Not everything in life fits properly when you build it. And lots of things eventually get out of whack in the years after they're built. Fortunately, the time-tested solution is a simple one: You want ...

Use of light-but-durable shims help the Airbus A380 double-decker airliner shed 17.5 lb/plane. The Superjumbo jet will take off weighing more than 1.2 million lb. But every pound carries a premium.

Engineers and manufacturers use precision shims to compensate for tolerance mismatches and tolerance buildup between mating components. Using them significantly reduces manufacturing costs by ...