THK Journal
The THK Journal provides articles covering THK products, services, and initiatives.
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Products
Optimize Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE)! New AI Diagnostic Service ADV
The last few years have seen an acceleration in the evolution of AI (artificial intelligence) and the IoT (Internet of Things) for the manufacturing industry. Whereas veteran technicians applied years of experience and intuition to machine maintenance in the past, the quantification of running conditions for various machines has now made it so that AI can analyze that data and enhance the efficiency of maintenance operations.In this article, we’ll be introducing THK’s IoT solution for improving the efficiency of maintenance operations and the newly added AI diagnostic service ADV.
- Machine Tools
- Industrial Robots
- Precision Machinery / Instrument
- Electricity / Electronics
- Semiconductor Manufacturing Equipment
- Automotive and Transportation Equipment
- Automotive / Automotive Component
- Conveyance
- Other Machinery
- OMNIedge
- AI Diagnostic Service ADV
- Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE)
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Products
Rotary Bearings for Multi-Axis Multitasking Machine Tools
Machine tools are indispensable in the manufacture of industrial products. Because of this, the performance of machine tools is being pushed ever further as industry evolves and technology advances. This article will focus on the theme of rotary bearings for multi-axis multitasking machine tools.
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Products
Examining the Workings of the Linear Motor through Its Features and Applications
The Japanese manufacturing industry is struggling with a declining labor population due to the country's aging society and declining birthrate, and the problem is intensifying. According to one survey, the working age population (ages 16 to 64) in Japan is expected to be 14 million people fewer in 2030 than it is today. If nothing changes, it's clear that the labor shortages are going to accelerate, which will hurt the Japanese economy. Factory automation (FA) will be an essential method of achieving labor savings to solve the challenges facing the manufacturing industry. Within this field, a particular challenge is how to boost the productivity of semiconductor manufacturing and inspection equipment, machines that produce automotive parts, and rechargeable battery manufacturing equipment.
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Products
High-Performance, Non-Magnetic, and Extremely Corrosion-Resistant Products Support Cutting-Edge Scientific Fields
Non-magnetic materials are not attracted to magnets and have special properties that prevent magnetic fields from forming. (Materials with low levels of magnetism can also be referred to as non-magnetic.) Industrial materials with these properties include stainless steel and aluminum alloys, but the intensifying requirements for special environments in cutting-edge scientific fields in recent years have created a need for non-magnetic products with even higher levels of performance. Let’s take a look at THK's revolutionary products that offer high performance, non-magnetic properties, and superior corrosion resistance.
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Products
Seismic Isolation: An Inside Look at the Development, Structure, and Applications
Seismic isolation structures hinder the transmission of ground movement to buildings. They have become an increasingly common feature of earthquake-resistant office buildings and high-rise apartments, and they are gradually becoming a part of daily life. Let's take a look at how THK's linear motion guide technology, which uses a rolling guide mechanism, came to be adopted in seismic isolation technology and how it is being used to provide seismic isolation for buildings and equipment.
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Products
Exclusive Look at the Internal Structure of the Pick and Place Robot (PPR)
We're now in an age where every single thing you own—from smartphones and computers to household appliances and cars—contains electronic components. Everyone is probably familiar with the image of electronic components as circuits that move machinery, which are made by soldering components onto a green circuit board. But do you know just how small those components have become? Looking at typical components as an example, the smallest resistors and capacitors are 0201 size (0.2 mm × 0.1 mm). At this granular size, it's becoming difficult to pick them up even with tweezers. The smaller and thinner they get, the more difficult it becomes for production equipment to handle them, which causes a bottleneck in transfer processes. In this article, we’ll take a look at how the Pick and Place Robot is optimized for assembling and transferring these kinds of tiny electronic components, which will include a rare peek inside the structure of this product.
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Products
The Indispensable Ball Joint for Vehicle Suspension Systems
What is known by car enthusiasts as the suspension is a collection of critical components around the tires that influence steering wheel control and the riding experience. The components that join the body of the vehicle with the tires serve a number of functions, such as accurately transmitting the movement of the steering wheel and determining the riding experience for those sitting in the driver’s, passenger’s, and rear seats. In this article, we’ll introduce the suspension component known as the ball joint.
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Products
Tool Monitoring AI Solution Detects Cutting Tool Conditions and Prevents Defects!
If you install sensors and communication devices on various things connected to the internet, those things will be able to communicate with each other and exchange information through the IoT (Internet of Things). This can generate value for business and people's lives through automation and efficiency improvements. Let’s take a look at the IoT solutions that THK offers.
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Products
Linear Motion Products That Determine Machine Tool Performance
Manufacturing generally refers to the entire process of creating a product, starting with design and including selection. Throughout the manufacturing industry's production processes, appropriate control of product quality is crucial to meeting customers’ needs. Let's take a look at linear motion products that have a large impact on machine tool performance.
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Products
THK's Robot Hand: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at Humanoid Robot Development
We are getting closer to achieving a world straight out of a movie scene, where people work side by side with humanlike robots as their colleagues. AI is already being employed in the digital realm, while humanoid robots are active in the physical. How did these robots come to exist in the real world? Let’s take a look behind the scenes of their development.
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Products
Example Applications for THK Products (Industrial robots)
Robots are used in various industries to position workpieces very quickly and accurately. Some robots, not limited to orthagonal movements, have multi-joint assemblies letting them simulate the movements of human arms. These joint sections must have a high swing accuracy and high rigidity ensuring that sudden stops do not put them off-track, THK's unique products are powerful and small enough to meet those demands.
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Products
Example Applications for THK Products (Electrical and Electronic Equipment)
An electronic device is a collection of small units and actuators. The manufacturing equipment for these units is also a collection of small actuators. THK supplies a wide variety of actuators to all market areas where space-saving and energy-saving actuators are continually in demand.
