"War room.” The phrase conjures up images of generals standing around a table-sized map, plotting their next move. However, a growing number of manufacturers have begun instituting war rooms of their own.

From the food we eat to the products we use, quality is very important. In fact, the success of any company depends on the quality of the product or service it offers. For manufacturing companies, factors such as safety, efficiency and reliability all affect the quality of a product and ultimately influence overall customer satisfaction.

Taking tests and waiting with hope for positive results is a stressful activity that most people perform only when absolutely necessary. For wire-harness assemblers, it’s a daily challenge.

The latest revision of the IPC-WHMA-A-620 standard for the acceptance of cable and wire harness assemblies was published in February.

Whether it is text, numbers, bar codes or even just a pattern to aid identification, producing clear, accurate and long-lasting marks on wire and cable is becoming increasingly important.

The door hinge is among the world’s most widely used devices. This common piece of hardware may seem simple, at first glance, but in fact, hinges offer a sophisticated range of functionality that design engineers can use to improve the operation of their assemblies.

Lightweighting is the No. 1 challenge facing automotive engineers today. Manufacturers are scrambling to build vehicles that contain a variety of weight-saving materials, such as aluminum, carbon-fiber composites, high-strength steel, magnesium and plastic.

Robots come in all shapes and sizes. But, some of the most popular machines feature six-axes of motion.

At a recent Fabtech convention, many visitors to our booth told us the same thing: “We’d really like a large fan in our facility, but we can’t—we weld.”

Many important considerations in bolted joint development are often overlooked. While estimating the bolt tension achieved for a given tightening strategy is certainly a common focus, the effect of load on joint components is less fully discussed and understood.