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More than a third of manufacturers say the Covid-19 pandemic is a catalyst for increasing automation, and additional drivers for adding and expanding automation include the need for increased productivity and a shortage of skilled workers, according to a new survey from MC Machinery of Elk Grove Village, Illinois.

Despite COVID, reshoring is up in 2020 and by year’s end total numbers should top more than a million jobs coming back to the U.S. in the last decade, according to a new report from the Reshoring Initiative.

September 2020 U.S. cutting tool consumption totaled $156.1 million. This total, as reported by companies participating in the Cutting Tool Market Report collaboration, was up 14.7 percent from August's $136.1 million and down 20.5 percent when compared with the $196.3 million reported for September 2019.

A new line of aluminum tools from Inovatools utilizes the ta-C thin-layered coating that the company says makes the process of machining aluminum and its alloys more productive and cost-effective.

With new advances in abrasive technology, machining center operators are able to complete surface finishing simultaneously with other machining operations, to speed cycle times, improve quality and save on off-line finishing time and costs. The abrasive finishing tools can be easily integrated into CNC machines carousels or tool holding systems.

Don Schumacher Motorsports (DSM) is one of the country’s most successful motorsports companies, both on and off the track. Tooling from Sandvik Coromant helped the company achieve some impressive goals.

Railway machine tool builder needed a robust 5-axis machine to ensure uptime, accuracy, and precision in cutter tool manufacturing

Since the onslaught of the coronavirus pandemic, manufacturers have dealt with supply chain issues. In this Q&A, two industry leaders discuss the pandemic, the supply-chain and bringing manufacturing back to U.S. shores.

At Emuge-Franken, manufacturers of threading, gaging, clamping and milling technology, sensors and dynamometers from Kistler are used to aid in the development of new precision tools.

Grinding jobs requires strict tolerances. On grinding machines, the tolerances for the dimensions, form and position of finishing processes run tight, and in many cases, shops check these specifications against hard data. Studer machines can use cameras and laser systems to in-process measurements.

The tool and mold industry is designing and specifying ever more complex geometries and freeform surfaces and the industry is placing ever greater demands on clamping technology to accomplished these needs. Zero-point clamping technology from Andreas Maier Fellbach (AMF).helps them meet these challenges.

The ThyssenKrupp Crankshaft Co. in Danville, Illinois, operates up to 21 shifts per week to produce forged crankshafts for the North American heavy-duty automotive, truck, and engine markets. Meeting production needs requires precise technology, including a Zema Numerika GH1500 grinding machine from Junker.

While the latest data on cutting tool orders shows a decline, orders appear to have “found a bottom” and tool suppliers look to the future with the release of a multitude of new tooling, workholding, machine tools and accessories into the marketplace.

The fourth Industrial Revolution promises new efficiencies and productivity gains for manufacturers. Machine tool suppliers are integrating Industry 4.0 capabilities and software companies that are providing powerful new tools such as those that utilize artificial intelligence. CAM software from ESPIRIT from DP Technology offers features to drive production improvement.

Whether operators use neat oils or water-miscible coolants in wet cutting machine tools or tool grinding machines, the coolants are subject to heavy contamination. VOMAT technology offers a variety of clean coolant technology to solve this problem and produce better cuts.

Omni Aerospace needed to produce large, flight-ready parts within strict design tolerances and surface finishes in a time-sensitive manner. Starrag's Ecospeed F1540 machining centers fit the bill.

When considering upgrading a cylindrical grinding process from a conventional vitrified aluminum oxide or ceramic wheel to Vitrified cBN (VitcBN), there are 5 main reasons that can help justify the use of cBN over conventional abrasive grains. 

Sam Roberts has more than two decades of experience in programming and manual and CNC skills, but still remembers the day in 1999 when he was introduced to Mastercam CAD/CAM software (CNC Software Inc., Tolland, Connecticut).  As a machinist proficient in G-code, Roberts was impressed with the software.

In 1928, a precision optics machine arrived on U.S. shores on a ship from Europe. The SIP MP4 machine, serial number 88, was bound for its new home at the General Electric plant in Lynn, Massachusetts, a town located 14 miles northeast of Boston. Today, it is home at the U.S. offices of Starrag in Hebron, Kentucky.

Fastems Group will host an online Open House & Conference entitled "Productivity Beyond Machine Tending" that will showcase the latest developments in automation and surrounding technologies.