NORTH CHARLESTON, SC—Boeing is investigating a new quality issue with its 787 Dreamliner after discovering that hundreds of fasteners on some undelivered jets have been incorrectly installed.
The Swivel Cable for DC electric fastening tools is equipped with a rotating connector that enables the operator to twist the tool in a radius of ±170 degrees without twisting the cable itself.
A typical assembly plant will invest a good deal of money in electric and pneumatic tools to install fasteners. Given the sophistication of today's power tools, engineers might be tempted to discount the most critical component of the fastening process: the bits and sockets that drive the fastener.
As household appliance manufacturers continue using thinner sheets of material, engineers must address new challenges and explore alternative joining solutions.
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.
