On Feb. 5, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the National Apprenticeship Act of 2021. This bill would invest nearly $3.5 billion over five years to scale-up apprenticeship opportunities, streamline access to apprenticeships for workers and employers, and expand apprenticeships into new, in-demand industry sectors and occupations.
In May, the European Union’s sweeping new Medical Device Regulation (MDR) will take effect. (The law had been scheduled to go into effect last May, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.)
Plastic clips and fasteners are becoming increasingly popular in the automotive industry. They are lightweight, corrosion-resistant, and quick and easy to install.
In November, Cook Group Inc. announced plans to invest $7 million to build a 40,000-square-foot assembly plant on the northeast side of Indianapolis, creating 100 jobs for residents in an impoverished neighborhood.
An education program developed by Universal Robots to teach people how to program and implement collaborative robots has been accredited by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET) and is now authorized to issue continuing education units.
In December, Universal Robots sold its 50,000th cobot, which was purchased by a German manufacturer to increase productivity and improve employee safety.
Two members of Universal Robots' UR+ partner program have been nominated for Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Robotics & Automation (IERA) Awards by the International Federation of Robotics (IFR).
General Motors has announced that its Factory ZERO has become the first automotive plant in the U.S. to install dedicated 5G fixed mobile network technology.
Self-pierce riveting (SPR) is a cold joining process for fastening two or more sheets of material by driving a rivet through the top sheets and upsetting it, under the influence of a die, into the bottom sheet without breaking through it.
