Breakthrough Products Drive the Future of Automotive Production
Advances in gripping technologies, automation solutions, and AI-powered quality control systems are among the innovations reshaping how automotive manufacturers produce, inspect, and finish panels, components and more.
World’s First: Giga Laser Next Redefines 3D Laser Cutting for the Automotive Industry
Prima Power North America (Arlington Heights, IL) unveils Giga Laser Next, a breakthrough in 3D laser cutting tailored to the growing challenges of high-volume automotive manufacturing. With four synchronized laser heads cutting the same part and a dual-station layout that enables parallel loading and unloading, Giga Laser Next multiplies productivity while shrinking occupied space, unlocking new benchmarks in space-time efficiency. Giga Laser Next is a response to the most urgent demands in the industry.
As automotive OEMs scale up to meet giga factory throughput and EV demand, previous generation laser systems, while still effective in less intensive applications, struggle to keep up with the most demanding productivity requirements. Giga Laser Next is a Prima Power proprietary solution engineered to address the need to maximize both floor space utilization and machine uptime for optimal production efficiency, minimizing direct labor, managing market volatility and multiple vehicle models, and ensuring short lead times. Designed for full automation, Giga Laser Next supports embedded solutions for loading, unloading, quality checks, and marking, with the flexibility to connect directly to stamping or assembly lines.
Center-Through-Coolant Angle Head Boosts Chip Removal
BIG DAISHOWA (Hoffman Estates, IL) has announced an addition to its fixed 90° angle head lineup — the TAG90 center-through-coolant angle head and AG35 high-pressure coolant adapters. Now, operators can enjoy the productivity, flexibility and accuracy benefits of angle heads with enhanced chip evacuation.
These center-through-coolant angle heads deliver coolant directly from the machine spindle to the cutting edge, without passing through the stop block, which improves cooling efficiency and chip removal. The new angle heads support coolant pressures up to 1,000 PSI.
Customers can choose between the build-up type angle head, which allows users to change the adapter for use in a variety of machining applications, or the HMC type angle head—a high-rigidity milling chuck. The build-up type angle head leverages AG35 high-pressure coolant adapters, including the New Baby Chuck and Side Lock adapter types.
BIG DAISHOWA’s angle head lineup allows shops to combine vertical and horizontal operations on one machine, and to access hard-to-reach features on a workpiece that would otherwise be impossible without multiple setups. This can reduce cycle times while also improving overall accuracy.
“In industries like aerospace, defense and automotive, manufacturers are looking for ways to machine larger, more complex workpieces in fewer setups,” said Alan Miller, senior manager engineering. “At the same time, chip evacuation is a concern, especially with the hard-to-machine materials common in these industries. Our new TAG90 angle heads support both needs by bringing productivity and accuracy to a new level.”
Streamline Your Automotive Workflow with One Software Package
Autodesk’s (San Francisco, CA) Fusion software includes powerful 3D design capabilities for sheet metal and fabrication. This allows engineers and designers in the automotive industry, among others, to create precise flat patterns that are ready for manufacturing. Users can define parameters such as material thickness, bend allowances, hole sizes, and other geometric features relevant to sheet metal fabrication.
Autodesk Fusion allows you to connect 2D and 3D workflows so you can create, modify, and document sheet metal designs. This makes it easy to quickly get a flat pattern into production.
Below are some top reasons to consider Autodesk Fusion:
- Comprehensive sheet metal design features: Fusion offers a range of specialized tools tailored for sheet metal design. These tools include bend and unfold commands, sheet metal-specific parameters, corner reliefs, flange creation and more. These features streamline the design process and enable designers to create accurate sheet metal components.
- Cloud-based collaboration: With cloud collaboration tools, multiple users can collaborate on the same design in real time. Cloud-based software is especially useful for product design teams, where parts of the products are often designed and manufactured by different team members across various locations.
- Integrated CAD/CAM: Fusion combines both computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) functionalities in a single platform. This integration allows designers to seamlessly transition from creating 3D sheet metal models to generating tool paths for manufacturing processes.
Surface Inspection AI Software Upgrades Take on Chatter
In automotive manufacturing, grinding machines are used on parts such as camshafts to achieve the desired profile. A part defect known as chatter can occur during the grinding process due to tool imbalance and machine vibration, leading to part quality issues and customer complaints. A new surface inspection model developed for Cendiant Inspect AI Software from Musashi AI North America (Waterloo, ON) specifically targets this issue, offering results similar to those achieved with dedicated optical shaft measurement machines.
“Chatter is a production outcome that is common but difficult to detect, and this is a recurring message Musashi has heard from its customer base as of late,” said Frederick Reinink, business development specialist at Musashi AI. “With this new model, Cendiant Inspect delivers accurate and repeatable detection of defects that are nearly imperceptible to the human eye while replacing the need for time-intensive and costly optical shaft measurement machines. Ultimately, this reduces waste and rework.”
New Electric Parallel Gripper
DESTACO (Auburn Hills, MI) has launched the eRDH Series Electric Parallel Gripper, the latest addition to its Robohand product line. It represents a significant leap forward in gripping technology, offering unparalleled precision, flexibility, and ease of use.
The eRDH Series integrates state-of-the-art features, including four teachable sensors, speed control, force control, and selectable internal or external grip configurations, all tailored to meet the evolving needs across industries such as automotive, consumer goods, food and packaging and industrial manufacturing.
A built-in jaw locking technology ensures that the grip force is maintained even without power, enhancing safety and reliability. The keypad lockout feature prevents unauthorized tampering, while basic diagnostic feedback to PLC systems alerts operators to any fault conditions, mitigating downtime.
