There are good and bad aspects to repetition. On one hand, it's a proven way to learn to expertly perform a task. On the other, it can lead to physical problems like carpal tunnel syndrome, and bad arthritis in the hands, arms, legs and back.

Plastic injection molding, metal casting and metal stamping are age-old processes that form the backbone of manufacturing. Traditionally, there's no better way to mass-produce plastic or metal parts.

Medical device manufacturers often use silicone adhesives to assemble products such as catheters, pacemakers, cochlear implants, aesthetic implants and gastric balloons.

Manufacturers love established assembly line technologies not only because they produce expected results. But, also because they occasionally provide an unexpected benefit.

Whether it's a car or a computer, a toy or a toaster, almost every assembled product has at least a few threaded fasteners. Indeed, 62 percent of ASSEMBLY's readers use threaded fasteners of one form or another to assemble their products.

Whether the product being manufactured is a mobile phone or an aircraft seat, the assembly processes will likely require some combination of manual and automated transfer operations.

Strong and lightweight, carbon-fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) offers numerous benefits to automotive and aerospace manufacturers. Many engineers are intrigued by potential applications for the material, yet remain frustrated by joining challenges.

Many technologies that we take for granted today were originally "invented" in science fiction. These include mobile phones, smart watches, tablet computers, holograms, electric submarines, antidepressants, radio, television, nuclear weapons, lasers, video conferencing, credit cards, wireless headphones, self-driving cars, unmanned aerial vehicles, escalators, radar, automatic doors, Tasers, virtual reality, space travel, individually targeted advertising, and even insect-derived foods.

A decade or so from now, you may find yourself traveling along an interstate in a caravan. Your automobile is separated by just a few inches from the vehicle in front of you and the one behind as you speed along at 150 miles per hour.

The fourth industrial revolution has begun and with it, comes changes to the way manufacturing work is done. New technology, such as collaborative robots, the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and machine learning, aims to make manufacturing safer, more efficient and faster than ever before.