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Gilman Precision, Grafton, Wis., recently launched a web-based product configuration tool Intended to improve the process of viewing and adjusting product specifications. The Gilman 3D Linear Products CAD Configurator will serve engineers and other prospects by allowing them to select, view and insert Gilman 3D CAD models and 2D drawings directly into their own CAD systems, according to the company. 

The Gleason Corp., Rochester, N.Y., recently donated $300,000 to establish two doctoral fellowships that will be incorporated into the engineering program at the Kate Gleason College of Engineering at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT).

Mahr Federal, Providence, R.I., will feature the MarShaft SCOPE 250 plus and MarCator Wireless Digital Indicators at Mfg4 2016, which is set for May 3-5 at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford, Conn. Look for Mahr Federal at booth No. 1605.

An item in the April 1 issue of The Kiplinger Letter suggested that a tough business climate for makers of various products will spur mergers and acquistions among companies looking "to consolidate forces to keep going." And judging from the spate of mergers and acquisitions announced since the beginning of this year, it would appear the prediction was no April Fool's Day joke.

One constant fear in regard to automation is that it will make human workers obsolete. Citing a 2013 University of Oxford study, University of Cincinnati Assistant Professor of Economics Michael Jones wrote that almost half of those employed in the U.S. are at risk of being replaced by automation over the next 10 to 20 years, with transportation, logistics and administration as the most vulnerable occupations.

The addition of over 15,000 sq. ft. was designed to increase assembly capabilities and provide additional space for newly acquired capital equipment

Virtually every established manufacturer has experienced at least one major setback during its history. For Taurus Tool & Engineering, it was losing its main tool grinding area and CNC machines to a fire in June 2014, after a 37-year run at its previous facility in Schaumburg, Ill. No injuries were reported, thankfully, and the cause of the fire is unknown. 

To enable junior and senior high school students to follow a specific direction in the manufacturing industry, their education must be diverse. Ensuring such diversity is the goal of the Machine Technology Program at Cuyahoga Valley Career Center, Brecksville, Ohio, according to Rich Parrott, machine technology instructor. 

In an effort to expand its reach within the aerospace industry, OSG USA Inc. has purchased Amamco Tool & Supply Co. Inc., an ISO 9001:2008 and AS9100C registered company that makes high-quality, custom, carbide tools for manufacturers in the aerospace, automotive and medical industries, according to an OSG USA news release issued today.

Effective May 2, Kyocera Corp. will acquire 100 percent ownership of the SGS Tool Co., to expand the Japanese company's current North American cutting tool business by 2.5 times by March 31, 2019, according to Kyocera President Goro Yamaguchi, who announced the deal in a company news release issued March 30. By incorporating SGS Tool, which is based in Munroe Falls, Ohio, Kyocera plans to create a business structure capable of providing total solutions and strengthen its business globally as a comprehensive cutting tool manufacturer, according to the Kyocera news release. SGS Tool will be renamed Kyocera SGS Precision Tools Inc.

Hexagon AB, a global provider of information technologies for driving productivity and quality across geospatial and industrial enterprise applications, today announced the acquisition of AICON 3D Systems, a leading provider of optical and portable non-contact 3D measuring systems for industrial manufacturing.

In a move aimed at providing improved sales and service support as well as new and innovative products, NTC Laser will join Komatsu America Industries LLC as of April 1, sources at both companies reported in a joint news release issued today. NTC Laser and Komatsu are subsidiaries of Komatsu America LLC, headquartered in Rolling Meadows, Ill., a suburb of Chicago.

Trotec Laser Inc., Canton, Mich., discusses the "Advantages of lasers versus other methods of cutting, marking and engraving" in a white paper available through the company's website. The target audience for the white paper: companies that use traditional methods of cutting, marking and engraving, such as inkjet systems, embossing, mechanical stamping, etching, printing, mechanical engraving, knife cutter or CNC routing.

Additive manufacturing (AM) will neither displace existing machining processes nor revolutionize industrial production operations—at least not for the next 5 to 7 years, according to Myron Graw, an AM authority who spoke at METAV 2016, the 19th International Exhibition for Metalworking (Metallverarbeitung) Technologies. Graw, who heads up AM operations at KEX Knowledge Exchange AG, in Aachen, Germany, wasn't just sharing his personal opinion. He was delivering the results of a five-stage AM study conducted by KEX, the Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology and the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology, according to  a news release posted to the METAV 2016 website Feb. 23.

Welding or soldering without heat seemed like a good idea to Hanchen Huang, professor and chair of the Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering at Northeastern University, Boston. He and his students dreamed of a better way to stick things together such as a computer's CPU to a printed circuit board, or the glass and metal filament in a lightbulb, according to a recent news@Northeastern post.

Laser technology company Coherent Inc. will acquire industrial laser maker Rofin-Sinar Technologies Inc. for about $942 million, according to a joint news release issued by the two companies March 16. "This transaction is aligned with our strategy of increasing our scale and pursuing accretive growth opportunities," said Coherent President and CEO John Ambroseo. "The combination of Coherent and Rofin represents a unique opportunity to strengthen Coherent’s position in materials processing. The addition of Rofin's complementary portfolio will build on Coherent’s capabilities as a world leader in laser and photonics-based technology and solutions, and create meaningful value for our stockholders."

The redesigned website is mobile-friendly, and with simplified navigation, makes it easier to find membership information, technical resources, benefits of USCTI membership and a comprehensive membership directory.

LMC Workholding, which opened for business as the Logansport Machine Company, Logansport, Ind., in 1916, is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year by highlighting the company's continuing expansion. "We’ve been the name to know in workholding since 1916, and we’re expanding and growing to continue to meet the demand of our customers and the industry," said LMC Workholding President and CEO Jay Duerr in a recent company news release. "We’re proud to have made it to 100 years in business and we’re looking forward to serving our customers for many more years."       

Based in Mount Prospect, Ill., SNK America recently selected Associated Machine Tool Technologies (AmTTech) as its Texas distributor for NIIGATA horizontal machining centers, SNK Nissin horizontal boring mills and SNK double-column machining centers. AmTTech, which is based in Houston, has served the Texas market for 25 years.

Has the reshoring train left the station or not? According to the second annual U.S. Reshoring Index from global management consultants A.T. Kearney, the answer is a resounding “no.” In 2015, the index, at -115, indicates that reshoring of manufacturing activities to the U.S. has not kept up with offshoring. The index measured -30 in 2014. A positive number indicates net reshoring, while a negative value indicates net offshoring.