2021 October

The 2021 October Assembly features our cover story: 2021 Assembly Plant of the Year - GKN Drives Transformation With New Culture, Processes and Tools, plus much more. Check it out today!

2021 Assembly Plant of the Year: GKN Drives Transformation With New Culture, Processes and Tools

A two-year-long continuous improvement initiative pays off in Newton, NC.

Austin Weber

October 13, 2021

All-wheel drive (AWD) technology has taken the automotive world by storm in recent years, because of its ability to effectively transfer power to the ground. Today, many sport utility vehicles use AWD for better acceleration, performance, safety and traction in all kinds of driving conditions.

Induction Brazing

Induction brazing is faster, safer, greener and more repeatable than other brazing methods.

Jim Camillo

October 5, 2021

Nearly every assembly process can be performed in several ways. Which option a manufacturer or integrator chooses for the best result is usually the one that matches a proven technology with a specific application.

Welding Large-Diameter Cable

Joining the large conductors used to quickly charge electric vehicle batteries will require a new and more reliable approach to ultrasonic welding.

Craig Birrittella

October 12, 2021

Among the factors that limit the growth of electric vehicle (EV) adoption are the relatively long times required to recharge batteries. In most cases, it takes hours to fully recharge an EV, whereas it takes only minutes to refill a gas tank.

Aussie Wire Harness Assembler Saves Boxes

A pair of clever plastic devices enable a harness assembler to reuse cardboard shipping cartons 20 times.

John Sprovieri

October 11, 2021

Manufacturers worldwide are trying to be more sustainable. They are conserving energy and raw materials. They are re-examining global supply chains. And, they are reusing or recycling packaging.

Flexible Feeder Solves Assembly Challenge

SCARA robots free skilled labor from dull, repetitive task.

Gurpreet Bhoot

October 7, 2021

Medbio is an ISO 13485:2016-certified contract manufacturer of medical devices and injection-molded plastic parts. Headquartered in Grand Rapids, MI, the company operates six manufacturing locations throughout Michigan and New York.

Microwave Curing of Epoxy

Microwaves offer advantages over UV light and heat when curing epoxies.

Satoshi Horikoshi

October 6, 2021

Adhesives that cure in a short time tend to be unstable during storage, while adhesives that are stable during storage tend to cure slowly. As a result, either heat or ultraviolet radiation is often used to hasten curing.

Automation Boosts Production of Masks

John Sprovieri

October 4, 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a massive surge in demand for a variety of medical devices, not the least of which are N95 respirators and other personal protective equipment. To meet that need, manufacturers worldwide are building new factories and installing new automated assembly lines. Two of those companies are Breathe Medical Manufacturing in Kelowna, BC, Canada, and Husco International Inc. in Waukesha, WI.

Mercedes Developing Brain-Controlled Interface for Cars

John Sprovieri

October 14, 2021

This February will mark my 25th anniversary with ASSEMBLY magazine. In that short time, I've seen technological advancements that I could not have imagined, and each day seems to bring news of another.

Robots Automate Testing of Nanosatellites

Jim Camillo

October 21, 2021

Satellites come in many shapes and sizes, including large, medium, small and nano. The latter are typically put into orbit by deployers on the International Space Station, or launched as secondary payloads on a carrier rocket.

Adhesive Assembles RFID Chips

Jim Camillo

October 21, 2021

Having the right connections can definitely help a person succeed in the business world. Being a company that specializes in connecting things doesn't hurt, either - even if the connection is a wireless one.

Additive Manufacturing Helps Build the Fielder’s Dream Glove

Jim Camillo

October 21, 2021

The best fielders in Major League Baseball are annually rewarded a Gold Glove. But, only one of them, shortstop Francisco Lindor of the New York Mets, can claim that his glove, the REV1X, is 3D printed.

Strain Gauge Enables Bipedal Robot to Walk

Jim Camillo

October 21, 2021

Technical universities are often taken for granted in their development of manufacturing technology. Thankfully, this is not the case in Germany.

Lockheed Cuts Production Time by 20 to 40 Percent

Five Things: Aerospace Assembly

October 15, 2021

Engineers at Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works recently completed a prototype aircraft article that demonstrates how transformational technologies can enable aircraft components to be built more than 50 percent faster, reducing total production time by 20 to 40 percent.

Further Review of Manufacturing Supply Chains

Harry Moser

October 14, 2021

In his June 2021 editorial, ASSEMBLY's editor in chief John Sprovieri discussed President Biden's February executive order to review critical U.S. supply chains. I would like to build on John's analysis and offer advice to the Biden administration.

On Demand Learn how manufacturers are bridging the gap between the shop floor and ERP systems to gain real-time visibility, streamline operations, and kick-start digital transformation—without waiting years.

Sponsored by:

On Demand In this presentation, Dr. Herman Tang shares practical insights from his industry experience and research on buffer management in manufacturing operations.

Assembly eMagazine

Cover Story

2021 Assembly Plant of the Year: GKN Drives Transformation With New Culture, Processes and Tools

Features

Induction Brazing

Welding Large-Diameter Cable

Aussie Wire Harness Assembler Saves Boxes

Flexible Feeder Solves Assembly Challenge

Microwave Curing of Epoxy

Automation Boosts Production of Masks

Columns

Mercedes Developing Brain-Controlled Interface for Cars

Robots Automate Testing of Nanosatellites

Adhesive Assembles RFID Chips

Additive Manufacturing Helps Build the Fielder’s Dream Glove

Strain Gauge Enables Bipedal Robot to Walk

Five Things: Aerospace Assembly

Further Review of Manufacturing Supply Chains

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