Manufacturing Engineering

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 Sept. 10, the Guinness World Record for the "World's Largest Coin Mosaic" was broken during the International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS) in Chicago. In an effort to raise awareness of the role the manufacturing industry plays in the U.S. economy and the opportunities it presents for the next generation of workers, the mosaic incorporated more than $65,000 worth of coins to represent the amount of money manufacturing contributes to the U.S. economy each second.

Since the economic slowdown in 2008, the global sales of business aircraft has been less than 50 percent of the annual sales in 2007; however, as aircraft fleets get older and the economy improves, pent-up demand may stimulate purchases.

Toolmaker Seco Tools LLC, Troy, Mich., a technical and supplier sponsor of Andretti Autosport's Verizon IndyCar Series championship racing team, invited customers from across the Midwest to attend an Indy 500 practice day at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The day included a meet and greet with IRL driver Marco Andretti, a tour of the Andretti Autosport garage, a catered lunch in the team's suite at the track and a visit to the pits to watch the Indy cars in action.

Methods Machine Tools, Inc., a supplier of precision machine tools, automation and accessories, will hold a Grand Opening of their new, expanded Technology Center in Anaheim, Calif. on June 25th and 26th, 2014 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Manufacturing professionals are welcome and encouraged to attend. The new 11,400 square foot Methods facility supports operations in Southern California, replacing the previous center in Buena Park, Calif.

Diamond Innovations merged with Sandvik Hard Materials as of Jan. 1, 2014, to create a new business, Sandvik Hyperion, focused on applied materials. The new company, with U.S. headquarters in Fair Lawn, N.J., has a broader portfolio of materials solutions and increased scale in R&D and application development. Sandvik Hyperion supplies cemented tungsten carbide, tungsten-carbide powders, diamond materials and CBN materials used in material-removal and wear-protection applications.

Students in the University of Washington's mechanical engineering program successfully petitioned the Dean of Engineering for a new furnace at the school's Engineering Instructional Shop as a replacement for an antiquated, unreliable, smaller unit. The new furnace, a model HL7-P36 from Lucifer Furnaces Inc., Warrington, Pa., with a work chamber of 18"x24"x36", will allow students to heat treat more parts in-house.

Jenoptik Industrial Metrology has announced a 2014 event, The Better Parts Challenge., where U.S. manufacturers send their part quality challenges  to be reviewed by the Rochester Hills, Mich.-based metrology manufacturer's experts. These challenges will be reviewed  at "road shows" across the U.S., showing how Jenoptik measuring devices and software can help manufacturers make better quality parts and potentially reduce the cost of production.

Machine tool manufacturer SMTCL-Americas will hold a "March Machine Madness" open house event on March 20, 2014 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at its  City of Industry, Calif. technical center at 17038 E. Gale Ave. Various experts will host seminars on robotics and automation, 5-axis machining, titanium machining, new developments in CAD software and innovations in tooling.

The National Institute for Metalworking Skills (NIMS), Fairfax, Va., announced that it awarded a record number of credentials last year to individuals seeking to enter into or advance in jobs in the metalworking industry. In 2013, NIMS issued 13,888 industry-recognized credentials, representing a 58.8 percent increase from 2012.