Wiring harnesses for complex assemblies, such as cars or airplanes, can contain hundreds or even thousands of wires. Routing all those wires from connector to connector is fraught with opportunities for error.

Cables, cord sets and wire harnesses are invariably assembled with at least some amount of manual labor, even when high volumes are needed. Sure, the process of cutting, stripping and terminating individual wires can be fully automatic.

Industry 4.0 is the hottest trend to hit the manufacturing world since the Toyota Production System started to transform assembly lines two decades ago. Although most of the talk about digital production systems and smart factories involves things such as augmented reality, collaborative robots or data analytics, conveyors play an equally important role.

Airplanes old and new share many of the same types of components. One is a nacelle, or engine housing, with an inlet lip skin that ensures smooth air flow. However, not all planes have similarly shaped lip skins.

Robot sales in North America hit record highs in 2017 in terms of both units sold and total sales. Manufacturers purchased 34,904 total units, representing $1.9 billion in total sales, according to the Robotic Industries Association (RIA).

Delta robots are becoming increasingly popular for many types of applications, because they're fast, have small footprints and feature large work envelopes.

Every automobile requires a starter, and for decades, Bosch Auto Parts has been the world's leading supplier of this key engine component. The company manufactures starters around the clock on seven assembly lines at its plant in Hildesheim, Germany.

From the outside, a robot appears to be an independent entity that can do many great things all on its own. But, in truth, it's the internal technology and end-of-arm tooling that enable the robot to effectively perform many types of assembly.

Inserting glass windows into car bodies has been, and remains, a challenge for automotive OEMs. Manual insertion is labor intensive and imprecise, and carries with it the risk of bodily injury to assemblers due to broken glass.

Needles are one of the most basic and least glamorous types of medical devices. But, every day, doctors and nurses rely on "sharps" to administer medicine, draw blood, conduct biopsies and perform many other vital medical procedures.