REDDITCH, UK—GKN Aerospace has begun a project that aims to automate the assembly of aircraft structures with the goal of creating high-quality wing structures 30 percent faster than is possible today.
When K.A. Swanstrom founded Penn Engineering & Manufacturing Corp. in 1942, he did so with a revolutionary new product: a self-clinching fastener that provides load-carrying threads in metal sheets too thin to be tapped.
As U.S. furniture manufacturers revamp domestic production after more than a decade of offshoring, they need help implementing state-of-the-art assembly lines. Many of those companies are seeking assistance from the Franklin Furniture Institute at Mississippi State University.
Follow-up is rarely fun, but it is often necessary to verify an assembly process. The most important follow-up to threaded-fastener installation is a static torque audit.
Weight issues are not something that’s common with U.S. Army soldiers. The military organization prides itself on running a lean, mean fighting machine. But, even so, the Army is on a weight-loss program when it comes to vehicles, artillery, ordnance, helmets, electronic gear and other devices.