Despite the travails of the Big Three automakers, there will still be plenty of investment in assembly technology next year.

As portable electronic devices get smaller and more powerful, preventing electromagnetic interference becomes more difficult.

Without lubrication, even the fastest, most accurate, most elegantly designed assembly system will literally grind to a halt. Lubrication does more than just reduce friction between moving parts. It also prevents corrosion, dissipates heat, and keeps mechanisms free of contamination.

As automotive OEMs and their suppliers take a back seat, assemblers of high-tech products enjoy rapid growth.

With roller bearings, the contact area between the inner and outer races is not a point, but a line.

Hot-bar soldering attaches flex circuits to printed circuit boards.

Automated assembly systems are alive with robots, linear actuators and cam-driven mechanisms moving up and down and side to side at high speeds. An unfortunate byproduct of all that starting and stopping is vibration, and the Beach Boys to the contrary, there's nothing good about it.

From grease to films to carbon fibers, engineers have many options for keeping microprocessors cool.

Thanks to an innovative material handling system, assemblers at Whirlpool's Marion, OH, plant aren't hung out to dry.

Six-axis robots can help assemblers cut costs, improve quality and increase productivity in arc-welding applications.