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Economic activity in the manufacturing sector expanded in August for the 32nd consecutive month, and the overall economy grew for the 75th consecutive month, according to the nation's supply executives in the latest "Manufacturing ISM Report On Business" released Sept. 1. 

August U.S. manufacturing technology orders totaled $285.92 million according to AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology. This total, as reported by companies participating in the USMTO program, was down 10.2 percent from July's $318.48 million and down 21.2 percent when compared with the total of $362.65 million reported for August 2014. With a year-to-date total of $2,771.23 million, 2015 was down 10 percent when compared with 2014.

Thermal drift is the biggest contributor to machining and part errors. SpindleCheck from Lion Precision measures changes in the point of machining as the spindle warms up, as chillers run and as the environment changes. Precise warm-up times can be determined for each machine tool and sources of thermal drift can be identified. This is the only method that tests thermal effects at the point of machining, reports Lion Precision. 

Hardinge Workholding now offers 5-day delivery on its TF25 Extended Nose Swiss Collet. The collet features added nose length—flat or tapered—for performing pick-off work or to compensate for tooling interference. When ordering, customers need to provide hole size (ID), length of extension and nose diameter. (The nose diameter must be at least 0.125" larger than the ID.) Standard collets and bushings from www.ShopHardinge.com are delivered in 24 hours. 

Industrial material handling equipment manufacturer PRAB Inc., Kalamazoo, Mich., has completed its purchase of Puckmaster Co., manufacturers of briquetting machines for metal compression and coolant collection. 

Mettler Toledo's new PBK9 and PFK9 weighing platforms provide superior accuracy and reliability in harsh industrial conditions, with sufficient flexibility to be used for many applications, according to the company. The platforms notify the operator when recalibration or adjustments are necessary due to environmental changes, and automated calibration with a built-in calibration weight and plug-in cables allows for easy maintenance. 

Flow International Corp., Kent, Wash., a developer and manufacturer of industrial waterjet machines for cutting applications, released an analysis on how ultrahigh-pressure pumps drive cutting efficiency through waterjet velocity. 

The American Board of Industrial Hygiene (ABIH), Lansing, Mich., issued a reminder to workers and industry of the potential for exposure to microbial pathogens in metalworking fluids following a story in the Belfast Telegraph about metalworkers at a local shipyard who were diagnosed with pneumococcal disease. The workers are believed to have been exposed to aerosols containing the bacteria.  

Smalley Steel Ring Co., a designer and manufacturer of retaining rings and wave springs, donated an OMAX 2652 to the College of Lake County (CLC) in Grayslake, Ill.. The abrasive waterjet machining center is the college's first and broadens the CNC/Machine Tool Trades Department's ability to offer the waterjet technology skills sought by many employers recruiting CLC graduates, including Smalley. 

Contract manufacturer Oberg Industries, Freeport, Pa., has invested in new equipment to expand its production of medium and large machined components and assemblies. 

Earlier this summer Fastenal installed an additional FAST Solutions industrial vending machine within the Terex Mixer manufacturing plant in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Given how many vending devices (machines and lockers) Fastenal installs during a typical business day, it was a commonplace event — except in one regard: that particular machine represented the 50,000th FAST Solutions device concurrently installed at Fastenal customer sites worldwide. 

College students with an interest in bringing together software and hardware solutions to improve manufacturing operations now have an opportunity to leverage their creativity through the MTConnect Student Challenge, a competition that invites submissions for both ideas and applications utilizing the MTConnect standard. 

Charlotte, N.C.-based Okuma America Corp.‘s newly-expanded warehouse increases the company's capacity for mechanical repair and exchange service, providing faster spindle and cam box replacement service, according to the company.  

Industrial Info Resources, a market research company based in Sugar Land, Texas, reported Aug. 5 that demand for aircraft parts has helped give rise to U.S. manufacturing plant expansions. 

U.S. military veterans are finding post-service success at machine tool builder Fives Machining Systems, putting their troubleshooting skills and technical experience to work in field service and customer support positions. Since 2014, the company has hired nearly 20 former members of the various military branches at 10 field service locations throughout the U.S., as well as accepting veterans into its apprenticeship program. 

Stratasys Ltd., a leading global provider of additive manunfacturing (AM) solutions, this week reported that Italian Service Bureau, ZARE, has halved production costs for its direct manufacturing customers in automotive and aerospace since purchasing a fleet of Stratasys Fortus 3D Production Systems. In a July 22 news release issued by Stratasys, which is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minn., and Rehovot, Israel, the AM company underscored ZARE's decision to use 3D printing for production parts. 

Though more than 30 percent revenue share of the global laser cutting machine market went to North America in 2014, a new market research report suggests that the Asia-Pacific market will make some significant gains over the next few years. The North American market remains the largest for laser cutting machines globally, but the Asia-Pacific market is expected to grow at a cumulative annual growth rate of 12.8 percent each year through 2020.

The Alamo Manufacturing Partnership (AMP), led by the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), last week was among 12 groups to receive designation as a manufacturing community through a federal initiative designed to accelerate the resurgence of manufacturing in communities nationwide by supporting long-term economic development strategies. 

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker today announced 12 new communities that have received designations under the Obama Administration's Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnership (IMCP) initiative. In May 2014, Secretary Pritzker announced the first 12 communities to receive the designation under this U.S. Commerce Department-led program, which is designed to accelerate the resurgence of manufacturing in communities nationwide by supporting the development of long-term economic development strategies. 

GF Machining Solutions, a Swiss-based machine tool company, and EOS, a German additive manufacturing (AM) company, announced on Friday that the two companies have entered into a strategic cooperation agreement bringing the technological expertise of both companies together to develop innovative solutions for mold and die customers.