The digital and electric transformation is coming to the automotive industry—and it’s coming fast. How should manufacturing companies prepare for this? And which production solutions are most geared towards the future? Renowned experts will provide answers to these questions, and more, at the 2019 EMAG Technology Forum to be held on May 15 and 16 in Salach, Germany. Participants can expect an innovative event format that allows plenty of time for practical application examples.
Category:
Technologies
EMAG laser technology has become essential in the production of modern transmission components – the ELC machines (EMAG Laser Cell) enables effective lightweight car construction with lower component costs. The laser specialists from EMAG based in Heubach, near Stuttgart, have changed their name to “EMAG LaserTec”. What’s the reason for the change? – An interview with EMAG LaserTec Managing Director Andreas Mootz about growing success, new technologies and promising applications explains.
Welding processes in the automotive industry pose a special challenge for production planners. The process must be performed within seconds and without any negative impact on the material – anything but a trivial requirement when one considers the high process temperatures. Pre-heating before welding, therefore, takes a key role. The component is heated precisely to the required process temperature of around 160 to 180 degrees Celsius. This prevents unwanted heating of the material structure in the heat-affected zone, the area directly surrounding the weld. Pre-heating effectively prevents the formation of cracks in the component after welding.
Induction heating is ideally suited for setting up automated production processes. The technology is easy to integrate into the overall process flow and enables the machining of very large part quantities quickly, precisely and safely. Hardening, joining, brazing and pre-heating are examples of applications that benefit from this flexible technology.
According to a new study by PwC, an automotive consultant firm – there are five dimensions that influence change in the automotive industry. The car of the future is electric and connected, increasingly autonomous, more integrated in sharing concepts and models are updated on a yearly basis (!)—making eight year model cycles a thing of the past. How can such a fast and radical change be implemented on the shop floor? What happens to the old machinery and to the existing production lines? A discussion with Markus Heidel, Head of the EMAG plant in Eislingen, responsible for retrofitting and retooling, reveals that the answer relies not only on investment in new machines – but also retrofitting. The specialists at EMAG will ensure that existing machines and production systems are prepared for changing manufacturing processes with the help of some conversion work – offering an attractive alternative to purchasing new equipment.
Combined with innovative drive and clamping solutions, the MIND-M plus by eldec provides its users with huge increases in productivity for induction hardening, leading to a decrease in overall unit costs. The powerful generator inside plays an extremely important role.
Historically, the power of a car’s engine was dependent on the number and size of cylinders – today, that’s a thing of the past! Electronic engine control, turbochargers or compressors are responsible for the overall performance. The turbocharger has a particularly important role—a Swiss invention dating back to 1925, the turbocharger was used to considerably increase engine power. What distinguishes this component, why is it increasingly important and what are the benefits of using electrochemical machining? —Five interesting facts about turbochargers:
eldec CUSTOM LINE generators: customized energy source for perfect induction heating
by Markus Isgro
“Customized” is the key word when it comes to delivering a perfect production solution for building systems and machinery. Each technology is individually tailored to the customer’s environment, guaranteeing a highly efficient and optimally configured process. Induction heating in particular is one of the technologies that requires customization because the quality of the customer’s process depends on a whole range of very specific details. As the energy source, the generator plays an important role here. The experts at EMAG subsidiary eldec, based in Dornstetten, Germany, know this very well.