Industry News

News • December 20, 2018

Tips and tricks for CNC machining

When machining for precision, there's no such thing as planning too much. There are many important aspects to account for, from bit tapers to material burrs to caliper readings. Even what direction you attach your material to the stage can matter. Here are some quick tips to keep in mind as you plan your next machining project.

News • December 20, 2018

Nail manufacturer at risk because of steel, aluminum tariffs

The operations manager at the largest nail manufacturer in the United States, Mid Continent Steel and Wire Inc., says his company has fought hard to survive in the face of unfair foreign competition over the past 12 years. The business planned for further growth and was on a great path until the Trump administration levied steel and aluminum tariffs, which took effect in June.

News • December 20, 2018

Aircraft manufacturing outlook positive for 2019

The General Aviation Manufacturers Association expresses optimism about the industry's prospects for 2019. Also, increased third-quarter 2018 aircraft delivery figures were seen across all aircraft segments.

News • December 20, 2018

Cleveland manufacturers can’t find enough younger workers to replace retirees

If not for a high school technical program that introduced Matt Schauer to the manufacturing industry, the 25-year-old might have never ended up at Fredon Corp., operating a machine as big as a room in a house.

News • December 20, 2018

Dispute resolution in modern manufacturing

Inevitably, disagreements arise in the manufacturing industry, whether involving applications, performance, specification compliance, intellectual property ownership or any of a number of other subjects. What has not kept up with technological change is the sophistication of dispute resolution. That is a particularly serious problem for manufacturers because the increasing complexity of manufacturing technology often makes disputes more complex, even arcane, than disputes of the past.

News • December 20, 2018

Recruiters limit the candidate pool for manufacturing jobs

In the United States, the universal complaint about recruitment for manufacturing jobs is that there aren't enough qualified candidates for all the positions that people are working feverishly to fill. So why are recruiters hobbling their own efforts by purposely limiting the candidate pools they'll even consider?

News • December 20, 2018

OMIC R&D: Shaping the Future of Manufacturing

The Oregon Manufacturing Innovation Center (OMIC) R&D facility is the only one of its king in the United States. It's mission is to "Develop and apply advanced metals manufacturing technologies and processes for industrial competitive advantage and academic growth, while inspiring and educating the next generation's manufacturing workforce."

News • December 19, 2018

Make connected manufacturing a reality

No matter how well your manufacturing business performs, it can always perform better. If you want to keep up with emerging trends, such as shop floor automation, additive manufacturing and the industrial internet of things, you'll need to make a quantum leap with your manufacturing technology. The surest route is to embrace connected manufacturing.

News • December 19, 2018

Semiconductor industry lessons for digital manufacturing

Digital manufacturing as a service now delivers big manufacturing advantages regardless of customer size. The freshly leveled playing field is great news for upstart and small businesses no longer priced out by the costs of equipping, maintaining, operating, staffing and upgrading complex production lines.

News • December 18, 2018

Don’t brass monkey around

New research by the Copper Development Association Inc., McLean, Virginia, shows that U.S. machine shops may be underutilizing the machinability of brass by as much as 85 percent in part-processing operations. The study says manufacturers can and should be machining the material at significantly higher speeds and feeds—often five to 20 times faster—to increase productivity and profitability.

News • December 13, 2018

MachineMetrics announces $11.3 million Series A funding round

MachineMetrics, which equips factories with the digital tools needed to increase productivity and win more business, announced Dec. 11 it has raised $11.3 million in Series A financing.

News • December 11, 2018

Automated centerless grinding doubles production output for steel tap blanks

Founded in 1952, New Jersey-based Glebar has designed and manufactured grinding machines for many different types of metal and other components, ranging from 60- to 80-HRC stainless parts to 0.002"-dia. titanium parts. For one application, an OEM of machine tooling equipment wished to increase output for steel tap blanks used to drill threaded holes as used in the machining and tooling industry.