Nothing embodied the freedom of the 1960s better than a sports car. Italian automaker Alfa Romeo (AR) understood this, and in 1962 introduced its first four-door compact executive car: the Guilia.

If it rolls, floats or flies, lightweighting is one of the biggest challenges facing manufacturers today. The push for new materials is forcing engineers in a variety of industries to explore cost-effective alternatives and develop new assembly processes.

RICHLAND, WA—Engineers at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory here have developed a new process for joining aluminum and steel. Friction stir dovetailing was inspired by assembly techniques used in woodworking.

Comfort food can do more than just make a person feel good after a rough day. It can also be used, believe it or not, to help someone better understand a complex assembly technology.

Arcs and sparks are commonly used to dramatically depict welding in television commercials, photographs and other images. But in resistance projection welding (RPW), such flashes of light indicate poor welding.

Numerous electrical-product manufacturers focus on making either AC inductors or DC power supplies. Micron Industries Corp. is one of a select group of manufacturers worldwide that produce both type of products, as well as transformers, reactors and fuse panels.