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60 Years of ASSEMBLY

For six decades, ASSEMBLY has been the leading source of knowledge about tools and techniques for joining parts into finished products

John Sprovieri

October 5, 2018

ASSEMBLY was born in October 1958 with the name Assembly & Fastener Engineering. Although its name was later shortened to Assembly Engineering, and subsequently to ASSEMBLY, it was then, and is today, a magazine of ideas and methods.

Lasers for Lightweighting

Lasers are creating new possibilities for automakers to shape and join lightweight materials

John Sprovieri

October 4, 2018

Automotive OEMs worldwide are desperate to reduce vehicle weight these days. BMW is no exception.

Choosing Fastener Finishes

Fastener finish is crucial to safety, functionality and cost

Doug Jones

October 3, 2018

Many engineers will put great thought into selecting the proper type of fastener for their design, but overlook the importance of finish. When selecting the best finish for fasteners, it is wise to consider the following factors

2018 Assembly Plant of the Year: Ford Shifts Flexible Assembly Into High Gear

The Van Dyke transmission plant excels at high-volume, high-mix production.

Austin Weber

October 2, 2018

One of the top transmission assembly plants in the world is Ford Motor Co.'s Van Dyke facility in Sterling Heights, MI. It's part of a network of Ford factories that mass-produce axles, engines and other power train components used in the company's cars and trucks.

International Appliance Manufacturing

Adhesives or Welding for Plastic Part Assembly?

One of the best things that you can do, both for the design of your product and the success of your business, is to make design choices that keep your assembly options open.

October 1, 2018

Two of the most popular methods for assembling plastic parts into finished products are adhesives and ultrasonic welding. But how can a manufacturer differentiate between these two options? What questions should product design and manufacturing teams ask when deciding why and when to select these assembly methods?

Crash-Test Dummies Get Older—and Better

Additive manufacturing allows for more realistic, accurate dummies.

Lynn Manning

September 11, 2018

The crash test dummy has become the gold standard for safety testing of automobiles for organizations like the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and other agencies throughout the world.

Designing and Building Automated Assembly Systems

When designing automated assembly lines, integrators consider production volume, cost, delivery schedule and other factors

John Sprovieri

September 10, 2018

The first thing a visitor notices on arriving at the headquarters of Genesis Automation in St. Charles, IL, is the company's business hours. Rather than 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., there's this: "However long it takes."

Industry Prepares for New Refrigerants

The Supreme Court, California state regulation or the Kigali Amendment could end HFCs.

Edward McMenamin

September 8, 2018

The U.S. Court of Appeals stopped the EPA’s ban on high global warming potential HFC refrigerants last year, but that may just be a pause in the switch from HFCs to environmentally friendly replacements.

Staking for Plastic Parts Assembly

A wide range of staking methods produce quality plastic assemblies with stress-free joints

Jim Camillo

September 5, 2018

How well an assembled plastic part performs depends a great deal upon how its component pieces are joined. Those made of strong, hard plastic may be fastened together or bonded. Thermoplastic pieces allow for even more options, including screws and rivets, various types of adhesives or welding, staking and being snap-fit.

Collaborative Robot Do’s and Don’ts

Cobots are the hottest trend in factory automation

Austin Weber

September 4, 2018

Collaborative robots are an important element of Industry 4.0 and smart manufacturing initiatives. Many engineers are intrigued by these next-generation machines that can control force and work safely next to people on assembly lines without traditional safety guarding.