The 2013 March Assembly includes a cover story about the "lighter side" of automotive assembly, as well as columns by John Sprovieri and Austin Weber. Check it out today!
Carbon-fiber reinforced composites are popular in the aerospace and marine industries as a lightweight alternative to aluminum, steel and other metals. The material is also used to produce railcars, wind turbine blades and sporting goods.
Industrial fabric curtain walls are growing in popularity. In assembly plants, two of the fastest-growing applications are for lowering noise levels and controlling dust.
We’ve all been there: You spent hours researching a new identification, tracking or data collection system. Just when the allocated funds have been spent and the scanners and management software systems are installed, you think: “Just one small task left to finish this huge project—pick a label.”
Established in 2002, Polystar LLC produces a full line of chemicals for epoxies used in assembly applications
March 1, 2013
Over the past decade, Polystar has grown in both size and chemistry complexity. Simultaneously, so has the need for the company to more closely control product consistency and safety.
Alongside scenic countryside on Route 71, about two hours southwest of Chicago, sits tiny Mark, IL, with a population of 550.
March 1, 2013
Mennie precision-machines transmission and fuel-system parts and assemblies used in mission-critical applications. Customers include Caterpillar, Bosch Rexroth, Saur-Danfoss, Eaton Hydraulics, Poclain Hydraulics, Allison Transmission, American Axle and Cummins.
For example, according to the Precision Metalforming Association, 69 percent of U.S. metalworking companies have job openings. However, 91 percent of those companies are experiencing challenges finding qualified employees, and 42 percent describe that difficulty as “severe.”
Robotic grippers and 3D printing are two passions of Hod Lipson, an associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering and computer science at Cornell University.
The facility was created by Lipson in 2001 to develop robots that “create and are creative. We explore novel autonomous systems that can design and make other machines automatically,” he points out.