When it comes to the economics of assembly machines, faster is always better. Every minute that it runs, a fast machine produces more goods—and more profits—than an otherwise similar slow machine.

Plastics and polymer composites are essential to a wide range of safety and performance parts in cars today. In fact, the use of plastic and polymer composites in light vehicles has increased from less than 20 pounds per vehicle in 1960 to 334 pounds per car in 2015.

Robots are increasingly being made to mirror humans. The best example of this is the dual-armed robot—such as ABB’s YuMi and Rethink Robotics’ Baxter—designed specifically to work closely with people on the assembly line.

The popularity of cordless tools on the assembly line continues to grow. Battery-operated devices allow assemblers to more easily work on platforms or inside car interiors, tractor cabs, aircraft wings and other tight spaces.

Whether you’re choosing an assembly method for a newly developed product or reevaluating the effectiveness of a current assembly method in light of a change in product design, materials, or production mix, the thought process you’re undertaking is important.

Even though the Great Recession has passed, manufacturers in many industries are still adjusting to the reality of a downsized market struggling to get back to its glory days.

Whether it’s an automotive application or an electronics application, engineers are increasingly looking for adhesives that offer high performance at high temperatures.

In professional sports, every team wants to find and retain “franchise players”—those few key personnel who are vital to winning a championship.

Since 2008, 28 million cars have been recalled in the United States because they contained air bags that could explode and hurl shrapnel into drivers during even minor fender benders. Ten deaths and more than 100 injuries have been linked to the faulty air bags.

Large lithium-ion battery packs are composed of multiple individual cells, each of which contains a pair of compacted lithium-ion powder pellets separated by a collector plate.