If it rolls, floats or flies, lightweighting is one of the biggest challenges facing manufacturers today. The push for new materials is forcing engineers in a variety of industries to explore cost-effective alternatives and develop new assembly processes.

Additive manufacturing has already transformed the way that products are designed and produced in a wide variety of industries. The technology is now starting to be used by appliance engineers to assemble coffee makers, ovens, refrigerators and other household products.

RICHLAND, WA—Engineers at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory here have developed a new process for joining aluminum and steel. Friction stir dovetailing was inspired by assembly techniques used in woodworking.

3D printing technology is everywhere, from medical implants to aerostructures, and recently it's made its way to the Olympics. USA Luge teamed up with Stratasys, a supplier of additive manufacturing technology, to build customized racing sleds.

Medical devices represent both a challenge and an opportunity for plastics manufacturers.

Catheters, pacemakers, ventilators and dialysis filters are vastly different products. But, they all have one thing in common: they must be checked for leaks, whether into, or out of, an assembly.

Bringing a medical device to market is a daunting prospect for even the largest manufacturers. There's nurturing a concept from prototype to finished product; determining how and where to manufacture it; conducting trials for safety and efficacy; and getting FDA approval.

Comfort food can do more than just make a person feel good after a rough day. It can also be used, believe it or not, to help someone better understand a complex assembly technology.

Arcs and sparks are commonly used to dramatically depict welding in television commercials, photographs and other images. But in resistance projection welding (RPW), such flashes of light indicate poor welding.