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MachiningCloud, a product content provider for cutting tools, CNC machines and workholding, today announced a partnership with IMCO Carbide Tool Inc., enabling the precision cutting tool maker's product data to be published online. MachiningCloud represents a new channel through which IMCO will provide its customers with digital product data they need to run today's data-hungry shop software, according to a joint news release issued by the two companies Jan. 6.

OSG USA Inc., a manufacturer of taps, drills, end mills, dies and indexable cutting tools, recently acquired the assets and proprietary manufacturing technology of IMU Dies. Effective immediately, OSG becomes the exclusive source for IMU branded dies globally.

Economic activity in the manufacturing sector contracted in December for the second consecutive month, while the overall economy grew for the 79th consecutive month, according to the nation’s supply executives in the latest Manufacturing ISM® Report On Business®. The report, issued Jan. 4 by Bradley J. Holcomb, chair of the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) Manufacturing Business Survey Committee.

OMAX Corp., which offers advanced abrasive waterjet technology, this month signed exclusive distribution agreements with Mid Atlantic Machinery and Southern States Machinery to market, sell and support premium OMAX JetMachining Centers and MAXIEM JetMachining Centers to fabricators in the Mid-Atlantic and Southern states.

The Gleason Corp. early this month announced the acquistion of the gear cutting tools business from Hurth Infer Indústria de Máquinas e Ferramentas Ltda., located in Sorocaba, Brazil. Now known as Gleason Indústria de Ferramentas Ltda., the gear cutting tools business includes shaving cutters, shaper cutters, chamfering and deburring tools, as well as tool sharpening services for such products.

Fives Machining Systems is set to open a service center in Seattle today as the company expands to meet the needs of its customers nationwide, according to a news release issued by the Fives Group. The Seattle center will stock spare parts, repair unit assemblies and dispatch service engineers to customers in the Northwest.

Mastercam developer CNC Software Inc., Tolland, Conn., late last month announced a partnership with the Onshape App Store that offers an open marketplace for a wide selection of CAD applications and seeks to modernize the way CAD users find and buy engineering apps. In the past, the comapny noted, desktop CAD users had to search multiple application vendor websites to find compatible products to purchase, register, license and install. 

When the Fullerton Tool Co., Saginaw, Mich., says it is "a growing industry leader in quality solid carbide cutting tools," the claim isn't just poetic prose from a public relations agency. The privately owned business, which has been located in Saginaw for almost 75 years, recently opened a second plant—Fullerton West—located in Thomas Township in the Great Lakes Technology Park.

The United States Cutting Tool Institute (USCTI), a leading trade association for the North American cutting tool industry, recently launched Careers In Manufacturing, a website that promotes careers in manufacturing and provides resources for students, educators, parents and manufacturers.

Meister Abrasives USA Inc. in December 2015 added an advanced CNC manufacturing system to its lineup, making it possible for the North Kingstown, R.I., company to manufacture large diameter external wheels in the United States using equipment, materials and a manufacturing process identical to those used by its parent corporation in Switzerland. The new CNC system is said to be capable of producing large vit CBN and diamond abrasive wheels up to 1,225mm (about 4') in diameter.

GTI Spindle Technology, Manchester, N.H., recently announced plans to open a new state-of-the-art spindle repair facility in Raleigh, N.C., this month. The new 5,000-square-foot facility will provide full-service spindle rebuild and repair services. The new facility also will provide on-site predictive maintenance services, including vibration analysis routes for customers who want to ensure maximum uptime and reliability for their shops.

The Gleason Corp. announced a new name and operating structure for Distech Systems effective Jan. 1, 2016. Acquired in May 2014, Distech will now do business as Gleason Automation Systems, and will operate as a division of The Gleason Works.

Haas Automation Inc. will host its semi-annual 4-day HaasTec open house at its Oxnard, Calif., headquarters March 17-20. The event will include machine demos, factory tours and a catered lunch, according to the company. The previous HaasTec in 2013 drew nearly 3,000 attendees from 44 countries, and the company expects this year's event to be even bigger. 

Körber Schleifring, the Hamburg, Germany provider of grinding machine technology and its North American arm, Miamisburg, Ohio-based United Grinding Technologies, have merged under the new brand name United Grinding  Group — Körber Solutions, a move that expands the company's global market position in relation to technology, service and volume.

The opening of the new facility included a traditional Japanese Kagami-Biraki ceremony, where a barrel of sake is broken open with wooden mallets. Several customers, dealership representatives, city officials, Shigiya employees and other invited guests were present for the event. 

While the October 2015 Manufacturing ISM Report on Business showed continued growth, the report's overall PMI registered 50.1 percent, a slowdown from September's reading of 50.2 percent, reported the Institute for Supply Management (ISM).

Hexagon Metrology announced last November that the company was changing its name to Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence and rebranding to reflect increasing capabilities in data-driven industrial manufacturing solutions. The change aligns the business more closely with Hexagon’s overall strategy to offer software-centric information technology solutions that improve quality and productivity across entire industry workflows, according to a Nov. 12, 2015, company news release.

In October 2015, TRUMPF purchased approximately five acres of land adjacent to Interstate Highway 90 in Hoffman Estates, Ill., a northwestern suburb of Chicago. Located within one of the core zones of the sheet metal business in North America, this site will serve as the future home of the TRUMPF Technology Center and the center of excellence for Industry 4.0, according to the company.

Direct manufacturer Stratasys Direct Manufacturing published the results of a trend forecast on 3D printing's place in the manufacturing world. "To get a more complete sense of 3D printing's imminent impact on manufacturing we needed to look beyond our factory walls," explained Stratasys CEO Joe Allison in the study's forward. "So we sponsored an independent survey of serious, professional users of 3D printing, many of them working for companies with over $50 million in revenue."

Bowling Green, Kentucky, Sept. 11, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce on Sept. 11 launched the On Track motorsports education initiative in conjunction with the Warren County Area Technology Center, Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College, Western Kentucky University and Holley Performance Products.