The solar industry in the United States is growing exponentially, with high energy costs, environmental concerns, and government funding driving demand higher than ever before. But with increased demand comes the need for expanded supply.
Solar panel and solar cell manufacturers must substantially increase production to meet demand in coming years, which means improving efficiency and refining the process from drawing board to installation.
There’s more that goes into this than could be covered in a single blog post, but one essential element is automating and streamlining the production process using efficient conveyor systems.
Conveyors play a vital, and often overlooked, function in today’s manufacturing plant. Whether the facility is manufacturing circuit boards, truck transmissions or the latest high protein energy bar – you are sure to find conveyors. Whether carrying raw parts or bringing finished assemblies into the shipping and palletizing areas, conveyors are used at every stage of production and assembly. Conveyors can be used for bulk handling, or for more specialized processes – such as back-lit conveyors for vision inspection or vacuum conveyors for product placement. Conveyors can be auxiliary equipment or they can provide a crucial function, such as indexing conveyors feeding upstream processes.
Plastic ejection molding is one of the most widely-used manufacturing processes on the planet, responsible for the manufacturing of such everyday plastic products as packaging, engine components, tableware and cutlery, furniture, electronics, bottle caps and lids, and much more.
If you’ve ever been in the market for a new belt conveyor system or other industrial automation solution, you know how challenging it can be to find something that will meet your precise needs. Every application is different, and every business has different needs when it comes to conveyor design, cost, and other variables. While we’ve written before about how to choose the right conveyor system, this post will focus more specifically on a related issue: Choosing from among the long list of belt conveyor manufacturers.
As manufacturers look to stay competitive in the 21st Century, the need for businesses to stay nimble in a restless marketplace is more important than ever. Changes in technology or market demand may necessitate adaptations to existing production lines with speedy turnaround times that are difficult, or outright impossible, with many traditional manufacturing systems. That’s why modern manufacturing often relies on what are known as flexible manufacturing systems – those designed with swift changes in production lines and ease of adaptability in mind.
