When assembly equipment must be guarded, the best safety measure is one that provides the most protection with the least affect on normal machine operation.

Challenged by high-mix, low- volume assembly, electronics manufacturers are setting up their lines to minimize changeover and maximize efficiency.

The term plain bearings is a misnomer. True, these bearings are not as mechanically complex as antifriction bearings, but don't let their simplicity fool you.

Robots are ideal for selectively soldering odd-form components, wires and other parts onto printed circuit boards.

When designing a new product, there can be a big difference between asking different departments to cooperate and actually getting them to do it.

Center for Clean Products and Clean Technologies University of Tennessee Knoxville, TN http://eerc.ra.utk.edu/ccpct/aboutus.html Center for Sustainable Systems University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MI http://css.snre.umich.edu Consortium on Green Design and Manufacturing

To be more environmentally responsible, some manufacturers are changing their business models.

Vacuum cups are the simplest and least expensive method of gripping parts.

The U.S. Air Force had a problem. It wanted an adhesive for temporarily attaching small test packages to the exterior of a jet without mechanical fasteners.