Many companies are drawn to the idea of Lean manufacturing. Six Sigma and other Lean principles are frequently the subject of implementation by companies looking to increase efficiency. What are some of the characteristics of the Lean process and why are companies using Lean manufacturing? What Is Lean Manufacturing? Lean manufacturing means setting the continuous…
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Manufacturing as we know it has made tremendous strides over the centuries. Today, it allows us to produce amazing things. Along the way, there have been some crucial manufacturing milestones that changed the face of manufacturing history and revolutionized what we can do technologically as a society. Here are three of the biggest early turning…
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Congestion of roadways is a problem that continues to plague metropolitan areas around the world. Whether cars, pedestrians, public transport or carpools, roads are handling more commuters than they have the physical space to accommodate. That’s led some companies to look to the skies. EHang, Inc., a Chinese drone-making company, revealed that they’ve been running…
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We live in the world of big data, where individuals and companies have access to more data than ever before. Your business is not likely to survive without a data collection plan. Naturally, you want your data collection methods to be as efficient as possible so you can get the most useful data in the…
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Customer service can be a tricky thing even when times are good. When a person’s product — that they spent good money for — isn’t working, they often get angry and frustrated fast. But when everything’s going wrong, it’s easy for your customer service crew to lose their heads. That doesn’t help anybody. In fact,…
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We have talked about in the past how fuses and circuit breakers protect a variable frequency drive from over-current conditions but what about over voltage? On the main supply lines coming into the drive often you will see a little colored disk that favors a capacitor. These are metal oxide varistors, or MOV’s and they serve to protect…
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Many manufacturing companies complain about the lack of skilled workers to fill their ranks. Yet, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, women — who make up roughly half the U.S. workforce — account for less than a third of manufacturing jobs. Why are so many manufacturing companies missing out on the opportunity to recruit…
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It was recently announced that Tesla and the South Australian government will embark on an ambitious project to install solar panels on 50,000 homes and link their batteries together, creating a virtual, decentralized power plant. This decentralized approach to storing solar energy would equip each building with a 5kW solar panel and a 13.5kWh Tesla…
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If you think you may have bad spindle motor windings, it’s important to know for sure. If you have access to a multimeter, it’s easy to determine if you have an immediate problem. Here is a basic breakdown on how to check motor windings with a multimeter, keep in mind this is just a quick way…
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One of the most common misconceptions that we hear from those that may be newer to the realm of industrial electronics is that a Soft Start and VFD (Variable Frequency Drive) are essentially the same device. The confusion is not really that surprising as there are dozens of different industry terms for motor controls that…
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