WOLFSBURG, Germany—Volkswagen has developed a new, automated process for mass-producing finished thermoplastic exterior car body parts. The technology combines injection molding, physical foaming, and two-component polyurethane injection molding in one complex tool.
COLUMBIA, SC—Enor Corp., a manufacturer of plastic toys and games, is establishing a new manufacturing facility here to supply U.S.-made toys to Walmart stores. The multimillion-dollar investment is expected to create 151 jobs.
There are quite a few options for welding plastic parts, including ultrasonics, laser, hot plate and radio frequency. Additionally, parts can be mechanically joined via fasteners, snap fits or adhesives. Each of these processes has certain advantages and disadvantages for production, and each requires vastly different part and joint designs.
"The Music Man” takes place in a Midwestern hamlet called River City. The town that it’s based on is Mason City, IA, and the river that flows through it is the Winnebago. If you follow that river a few miles west, you’ll end up in Forest City, which is home to another American classic: Winnebago motor homes.
Although a global leader in mechanical and plant engineering, Dürr AG isn’t one to rest on its laurels. So in 2010 it acquired two adhesive technology companies (Rickert and Kleinmichel) to increase Dürr’s expertise in automotive body-in-white gluing technology.
DEARBORN, MI—Roofs made of carbon fiber. Plastic windshields. Bumpers fashioned out of aluminum foam.What sounds like a science experiment could be your next car. While hybrids and electrics may grab the headlines, the real frontier in fuel economy is the switch to lighter materials.