If only bolting was as straightforward as receiving the components, getting on with the installation, and afterwards conducting regular check-ups to ensure everything is in order. But the reality tends to be drastically different, as the experts at Nord Lock explain.

Space is at a premium in many automotive applications. As a result, less and less installation space is available for bolted connections. At the same time, however, the requirements for preload forces and the reliability of the connections are increasing. And the lowest possible overall connection costs are also important. A new thread-forming screw for direct metal fastening has been developed to meet precisely these challenges, as the experts at ARNOLD UMFORMTECHNIK explain.

George Moore of Permabond looks at adhesive properties, adhesive selection and use in the boding of 3D printed parts.

The machines that enable smart manufacturing mean factories are teeming with thousands of non-human identities (NHIs), from robotic arms PLCs to IoT and IIoT sensors seamlessly integrated through the production lines. While they drive operational efficiency, they also represent a rapidly expanding and often invisible attack service. Industrial security is a key theme at MachineBuilding.Live on 15 October, across both the exhibition hall and the workshop programme.

In industrial and commercial hardware, securing access without compromising usability is crucial. Quarter-turn locks - also known as cam locks - offer a simple, cost-effective solution, as the experts at FDB Panel Fittings explain.

Flexible, modular workpiece transport can bring valuable extra speed to automated assembly with free pallets. Scalability is also enhanced, while built-in tracking provides traceability data to meet the requirements of demanding industries such as automotive, as the experts at Yamaha Robotics explain.

In industries where equipment maintenance and inspection are routine, the use of removable service panels is essential. However, the risk of panel misplacement, damage, or injury during servicing remains a persistent challenge. To address this, manufacturers and engineers are increasingly adopting lightweight tethers and lanyards as a simple yet highly effective solution, as the experts at Able Components explain.

Light metals such as aluminium play an important role in reducing the weight of a car body. However, joining them to steel is a challenge due to the very different melting points and coefficients of thermal expansion of the two materials. The SWOPtec process offers a flexible solution here as the experts at ARNOLD UMFORMTECHNIK explain.

Energy infrastructure is evolving fast, and Southco's previous experience in infrastructure improvement has emphasised the importance of reliability, resilience and high performance in new technologies - reinforcing the role of enclosure hardware, as business development manager Phil Taylor explains.