Using TrafficWerks’ ATPM on the graveyard shift, on holidays and the like, relieves them of this, and lets them reduce man hours and realize tremendous savings without sacrificing service.”

Switching gears a from an OEM that makes equipment to speed cars through toll booths, consider a machine builder that helps automotive firms manufacture a better diesel engine.

ABCO Automation manufactured a custom-designed vibration damper torque cell vision system for various diesel engines for a large automotive firm. A vibration damper is the diesel engine version of a gasoline engine’s harmonic balancer. While the engine is in the operation, certain levels of harmonics are generated within the crankshaft that causes premature metal fatigue. The vibration damper’s function is to reduce or eliminate this noise.

The Brown Summit, N.C., robot/vision integrator built its system using a vision system from Natick, Mass.-based Cognex Corp. to produce a digital image that is displayed on a monitor whenever a bolt pattern is presented to the camera for inspection. The system uses pattern-matching algorithms to determine bolt location and crankshaft positioning in the cell. This information is used to identify engine types for the automation equipment. A six-axis robot is utilized to position the camera and torque gun, so that each bolt pattern can be inspected. Once the crankshaft has been positioned, the vision system captures another image to verify the bolt location before the robot moves the torque gun into position.

If the vibration damper is not properly attached to the crankshaft, the damage could be catastrophic. This system provides assurance for the manufacturer, as well as its customers, that the damper is in place and properly installed.

Lest one think that the only choices for OEM competitive advantage lie with high-powered computing equipment or other complexity, consider the situation of Wizard International. The Mukilteo, Wash., company claims to be the leading producer of computerized mat cutting machines. Mats, in this case, are the borders placed around pictures before they are mounted in frames for display in the living room.

The Wizard machine has a movable cutter that requires electric power and a control signal. Routing cable to a movable part can contribute to warranty problems, or even safety concerns, if not done properly. To gain a competitive edge by improving product quality, the company implemented a “ReadyChain” cable carrier composed of a “Micro Energy” chain cable carrier and “Chainflex” continuous-flex cables from igus, East Providence, R.I. The company saved almost one-third of the cost of a competing solution with this design.

Wizard Research and Development Engineer Walt Krein states, “Not only do we save valuable manpower and reduce engineering and purchasing costs, but we also improve the quality of our product. It was an obvious choice.”

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