THIS IS ABOUT as Lean as it Gets

摘要

When thinking of lean and time-saving manufacturing practices, the traditional brick-and-mortar factory is what typically comes to mind. But what if you could design and install a completely automated, high-speed, high-precision micro-assembly facility on a space no larger than a small table-top? Even Henry Ford would sit up and take notice. That reality is here in the form of CSEM's (Centre Suisse d'Electronique et de Microtechnique SA) robotized microManufacturing system. Intended for an array of microtechnology assembly applications, the 24/7 CSEM "factory" and its "workforce" of PocketDelta robots - the world's smallest according to Swiss-based CSEM - deftly handles multi-step assembly of very small components at speeds of up to 3 cycles per second, with a precision of 2 micrometers. The company is now marketing its system wherever small devices, micromotors, microsystems, watches and other miniature products are manufactured and assembled.