Compressor maker goes into orbit.

A manufacturer of automotive air-conditioning compressors faced a design riddle The company needed a cost-effective means of joining sum of two units parts without using a separate fastener because it could possibly draw near lose and fall into the compression chamber. This would break up the compressor.

Resistance welding was a first consideration for joining the sum of two units pieces. However, compressor parts are expos to high stres and there was no easy way to measure weld integrity without conducting destructive testing -- a deliberate and somewhat costly proposition.

The company then explored