At industrial facilities, vast numbers of electronically operated machines are programmed to move in various directions. None of this would be possible without a programmable logic controller (PLC), which translates commands for machines to understand. On machines, a user will push a button to activate a particular command. However, the machine itself has no way…
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Leaders at auto parts manufacturer Faurecia Interior have sparked excitement in the Missouri manufacturing industry by announcing plans to build a new interior production plant in Blue Springs, a suburb outside Kansas City. Headquartered in Nanterre, France, Faurecia executives have built their company’s global reputation and business model on new technologies, particularly clean mobility, automotive seating,…
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One year, nine states, and 30 potential sites later, Salt Lake City-based Nikola Motor Company leaders have chosen the suburb of Buckeye, Arizona, as the new location for both their corporate headquarters and fully electric hydrogen semitruck manufacturing facility. Located about 40 minutes west of Phoenix, Nikola Motor Company will be investing $1 billion in the…
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When reporting on mechanical assemblies such as ball screws, gearboxes, reducers and gear motors, often our customers will see notes on the amount of backlash that is present and wonder what that term means. Backlash is a movement or amount of “play” you see in a mechanical system which is caused by a gap between…
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In the manufacturing world, the phrase “time is money,” may be truer than it is anywhere else. The more you can produce, the more you can sell and the more customers you can satisfy. In almost any industry, good time management is important — but in manufacturing, effective prioritizing and good time management are absolutely…
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Clocks are set to spring forward an hour this coming weekend, marking the beginning of Daylight Savings time. Designed to increase daylight hours into the evening at the expense of daylight sunrise, the practice of moving clocks forward has several benefits for several industries, such as more efficient energy usage due to abundance of natural…
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Showing continued overall economy expansion for 106 months in a row, the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) manufacturing index increased 1.7 points to reach 60.8% in February, beating January’s reading of 59.1%. In fact, according to ISM Manufacturing Survey Committee Chair Timothy Fiore, “The PMI® at 60.8 percent is the highest…
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Electricity Printed Circuit Boards Troubleshooting on Old PCBs Analogue Signature Analysis How to Diagnose Problems With a PCB How to Analyze the Results of PCB Diagnostics How to Fix a PCB Common Issues With PCBs PCB Repair Guide to Troubleshooting PCBs Printed circuit boards (PCBs) are manufactured according to designer specifications. However, errors can occur…
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Of the 12 Federal Reserve Regional Districts, five report monthly manufacturing data that provides a measurement of economic stability for the region as well as an overall measurement of how national trends affect the area. While each individual region’s data varies month to month, a longitudinal look at each region’s report over longer periods of…
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Leaders at Denso Corp., a global manufacturer that supplies advanced “thermal, powertrain control, electronics and information and safety” for automotive components, systems, and technologies, have announced another investment in Tennessee manufacturing. The $190 million expansion in its Athens, Tennessee, facility will bring with it 320 new jobs. Denso Corp. Headquartered in Kariya, Aichi prefecture, Japan,…
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