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The shop floor was hopping in mid-January at Dukane Corp.'s headquarters in St. Charles, IL, 35 miles west of Chicago. Technicians were busy assembling, tooling and testing a variety of machines, including the latest product in the company's arsenal of plastics assembly technologies: a hot-gas welding system.

Optical fiber is the backbone of today's digital economy. Global financial transactions, high-speed Internet access, online shopping, video gaming and other things that most people take for granted are possible because of thin strands of glass that transmit massive amounts of data every second.

Science writer John Wilford once observed that his articles had to focus on one of these story lines to earn their way into print: "big bang, big bucks, big screwup, or big comeback - and with the Hubble Space Telescope you've got them all." He was right. Since launching into orbit almost 30 years ago, Hubble has gone from the humiliation of "techno turkey" to high-risk recovery to recognition as one of history's most prolific scientific explorers.

Every manufacturer has one want and many needs. The want is universal, to be the leader in its industry or area of specialty. The needs are individual, and may concern issues as diverse as increasing capital, upgrading technology, expanding plant size or hiring more assemblers.

Selecting the automated dispensing technology that is the best fit for a specific application is not a decision to be made lightly. This is understandable in light of the many technologies that are available, including the progressive cavity pump, auger valve, time-pressure valve and pneumatic jet valve.

There are many ways to crimp or flare a lip on a cylindrical part. For example, it can be done with a press or an orbital forming machine. However, the problem with those processes, particularly the former, is that they require a good deal of force.