962, which was further developed by IBM researchers Merlin Smith and Emanuel Stern with their patent "Methods of Making Thru-Connections in Semiconductor Wafers" filed in 1964 and granted in 1967, the latter describing a method for etching a hole through silicon. TSV was not originally designed for 3D integration, but the first 3D chips based on TSV were invented later in the 1980s.
The first three-dimensional integrated circuit (3D IC) stacked chips fabricated with a TSV process were invented in 1980s Japan. Hitachi filed a Japanese patent in 1983, followed by Fujitsu in 1984. In 1986, Fujitsu filed a Japanese patent describing a stacked chip structure using TSV. In 1989, Mitsumasa Koyonagi of Tohoku University pioneered the technique of wafer-to-wafer bonding with TSV, which he used to fabricate a 3D LSI chip in 1989. In 1999, the Association of Super-Advanced Electronics Technologies (ASET) in Japan began funding the development of 3D IC chips using TSV technology, called the "R&D on High Density Electronic System Integration Technology" project. The Koyanagi Group at Tohoku University used TSV technology to fabricate a three-layer stacked image sensor chip in 1999, a three-layer memory chip in 2000, a three-layer artificial retina chip in 2001, a three-layer microprocessor in 2002, and a ten-layer memory chip in 2005.
The inter-chip via (ICV) method was developed in 1997 by a FraunhoferSiemens research team including Peter Ramm, D. Bollmann, R. Braun, R. Buchner, U. Cao-Minh, Manfred Engelhardt and Armin Klumpp. It was a variation of the TSV process, and was later called SLID (solid liquid inter-diffusion) technology.
The term "through-silicon via" (TSV) was coined by Tru-Si Technologies researchers Sergey Savastiouk, O. Siniaguine, and E. Korczynski, who proposed a TSV method for a 3D wafer-level packaging (WLP) solution in 2000. Savastiouk later became the co-founder and CEO of ALLVIA Inc. From the beginning, his vision of the business plan was to create a through silicon interconnect since these would offer significant performance improvements over wire bonds. Savastiouk published two articles on the topic in Solid State Technology, first in January 2000 and again in 2010. The first article “Moore’s Law – The Z Dimension” was published in Solid State Technology magazine in January 2000. This article outlined the roadmap of the TSV development as a transition from 2D chip stacking to wafer level stacking in the future. In one of the sections titled Through Silicon Vias, Dr. Sergey Savastiouk wrote, “Investment in technologies that provide both wafer-level vertical miniaturization (wafer thinning) and preparation for vertical integration (through silicon vias) makes good sense.” He continued, “By removing the arbitrary 2D conceptual barrier associated with Moore’s Law, we can open up a new dimension in ease of design, test, and manufacturing of IC packages. When we need it the most – for portable computing, memory cards, smart cards, cellular phones, and other uses – we can follow Moore’s Law into the Z dimension.” This was the first time the term "through-silicon via" was used in a technical publication.
CMOS image sensors utilising TSV were commercialized by companies including Toshiba, Aptina and STMicroelectronics during 20072008, with Toshiba naming their technology "Through Chip Via" (TCV). 3D-stacked random-access memory (RAM) was commercialized by Elpida Memory, which developed the first 8GB DRAM chip (stacked with four DDR3 SDRAM dies) in September 2009, and released it in June 2011. TSMC announced plans for 3D IC production with TSV technology in January 2010. In 2011, SK Hynix introduced 16GB DDR3 SDRAM (40nm class) using TSV technology, Samsung Electronics introduced 3D-stacked 32GB DDR3 (30nm class) based on TSV in September, and then Samsung and Micron Technology announced TSV-based Hybrid Memory Cube (HMC) technology in October. SK Hynix manufactured the first High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) chip, based on TSV technology, in 2013.


Tin-silver-copper

Tin-silver-copper (Sn-Ag-Cu, also known as SAC), is a lead-free (Pb-free) alloy commonly used for electronic solder. It is the main choice for lead-free surface-mount technology (SMT) assembly in the industry, as it is near eutectic, with adequate thermal fatigue properties, strength, and wettability. Lead-free solder is gaining much attention as the environmental effects of lead in industrial products is recognized, and as a result of Europe's RoHS legislation to remove lead and other hazardous materials from electronics. Japanese electronics companies have also looked at Pb-free solder for its industrial advantages.
Typical alloys are 3–4% silver, 0.5–0.7% copper, and the balance (95%+) tin. For example, the common "SAC305" solder is 3.0% silver and 0.5% copper. Cheaper alternatives with less silver are used in some applications, such as SAC105 and SAC0307 (0.3% silver, 0.7% copper), at the expense of a somewhat higher melting point.
History.
In 2000, there were several lead-free assemblies and chip products initiatives being driven by the Japan Electronic Industries Development Association (JEIDA) and Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE). These initiatives resulted in tin-silver-copper alloys being considered and tested as lead-free solder ball alternatives for array product assemblies.
In 2003, tin-silver-copper was being used as a lead-free solder. However, its performance was criticized because it left a dull, irregular finish and it was difficult to keep the copper content under control. In 2005, tin-silver-copper alloys constituted approximately 65% of lead-free alloys used in the industry and this percentage has been increasing. Large companies such as Sony and Intel switched from using lead-containing solder to a tin-silver-copper alloy.
Constraints and tradeoffs.
The process requirements for (Pb-free) SAC solders and Sn-Pb solders are different both materially and logistically for electronic assembly. In addition, the reliability of Sn-Pb solders is well established, while SAC solders are still undergoing study, (though much work has been done to justify the use of SAC solders, such as the iNEMI Lead Free Solder Project).
One important difference is that Pb-free soldering requires higher temperatures and increased process control to achieve the same results as that of the tin-lead method. The melting point of SAC alloys is 217–220°C, or about 34°C higher than the melting point of the eutectic tin-lead (63/37) alloy. This requires peak temperatures in the range of 235–245°C to achieve wetting and wicking.
Some of the components susceptible to SAC assembly temperatures are electrolytic capacitors, connectors, opto-electronics, and older style plastic components. However, a number of companies have started offering 260 °C compatible components to meet the requirements of Pb-free solders. iNEMI has proposed that a good target for development purposes would be around 260°C.
Also, SAC solders are alloyed with a larger number of metals so there is the potential for a far wider variety of intermetallics to be present in a solder joint. These more complex compositions can result in solder joint microstructures that are not as thoroughly studied as current tin-lead solder microstructures. These concerns are magnified by the unintentional use of lead-free solders in either processes designed solely for tin-lead solders or environments where material interactions are poorly understood. For example, the reworking of a tin-lead solder joint with Pb-free solder. These mixed-finish possibilities could negatively impact the solder's reliability.
Advantages.
SAC solders have outperformed high-Pb solders C4 joints in ceramic ball grid array (CBGA) systems, which are ball-grid arrays with a ceramic substrate. The CBGA showed consistently better results in thermal cycling for Pb-free alloys. The findings also show that SAC alloys are proportionately better in thermal fatigue as the thermal cycling range decreases. SAC performs better than Sn-Pb at the less extreme cycling conditions. Another advantage of SAC is that it appears to be more resistant to gold embrittlement than Sn-Pb. In test results, the strength of the joints is substantially higher for the SAC alloys than the Sn-Pb alloy. Also, the failure mode is changed from a partially brittle joint separation to a ductile tearing with the SAC.


Markforged

Markforged is an American public additive manufacturing company that designs, develops, and manufactures The Digital Forge — an industrial platform of 3D printers, software and materials that enables manufacturers to print parts at the point-of-need. The company is headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts, in the Greater Boston Area. Markforged was founded by Gregory Mark and the chief technology officer (CTO) David Benhaim in 2013. It produced the first 3D printers capable of printing continuous carbon fiber reinforcement and utilizes a cloud architecture.
History.
2014–2016.
The company began as a start-up at SolidWorks World 2014 in San Diego with a working prototype of the "Mark One" printer, capable of printing in continuous carbon fiber (the first to do so), fiberglass, nylon and polylactic acid (PLA). Production machines can also print kevlar.
At the 2015 Consumer Electronics Show, Markforged unveiled its cloud-based 3D printing software Eiger, which allowed for easier collaboration for a team through a cloud-based workflow process.
2017.
At the 2017 Consumer Electronics Show, Markforged unveiled the Metal X, which is a 3D printer capable of 3D printing metal parts at a low cost, under $100k. The process has been referred to as ADAM (Atomic Diffusion Additive Manufacturing) technology and it has an in-process laser inspection for dimensional accuracy. Metal 3D printers at the time cost between $500,000 and $1 million.
2018.
In March 2018, Markforged was sued by a rival 3D-printer manufacturer, Desktop Metal, which claimed intellectual property theft and patent infringement in regard to methods patented by Desktop Metal involving "adding layers of an easily removed material to a printed metal product". A finding in favor of Markforged was rendered in the patent infringement case in July 2018.
2019.
In January 2019, a new UL Standard, 2904, "ANSI/CAN/UL Standard Method for Testing and Assessing Particle and Chemical Emissions from 3D Printers", was published Markforged noted in October 2019 that it was pursuing certification against this new standard, claiming that it uses "a plastic compound that generates lower emissions than many competing machines". In December 2019, Markforged appointed Shai Terem as president and chief operating officer. Terem joined the team from Kornit Digital, a digital printing company specialising in textiles, where he was president of the Americas region. Terem had previous experience in additive manufacturing, having worked at Stratasys years before.
2020.
In early 2020, Markforged became the first known additive manufacturing platform to achieve ISO/IEC 27001 Certification. ISO/IEC 27001:2013 is an Information Security Management System (ISMS) standard published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). The certification was applied to Markforged's hardware and Eiger cloud and fleet management software, showing that they meet rigorous international standards in privacy, confidentiality and integrity. In February 2020, the company began to market a 3D-printer system capable of printing pure copper, a version of the company's "Metal X" system; the methodology had been in development for some time and involves the use of plastic-encapsulated copper pellets as the raw material.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Markforged helped to produce over 6,000 face shields in the first three months and partnered with a company called Neurophotometrics to produce Fiberflex Rayon, a 3D printed nasopharyngeal swab for use in diagnostic testing for COVID-19. The effort was renamed Swab56, which developed 55 prototypes over the course of 36 hours before a final design was reached. In October, Markforged announced that Terem was promoted to chief executive officer and president, while the founder Gregory Mark had moved to the role of chairman. The company also announced the launch of The Digital Forge, a cloud-based platform that the company states is the first industrial Additive Manufacturing platform leveraging AI.
2021–2023.
In December 2021, Markforged announced its plans to move to a new corporate headquarters at 60 Tower Rd in Waltham, Massachusetts, to accommodate the company’s growth. The move was planned to be completed in the fall of 2022, and as of February 2023 the new headquarters is currently operational.
Products.
Markforged offers an additive manufacturing platform called The Digital Forge. The platform combines the company's range of products, which include 3D printers, software and materials, with AI technology. All products are developed and produced in the company's home state of Massachusetts. In order to streamline the development of its systems and ensure quality for the end-user, Markforged manages the full 3D printing development stack in-house. Commercial sales are conducted through an indirect channel of value-added resellers and partners throughout the world.
Metal 3D printers.
The Metal X system produces metal parts using the Atomic Diffusion Additive Manufacturing (ADAM) process - a combination of material extrusion-based additive manufacturing and metal injection molding. "Green parts" composed of metal powder and a polymer binder are printed by the Metal X printer. Next, solvent is used to remove a portion of the binder material from the printed parts, leaving "brown" parts. Finally, after thermal debinding and sintering, near net-shape metal parts are produced.
The system was announced in 2017 and launched in 2018, consisting of the Metal X printer, Wash-1 debinding station, and Sinter-1 furnace. The Metal X printer has a build volume of 300mm x 220mm x 180mm. Available materials on the Metal X system include 17-4PH stainless steel, tool steels (H13, A2, D2), Inconel 625, and pure Copper. In 2019, Markforged released the Sinter-2, a larger furnace with four times the sintering workload of Sinter-1.
Industrial composite 3D printers.
Markforged industrial composite printers produce parts using a material extrusion process with continuous fiber reinforcement. A dual-extruder system deposits a composite base material to form the shells and infill with the primary nozzle, and using a secondary nozzle, deposits a reinforced filament containing a core of high tensile strength continuous fibers. Because the fibers are contained in a filament, the printer is capable of freely orienting the fibers within the print plane.
The X7 (previously called Mark X) was released at the end of 2016 with accuracy improvements, a stiffer gantry, and larger build volume of 330mm x 270mm x 200mm, 2.5 times larger than that of the Mark Two. The printer also has a laser micrometer used for bed leveling and part inspection. In 2017, Markforged announced the X3 and X5 printers on the same chassis with modified hardware. Both machines print using Onyx, and the X5 has the ability to add continuous fiberglass reinforcement.
Desktop composite 3D printers.
Markforged released the first commercial continuous fiber printers in 2014, starting with the Mark One. The printer had an anodized aluminium unibody and the ability to print with strands of continuous carbon fiber.
The Mark Two was released in early 2016 as an update to the Mark One. Enhancements include the relocation of the fiber cutter to the print head, motion system improvements, on-printer calibration utilities, and the introduction of a micro carbon fiber filled nylon filament called Onyx.
Business.
In July 2013, Markforged raised $1.1 million in seed funding from North Bridge Venture Partners and Matrix Partners and, in May 2014, the company raised $8.5 million in series A funding. By 2017, Markforged has secured investments from Microsoft Ventures, Porsche SE, Tinity Ventures and Siemens-backed Next47 amounting to US$57 million. By 2017, the venture capital firms Matrix Partners, Trinity Ventures and Northbridge Venture Partners had contributed funding as well. By March 2019, Markforged reached funding of US$136.8 million since its founding after raising $82 million in series D funding led by Summit Partners.
Markforged's business model is based on the sale of industrial 3D printers to replace traditional metal manufacturing methods, with the prediction that companies will find parallel printing across many machines continuously to be attractive. The company competes with legacy 3D printing companies like Stratasys, 3D Systems and HP, as well as newer startups like Desktop Metal and Carbon.


Ingram FBM

The FBM assault rifle (Fusil Automatico FBM) is an assault rifle manufactured by FBM of Bolivia. The weapon was designed around the IMI Galil and the Stoner 63. The FBM was designed by Gordon Ingram and manufactured by Fabrica Boliviana de Municiones in the 1990s. It was designed for ease of cost/manufacture and with limited equipment such as lathes/mills etc. Although the design uses various combat proven design components, it is not known if the weapon was manufactured and if any more info is available.
Design.
The FBM assault rifle uses designs from the IMI Galil and the Stoner 63. It uses 5.56x45mm NATO (Galil/STANAG magazines) and 7.62x39mm M43 rounds (AK47 magazines) and exists in Rifle/Carbine/SMG layouts. Components are made from 4130 and 8620 chrome molybdenum heat treated alloy steel for durability. The bolt is enclosed in a one piece receiver attached to an inline barrel to the bore with the cocking handle at the rear to resist overheating. Weapon when fired using a roller hammer. Field stripping of the bolt is at the rear of the upper receiver allowing the secure low profile use of sights etc. low mounted on the receiver. The FBM also uses a fixed stock as well as FN/Galil side folding stock, bipod, bayonet, grenade launchers and electrical fire controls. Designed for ease of manufacture in facilities with limited equipment/resources, the basic structural components/lockwork are pressed sheet stampings with simplified outlines and contours for in house modular design. However, only the bolt and gas components are manufactured on lathes/mills.
The fire control group of the FBM has 3 positions: Forward position allows full auto, Middle allows semi auto, Rear allows safety. When field stripping, press down rear tab of the recoil spring guide at the rear of the upper receiver and hinge open forward (holding rear tab of the recoil spring guide). This would allow the recoil spring guide and bolt group to be removed from the upper receiver.


Attabotics

Attabotics is a robotics company based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada that specializes in Automated Storage and Retrieval System (AS/RS) inventory management systems. Founded in 2016, the company designs and manufactures intelligent robots that operate within a modular, three-dimensional storage structure that minimizes the traditional fulfillment center footprint.
Origins.
The Attabotics system grew out of a thought experiment about what an automated warehouse designed specifically for robots might look like. After exploring multiple designs, founder Scott Gravelle took inspiration from the natural world:The original inspiration for the company was the leaf-cutter ant, whose Latin name is ‘Atta’… I saw a documentary where a researcher had poured molten aluminum down an ant colony and then dug it up. Ants integrate goods vertically.
—Scott Gravelle, Attabotics Founder, CEO, CTO
Technology.
Attabotics’ proprietary 3D storage system, The Studio, combines order picking, packing, and shipping into one consolidated solution. This differs significantly from many existing robotics fulfillment models, which frequently do not incorporate sortation into the solution infrastructure.
The Studio consists of four interconnected systems:
Although the first generation of Attabotics solutions utilized existing technologies to deliver a proof-of-concept and pilot model, later designs incorporate several proprietary designs developed specifically for the company’s innovative fulfillment solution. Combining hardware, software, and process development under one roof not only allowed Attabotics to build a more efficient system, but also to apply those efficiencies to the production process to improve productivity and minimize overhead costs.
History.
2016.
Attabotics is founded by Scott Gravelle to capitalize on emerging opportunities in the growing AS/RS robotics market.
2017.
The first prototype 3d storage system is developed as a proof of concept. Alberta Innovates, a government agency designed to help start-ups bridge the gap between concept and working prototype, makes a key early investment in the company.
2018.
Attabotics announces development of new manufacturing site at Calgary’s YYC Global Logistics Park in partnership with Opportunity Calgary Investment Fund. The deal ensures that both development and production will remain in Canada. Attabotics also begins its partnership with Gordon Food Service, one of North America’s largest foodservice distributors to automate elements of its supply chain.
2019.
The company announces plans to build new headquarters in Calgary and hires one of Canada’s leading architectural firms to design the building. A new partnership with Microsoft is established to expand edge computing, LTE networking, and IoT capabilities.
2020.
Investments from the Canadian government as part of the country's Innovation, Science and Economic Development portfolio allows Attabotics to expand its research and manufacturing operations in Canada.
2021.
Attabotics pushes to expand its capabilities by partnering with Canada’s leading artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) companies. In May, the company announces a partnership with AltaML and the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute (Amii) to improve supply chain efficiencies. Canada’s SCALE AI also announces that it will invest in Attabotics as part of an Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT) initiative to further improve fulfillment efficiency, uptime, and throughput.
2022.
An agreement with SYNUS Tech allows the company to expand operations into the South Korean market. It also partners with Körber Supply Chain to bring its automation technology to the EU. Attabotics is also selected by the US Department of Defense as robotics provider for the Marine Corps Logistics Command 5G ‘Smart Warehouse.’
The company continues to build relationships with Canadian firms. In July, it establishes a new partnership with Modern Beauty, Canada’s leading beauty retailer, to introduce automation technology to Calgary-area fulfillment center. Another deal is struck to help Pan Pacific Pet modernize its warehouse operations.
Attabotics expands its leadership team by hiring tech industry veteran Richard Cheung as Chief Financial Officer (CFO).