Manufacturing Innovation (Page 8)

Welding of dissimilar polymers is becoming more commonplace in manufacturing. There are several key reasons for this trend.  First, many new plastics are being used in environments where adhesives cannot be easily applied. Typical examples include medical products for which finding adhesives that pass FDA regulations and join materials with low surface energy (like polyolefins)...

Tele-manufacturing offers the ability to accurately transfer manual skillsets from local personnel to remote automated systems. EWI has been innovating in tele-manufacturing over the past two years by developing a tele-presence welding system. Tele-welding allows a worker to operate welding equipment from a remote location while still in control of the welding process and torch...

Improving the service life of welded structures is a key goal in the energy, transportation, heavy manufacturing, and defense industries. Decreasing or delaying fatigue crack initiation can add years of service and reduce costs significantly for an ongoing operation. EWI recently conducted an early-stage feasibility study to assess friction surface processing, a new technique for...