Steady progress in understanding and implementation are establishing self-assembly as a versatile, parallel and scalable approach to the fabrication of transducers. In this contribution, I illustrate the principles and reach of self-assembly with three applications at different scales - namely, the capillary self-alignment of millimetric components, the sealing of liquid-filled polymeric microcapsules, and the accurate capillary assembly of single nanoparticles - and propose foreseeable directions for further developments.