Lamb Technicon Recieves `Technology of the Year' Award

    WARREN, Mich.--Jan. 3, 2002--Lamb Technicon Machining Systems, a division of California-based UNOVA, Inc. , recently received Industry Week magazine's prestigious "Technology of the Year" award for Lamb's innovative Intelligent Fixturing System or IFS. The presentation was made to Dr. Phillip S. Szuba, director of research and new product development, and Peter M. Beecherl, assistant manager of research and new product development.
    The first prototype IFS system is currently being tested at Lamb Technicon in Warren, Michigan and will be formally introduced at the 2002 IMTS (International Manufacturing Technology Show) in September in Chicago.
    "Flexible fixturing has a strong potential to reduce capital-investment costs by as much as 25 percent per machining system," said Jim Herrman, senior vice president and group executive of UNOVA's Industrial Automation Systems segment. "When implemented, we anticipate IFS technology will also lower machining costs by $30 to $50 per vehicle.
    "This project is part of Lamb's expanded R&D efforts to help customers increase the flexibility of their production lines, added Herrman. "This award, the second in three years, recognizes the success of Lamb's research and development programs to help automakers improve productivity, flexibility and quality with lower capital investment."

    Dramatic Reductions in Capital Investment

    Fixturing is an expensive yet critical step in high-volume, close-tolerance production of metal parts such as blocks and cylinder heads for internal combustion engines. A component is held in a fixed position while a high-speed cutting tool drills a hole to a precise depth and diameter. To hold the part in place, a clamping device (a fixture) must be custom-fitted to each part, making changeovers slow and expensive.
    "Today there are about 100 machined parts in an internal combustion engine and each one requires a custom-designed fixture," said Szuba. "At $40,000 to $50,000 each, these dedicated fixtures add $4 million to $5 million to the cost of an engine manufacturing line. This increases the capital investment for new vehicles, which raises the bar for risk and return on investment."
    The problem is aggravated when a part is changed or when an entire manufacturing line is retooled. A new part inevitably requires a new fixture, adding even more costs for model changeovers or quality improvements, Szuba added.
    Lamb's Intelligent Fixturing System concept offers a versatile alternative: rather than building a custom-clamping device for every part, each IFS fixture adapts itself to a range of different parts. The IFS fixture automatically calculates the difference between the actual and desired position and uses servo actuators (called micro positioners) to correct misalignments while the machine tool performs its drilling or cutting operation.
    Besides lowering capital costs, the inherent versatility of IFS could one day allow auto makers to more profitably produce "niche-market" vehicles with sales volumes less than 50,000 units annually. "IFS may enable a vehicle manufacturer to easily and inexpensively switch engines to meet changing customer demand," said Szuba. "It's an important technology that could enable greater mass customization: moving from `make-to-stock' to `make-to-order'."
    Lamb estimates that the North American auto industry could save up to $750 million annually using IFS, based on domestic production of 15 million vehicles. For machine tool users alone, Lamb calculates fixturing costs exceed $600 million -- for both new and existing equipment.
    Research on flexible fixturing began in 1998, when Lamb established the concept and applied for government funding through the National Institute of Standards and Technology's (NIST) Advance Technology Program. Recognizing the broad-based potential for U.S. manufacturing, NIST provided funding of $2 million. Lamb received a patent on the technology earlier in 2001.
    With NIST-supplied funding, Lamb Technicon subcontracted sub-systems of the IFS to a university consortium called the Machine Tool Agile Manufacturing Research Institute comprising the University of Illinois-Urbana/Champaign, Georgia Institute of Technology, Pennsylvania State University, and the University of Michigan.
    Lamb Technicon also partnered with Mitutoyo America Corp., Aurora, Ill., to incorporate shop-hardened coordinate measuring machine technology for part location.
    Lamb Technicon Machining Systems (Warren, Mich.), a UNOVA company, is the leading North American designer and integrator of high-volume and flexible machining systems for the automotive and diesel-engine industries.
    Headquartered in Woodland Hills, California, UNOVA specializes in the design and integration of manufacturing systems, primarily for the global automotive industry. The company is also a leading supplier of automated data collection and mobile computing systems for industrial, distribution and government markets.