HOW A NEW GENERATION OF GRIPPERS WITH IMPROVED 3D PERCEPTION AND TACTILE SENSING IS LEARNING TO MANIPULATE A WIDE VARIETY OF OBJECTS. Photo: Robotic Materials Inc. A gripper created by Robotic Materials Inc., founded by the author, Nikolaus Correll, performs a manipulation task during the... Continue Reading
Protect personnel and processes by conducting a thorough review before operating new or updated units. A pre-startup safety review (PSSR) is a critical element of the process safety management (PSM) program mandated by the United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).... Continue Reading
Amid all the cybersecurity concerns and advice circulating throughout industry, a short checklist can be a good ongoing reference to make sure you're on track. With all the news surrounding industrial cybersecurity—from Russian hackers targeting industry to the maze of new companies created... Continue Reading
How the top 10% of safety performers make the most of their data. In the 1980s and early ‘90s, in order to be safer, companies typically had to slow down. In order to increase productivity, they had to take more risks. Then companies realized that safety couldn’t play second fiddle... Continue Reading
With digital technology reaching an inflection point, manufacturers have a critical choice to make. They can continue to digitize individual factory functions, making them more efficient, or begin to integrate digital capabilities across the factory. The digital factory, which integrates all... Continue Reading
Documenting and recording the eight types of waste in any process is essential for any manufacturing operation. Here are a few tips on how to identify each type: Continuous-improvement efforts begin with finding, then eliminating, the waste that exists in a process. In fact, waste elimination... Continue Reading
The pace of technological innovation in industrial manufacturing has accelerated drastically in recent years—for better and for worse. The Internet of Things (IoT) continues to take hold across industry, and driving the most value from it requires manufacturers to unify their operations and... Continue Reading
Originally posted by Jamie Jones Dear MTI Members, I am excited to have been elected to serve as President of the Metal Treating Institute for the next year. It is truly an honor. My company, Solar Atmospheres, is a family-owned, commercial heat treating company, and we have been an MTI... Continue Reading
Lean principles can help your people deploy the right IoT technology at the right time. Manufacturing is evolving. Digitization, improved monitoring and sensors, and faster computing and data networks have produced a new, smart factory environment. This evolution has been described as Industry... Continue Reading
A design engineer at Chevron’s sprawling El Segundo refinery in California used to travel from her office to the plant as many as five times a day to assess operations. Each time, she would bike to where she was needed, suit up with safety gear, assess the problem, and bike back to the... Continue Reading
Manufacturing is a fast-paced industry where success is dependent on timing and quality. That’s why it is crucial to constantly monitor every stage of the production process. Defining and tracking key performance indicators (KPIs) can help manufacturers hone in on what is contributing to,... Continue Reading
Andrew Minturn explores how new technologies can revolutionize traditional processes to maximize manufacturers’ potential in an increasingly digitized global marketplace. Even the smallest improvements to a process can have a big impact – both on efficiency and the bottom line.... Continue Reading
