Austin Weber

As household appliance manufacturers continue using thinner sheets of material, engineers must address new challenges and explore alternative joining solutions.

La-Z-Boy is one of the best-known brands in the residential furniture industry. The company is synonymous for its comfortable reclining chairs. But, La-Z-Boy is also well-known for lean manufacturing and its made-in-the-USA production philosophy.

In The Great Gatsby, the central character is captivated by a green navigational beacon off in the distance that gives him eternal hope. Although Jay Gatsby wasn’t thinking about assembly lines, manufacturing has a similar green light and assemblers are equally optimistic these days. 

The University of California-Berkeley has been center stage for new ideas, breakthroughs and radical changes for decades. Today, it’s leading the green manufacturing revolution. Cal Berkeley is home to the Laboratory for Manufacturing and Sus-tainability (LMAS).

Did you like taking things apart when you were younger? Did this inspire you to become an engineer or pursue a career in manufacturing? Do you still like taking stuff apart today?

Electric tools have been available for more than a decade. However, until recently, many manufacturers were reluctant to invest in the technology because DC electric screwdrivers and nutrunners traditionally were more expensive than air-powered alternatives.

Steel is not about to disappear anytime soon as the dominant material used in the home appliance industry. Unlike automakers, which are turning to aluminum, carbon-fiber composites, magnesium, plastic and other lightweight materials, steel still rules in the world of refrigerators, dishwashers and dryers.

Several big hurdles need to be overcome before there will be more widespread use of carbon-fiber composites in the auto industry. Major issues include material cost, high-volume processing, repeatable quality and overall cost effectiveness.

Carbon-fiber composites offer numerous benefits to automotive manufacturers, such as weight reduction. However, they pose a wide variety of joining challenges to engineers, who must choose between adhesive bonding or mechanical fastening. Each assembly process has many pros and cons.

Carbon-fiber composites offer numerous benefits to automotive manufacturers, such as weight reduction. However, they pose a wide variety of joining challenges to engineers, who must choose between mechanical fastening or adhesive bonding. Each assembly process has many pros and cons that must be evaluated.