Industry News

A blade and knife manufacturer for the lumber industry suggested that it might have to close its plant in Michigan. The largest nail producer in the U.S. has laid off 60 workers and warns that it may be forced to move its factory to Mexico. A California cannery said its profit margins could drop by up to 70 percent over the coming months. A well-known motorcycle manufacturer said it's shifting some of its production to foreign countries. What is this financial crisis that's affecting so many manufacturing companies? In each case, the Trump administration's tariffs on steel and aluminum are said to be the culprit.

Regardless of which area of the world you're in, lack of labor is a pervasive problem that has the potential to cripple the global economy. Fortunately, automation in many forms can help bridge the gap and fill holes on the factory floor, doing jobs that humans just don't want—and can afford to turn down.

Sensors have played a role in manufacturing for years, but until recently they have been largely constrained by issues such as system noise, signal attenuation, and response dynamics.Today, integration of local computing power and the internet of things has transformed ordinary sensors into smart sensors, enabling them to carry out complex calculations on measured data locally within a sensor module.

To move forward, it is important to see how American manufacturing compares with that of other nations. This report develops a global manufacturing scorecard that looks at five dimensions of the manufacturing environment: overall policies and regulations; tax policy; energy, transportation and health costs; workforce quality; and infrastructure and innovation.

3D Hubs releases its quarterly report that shows real world data on which CNC materials and surface finishes are requested the most by engineers globally.

CNC tool grinder manufacturers can offer application support to find the perfect mix for effective processes. Eric Schwarzenbach, president of Rollomatic Inc., discusses how the right partner can help.

Many materials appear almost impossible to machine. A component with a combination of materials represents a special challenge. High-positive indexable inserts from ARNO Werkzeuge achieve convincing process reliability and finish quality in turning operations. Siemens Healthcare GmbH is delighted with a tenfold increase in tool life.

It's no longer just for gaming! Virtual Reality (VR), sometimes referred to as Augmented Reality (AR), is shaking things up across all industries, including manufacturing. While the technology is currently being employed mainly by large manufacturers, like additive manufacturing and the cobots before it, growing acceptance of the technology is likely to cause prices to drop, allowing small and medium-sized manufacturers to take advantage of its powers as well. So what do you need to know about VR before it comes your way?

To help strengthen the quality, value and effectiveness of manufacturing credentials in the U.S., Workcred, an American National Standards Institute (ANSI) affiliate, has released a report funded by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) examining how credentials are currently used in hiring and retention practices, and how credentialing can be improved to advance the manufacturing industry.

A game and hobby shop in Girard, Ohio, has taken 3D printing and laser cutting into an "infinite realm." The business, Infinite Realms, started with three men making pieces like rock formations, oil pits and satellites, which were sold online. Sales were so good that the owners decided to open a physical location to sell more than 100 different items that they make.

For a business owner or manager it's a frustrating and difficult task to track, manage and keep records on the hand-held tools, production tooling and fixtures, dies and castings that are the lifeblood of your operation. Each category of tool has specific tracking and accounting issues that when addressed have been proven to show a significant return on investment.

When I'm visiting CNC operations around the country, shop managers often start our conversations like this, "Labor is killing us. We can't find enough good operators and we're losing some of our experienced operators to competitors. What are my options?" The manager often goes on to describe operational issues related to labor that are typical in high-mix CNC manufacturing. This article describes automation options for CNC shops, specifically focusing on those processing parts in CNC milling machines with batch sizes between 10 and 1,000 pieces.