The first linear friction welder capable of full-sized part development in North America is now operational and ready for project work at Lightweight Innovations for Tomorrow ( LIFT), a national manufacturing innovation facility operated by the American Lightweight Materials Innovation Institute, in Detroit, Michigan.

The friction welder, built...

The Lightweight Innovations for Tomorrow (LIFT) program is initiating a new phase for its Fast Forge program, which solicits new ideas for lightweight materials projects and puts together teams to develop and commercialize those new technologies more speedily than LIFT’s larger objectives.

LIFT is public-private partnership focused on developing...

Researchers at a Cambridge lab hope so. They’re developing fibers that would be integrated into the smart sweater of Christmases yet to come, enabling what was once a simple garment to store electricity, change colors, gather data about your health, or even help an acquaintance recall your name at a crowded holiday party.

The lab, part of a public...

Lightweighting isn’t new to the auto industry, but it’s finally mature enough to make a significant impact on manufacturers, drivers and the whole planet.

Even if you’re not a car aficionado, you can see why the Chevy Corvette C2—aka the Stingray—is re­vered among the pantheon of American automo­tive manufacturing. Sleek. Classy. And fast. Really...

A massive one-of-its-kind machine machine for lightweighting research and development is headed to the Lightweight Innovations for Tomorrow facility in Detroit.

Indiana-based Manufacturing Technology Inc. built the 122,000-pound linear friction welder for the LIFT facility in Detroit.

Manufacturing Technology Inc. of South Bend, Ind., built and...