‘Learning laboratory’ aims to perfect automation concepts

ROBOTS, AGVs and vision systems are used liberally at the General Motors Vanguard Plant at Saginaw, Michigan, USA, where a $52 million investment in the automated manufacture of front‐wheel drive axles is under way. The machining area is already fully operational but the assembly area has barely reached commissioning stage and the automated kitting function, which will be the most interesting of all, is not yet constructed.