A solid, not stellar outlook
Industry experts foresee a respectable 2020 for manufacturing.
Author
Michael C. Anderson
Michael Anderson, former senior editor at Cutting Tool Engineering magazine, holds a master's degree in written communication from Eastern Michigan University. He has been professionally writing about manufacturing technology since 1998, including more than 10 years at the Society of Manufacturing Engineers.
Former Senior Editor
Phone: 734-606-9673
Automation helping small-to-medium suppliers compete
For decades, robots were synonymous with large-scale factories around the world. As small-to-medium suppliers are forced to become nimbler, automation is evolving to help them.
Cybersecurity defenses found lacking for manufacturers
A report from global cybersecurity company Kaspersky Lab, Woburn, Mass., found that in the first half of 2017, manufacturing was the industry most susceptible to cyberthreats, with the industrial control system computers of manufacturers accounting for almost a third of all attacks.
Machine monitoring lets manufacturers improve future processes
Machine monitoring lets manufacturers gather, analyze and share data to improve future processes.n
Poll reveals CNC likes and dislikes
CTE's "CNC Chef," Bob Warfield, polled the readers of his CNCCookbook blog in September on what they like and dislike about their CNCs.
In Digital Manufacturing, the Product Is Intellectual Property
In the digitized manufacturing world that is being born, the product that a job shop produces is less a piece of machined metal and more a piece of intellectual property.
Speeding up lubrication
The Röhm Lubritool enables automatic lubrication of tool-clamping sets. And, according to the manufacturer, it performs the job in seconds instead of minutes.
A here-and-now gage
The Heidenhain Specto 3087 RC length gage reportedly increases productivity and efficiency, particularly in applications where it's not possible to clamp the workpiece on a separate device to inspect it. Instead, the gage integrates a highly accurate measuring process directly into the production process.
Manufacturing dignity for patients
Dignity Medical Solutions has developed a novel technology that helps manage incontinence in the form of a device called TIMO, which provides the benefits and convenience of a catheter without the associated complications and costs.
Autonomous milling goes the distance
A portable CNC machine tool that mills, cuts and engraves flat surfaces, including sheet metal and aluminum, has a giant of a name: Goliath.
At Harrison Manufacturing, throughput picks up when robot picks up
Harrison Manufacturing, a custom plastics injection molding manufacturer specializing in molded plastics and light assembly, recently deployed Rethink Robotics' Sawyer robot at its Jackson, Miss. facility and saw immediate tangible benefits. Deployed within hours, Harrison Manufacturing is reducing labor costs and increasing throughput by using Sawyer in ergonomically challenging tasks.
Flexible, accurate edge inspection
When choosing an edge inspection and burr detection system, users generally try to balance accuracy and speed. The EdgeInspect system from Novacam Technologies Inc., however, acquires and analyzes edge properties and detects burrs with micrometer precision and at speeds previously unimaginable.