Based in Avon, MA, Boston Orthotics and Prosthetics makes products to treat scoliosis, infant cranial asymmetry and other orthopedic issues.

There’s been a great deal of press about the benefits of metal 3D printing, and rightly so. We are only beginning to experience the impact that this technology will have on all aspects of manufacturing.

In 1886, Josephine Garis Cochrane patented her design for the first automatic dishwasher. In 1908, the Hurley Machine Company of Chicago introduced the first electric-powered washing machine. In 1913, Fred W. Wolf’s invention of the first commercially viable electric refrigerator in the United States hit the market.

For the past decade, carbon-fiber composites have been the darling of the aerospace sector, receiving countless praise and widespread attention. Reinforced polymers have dramatically changed the way that many types of airframes are designed and built.

The door latch on a vehicle doesn't do much. It doesn't power the vehicle. It doesn't aid in handling or braking. But, of course, it's vital to the safety and security of the vehicle's occupants. And, no company has been making latches better over the years than Kiekert AG.

Last month, Mazda and Toyota selected Huntsville, AL, as the site of a new joint-venture assembly plant. The factory will have the capacity to build 300,000 vehicles annually, with production split evenly between the two companies. Mazda intends to use the facility to produce a new crossover model for the North American market, while Toyota will use the factory to make Corollas.

In October 2016, nearly 200 countries, with the strong support of the HVACR industry and other stakeholders, came to a landmark agreement in Kigali, Rwanda, to bring about a global phase down of hydrofluorocarbon refrigerants (HFCs). 

The need for high-quality medical devices by doctors, patients and medical facilities is great. Because the need is also global, makers of such products are able to contract with the best wire-harness and cable-assembly manufacturers regardless of where they're located.

Speed, power and durability are key characteristics of industrial robots. These robots are typically used in applications such as welding or in lifting heavy components for vehicle assembly. Yet despite advanced calibration methods, the positional accuracy of industrial robots has been inadequate for certain tasks. This is now changing thanks in part to highly accurate, output-side encoders from Heidenhain and AMO.

Manufacturers of complex machinery can learn a great deal about product quality and cost by participating in a dedicated teardown process. Almost any product large or small,from appliances to agricultural equipment to medical devices to electrical equipment, can be the focus of a teardown.