Economy

Polygon Solutions is one of a group of Florida manufacturers that has volunteered to host events during National Manufacturing Day Oct. 3. About 1,300 events are scheduled throughout the U.S. This is the third year of the event, and the third year the Fort Myers-based company is participating. The rotary broach manufacturer was also named a winner of the event's first-ever Manufacturing Day Video Contest.

On Aug. 11, Hutchinson, Minn.-area businesses partnered with the local Economic Development Authority (EDA), the Southwest Initiative Foundation, and the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development as part of a statewide initiative to promote Minnesota as a viable manufacturing area for businesses that are considering locations in the U.S. Dividing the state into eight regions, The Site Selector Familiarization Tour brought in site-selecting consultants to familiarize them with the assets and infrastructure that Minnesota has to offer international and domestic businesses.

Indiana Technology and Manufacturing Cos. donated a Zeiss DuraMax coordinate measuring machine to the Precision Tool Manufacturing Training Program for students who attend Plymouth High School. The donation was announced at the 2014 International Technology Manufacturing show in Chicago. The new machine shows ITAMCO's continuing support for the program that Mark Neidig, purchasing manager at ITAMCO, proposed to the Plymouth School Corporation superintendent in 2013.

Minneapolis machine shop NTM Inc. is now certified to regrind and refurbish KOMET tools, manufacture solid carbide tools and to provide KOMET brand standard solid carbide tools as the sixth KOMET SERVICE Partner in North America. On June 12, NTM and KOMET of America, Schaumburg, Ill., held a celebration to mark the official start of NTM's KOMET SERVICE Partnership. Attendees included representatives from KOMET of America, as well as NTM employees' families and NTM's customers and business partners.

Midwest Industrial Tool Grinding Inc., Hutchinson, Minn., is a first-time finalist in two categories for the Minnesota Business 2014 Manufacturing Awards. Awarded annually by Minnesota Business magazine, the awards recognize achievements in 10 categories. This year, the toolmaker is a finalist in two categories: Best in Class (small company, 1 to 50 employees), recognizing companies for overall excellence in the manufacturing industry in Minnesota, and Image Award, honoring an organization for improving the industry's image and showing the appeal of careers in manufacturing. 

Deburring solutions provider Abtex Corp., Dresden, N.Y., acquired Bloomfield, N.Y.-based robotics manufacturer Nihmble Technologies to enable manufacturers to use robotics technology to integrate Abtex's deburring equipment into existing operations. Robotic systems can provide manufacturers a range of benefits when deburring, from enhancing the flow of a single operation to connecting multiple operations to deburring multiple surfaces of a part in a single step, noted Mark Fultz, Abtex owner and president.

Deloitte University Press, New York, has launched what it calls a "massive open online course" (MOOC) on the business implications of additive manufacturing, titled "3D Opportunity: The Course on Additive Manufacturing for Business Leaders," designed to help educate the market on the business drivers of additive manufacturing.

CNC Software, Inc., Tolland, Conn.-based developers of Mastercam CAD/CAM software, is one of the two initial underwriters of Purdue University's MSTEM3 Grant Initiative, aimed at changing young peoples' perception of manufacturing through the eduFACTOR multimedia resource from Edge Factor. CNC Software has underwritten $50,000 to help increase the number of schools that can take advantage of the grant, while The Gene Haas Foundation has contributed $250,000. Because of the grant, upper elementary and high schools can qualify for eduFACTOR's suite of products for as little as $99 per year.

Heritage Cutter is the new "brand family" name for cutting tools manufactured by Data Flute, Pittsfield, Mass., as well as Brubaker Tool and Weldon, both based in Millersburg, Pa. The toolmakers are now united under the new Heritage Cutter family of brands. Brubaker was founded in 1881, Weldon is nearly 100 years old, and Data Flute specializes in high-performance carbide endmills.

Allied Machine & Engineering Corp., Dover, Ohio, broke ground July 15 on the second phase of its expansion project. The project involves a 30,000-sq.-ft. addition to its West Third Street facility, which includes R&D space, training areas, offices and a cafeteria. The addition is expected to cost $15.1 million.