Austin Weber, Senior Editor

2018 Assembly Plant of the Year: Ford Shifts Flexible Assembly Into High Gear

The Van Dyke transmission plant excels at high-volume, high-mix production.

October 2, 2018

One of the top transmission assembly plants in the world is Ford Motor Co.'s Van Dyke facility in Sterling Heights, MI. It's part of a network of Ford factories that mass-produce axles, engines and other power train components used in the company's cars and trucks.

Team Effort at WPI Tackles Self-Driving Car Challenge

Austin Weber

September 12, 2018

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Automakers, suppliers and startup ventures around the world are scrambling to develop driverless car technology. While many basic issues have already been addressed, numerous hurdles still remain.

GoFly Prize Inspires New Forms of Personal Mobility

Austin Weber

September 7, 2018

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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.

Collaborative Robot Do’s and Don’ts

Cobots are the hottest trend in factory automation

Austin Weber

September 4, 2018

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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.

GE Stays on Track by Rebuilding Locomotives

Flexible assembly lines turn tired workhorses into modern machines

Austin Weber

August 1, 2018

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In the Chicagoland area, the home of ASSEMBLY Magazine for the past 60 years, freight trains are a daily fact of life. It's hard to drive anywhere without encountering at least one long train with numerous cars pulled by powerful locomotives.

MIT Engineers 'Float' Idea for Autonomous Boats

Austin Weber

July 10, 2018

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Most major cities in the world are located on or near a major body of water, either a coast, a large lake or a river. That's because they originated as water-borne trading posts centuries ago.

Quiet Please! NVH Is Becoming More Important Than Ever

Austin Weber

July 9, 2018

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Automakers spend a lot of time focusing on noise, vibration and harshness (NVH). That’s because many consumers demand vehicles that are as quiet as possible.

State of the Profession 2018: Smart Factories Demand Smarter Engineers

Staying ahead of the curve is more important than ever

Austin Weber

July 9, 2018

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Increasing demand for smart devices and embedded intelligence is driving manufacturers in a variety of industries to invest in new production tools and technologies. Additive manufacturing, advanced sensors, augmented reality, cloud-based computing, collaborative robots and digital twins are just a few of the many trends transforming factory floors today.

Assembling 3D Printed Parts

Engineers don’t need to rethink traditional joining techniques

Austin Weber

July 5, 2018

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Additive manufacturing is no longer just for prototyping. More and more, the technology is being used to make production-ready parts. That's forcing engineers to begin thinking about joint designs and assembly processes.

Lightweighting Is Top Priority for Automotive Industry

Lightweighting is the No. 1 challenge facing automotive engineers today

Austin Weber

June 7, 2018

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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.