Manufacturing Publications

At an April 2013 NTSB forum on batteries, a Saft representative says the company tests every one of the cells it produces—something not all cell makers can say.

No matter how innovative a product is, it must be manufactured efficiently with the highest quality, and be delivered through flexible, efficient supply chains to achieve success.

Touted as an enabling platform for applications ranging from personalized medicine to personal drones, 3-D printing will grow to an $8.4 billion market in 2025—up from $777 million in 2012, according to a recent report by Lux Research.

Kevin Woock, Henkel's Global Market Segment Manager for Automotive, explains how the Bonderite Flex Process, which uses zirconium oxide pretreatment instead of conventional zinc phosphating, enables processing of up to 85% aluminum content on vehicles vs. 25% with zinc phosphate coating.

"Softex," a new Toyota artificial leather, has both good breathability and reflects infrared rays, so it has significant cooling properties. First applications are on Prius V, where it also is used for the steering wheel instead of a natural leather wrap, and new RAV-4.