As manufacturers expand the use of aluminum, titanium, magnesium and other high-strength, lightweight alloys, interest in alternative joining technologies is increasing.
The crash test dummy has become the gold standard for safety testing of automobiles for organizations like the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and other agencies throughout the world.
Project quality and product quality are different things, but they are inextricably linked—or they should be. It is possible for a project to seem successful and deliver the anticipated result, only to find out later the product is not what was expected.
The U.S. Court of Appeals stopped the EPA’s ban on high global warming potential HFC refrigerants last year, but that may just be a pause in the switch from HFCs to environmentally friendly replacements.
In the early days of commercial aviation, thousands of inventors and tinkerers developed multiple schemes for flying machines. A few ideas worked, but many others never got off the ground.
How well an assembled plastic part performs depends a great deal upon how its component pieces are joined. Those made of strong, hard plastic may be fastened together or bonded. Thermoplastic pieces allow for even more options, including screws and rivets, various types of adhesives or welding, staking and being snap-fit.
With nearly a century of experience manufacturing trucks, it's no surprise that Kenworth is one of PACCAR's most successful arms. Kenworth, along with fellow PACCAR brand Peterbilt, achieved a record 30.7 percent of retail market share for Class 8 trucks in the U.S. and Canada in 2017, up from 28.5 percent in 2016.
Collaborative robots are an important element of Industry 4.0 and smart manufacturing initiatives. Many engineers are intrigued by these next-generation machines that can control force and work safely next to people on assembly lines without traditional safety guarding.