Industry News

If anything will revive U.S. manufacturing, it's certainly not an ever-changing package of hastily proposed and canceled tariffs. But as President Donald Trump pursues that nonstrategy, it's worth asking the longer-term questions of whether U.S. manufacturing even needs to be revived at all, and if so, what can accomplish the task.

An interview with Nikon's Corporate Vice President Tadashi Nakayama provides insight into the strategy of the firm's Industrial Metrology Business Unit, of which he is deputy general manager. In particular, he explained the company's strategic focus on Quality 4.0, where digital, automated and connected inspection enables complete process control from design through manufacture.

Some strange light and soft metals used in aerospace applications have proven to be difficult to precision abrasive grind because they are stringy, gummy, load wheel surfaces easily, get hot quickly and have slow material-removal rates. These include stainless steel alloys and nickel-base materials.

People tend to do exercises that increase and extend the health of their heart. Why not do the same for the heart of your machine tool, the spindle? Too many times we see a machine that has a premature failure. Some of the diseases that your spindle may succumb to are coolant contamination, overheating, or unclean/diminished lubrication oil.

U.S. machine shops are potentially underutilizing the machinability of brass by as much as 85 percent in their part processing operations, reports a recent study from the Copper Development Association Inc. The research shows that machine shops can and should be machining the material at significantly faster feeds and speeds – often five to 20 times faster – than they do to increase productivity and profitability.

When it comes to hobbing auto gears, dry machining dominates. "There are no new automotive applications that are being done wet," said Tom Ware, product manager for gear tools at Star SU Co. LLC, Hoffman Estates, Ill. "There are a few tier suppliers that have not updated to new equipment and are still running some wet applications, but all the major manufacturers have gone dry."

The international MAPAL Group, a manufacturer of precision tools for the machining of practically all materials, achieved significant growth during the 2017 business year. Consolidated group sales rose from EUR 575 million in 2016 to EUR 610 million in 2017.

Zahn GmbH relies on ARNO-Werkzeuge for the reliable production of high-precision parts, ranging from tool systems and the development of customised tools through to the optimisation of its enterprise resource planning system (ERP).

Research studies show that an ergonomically designed work place doesn't only increase motivation and improve concentration but also reduces the drop in performance. This is why ergonomics play a decisive role when planning new industrial work places.

Hearing chatter during an application is a telltale sign that productivity, surface finish and cutting tools are in jeopardy. The best way to combat vibrations is to know what the causes are. Follow these tips and tricks to minimize vibration tendencies in your turning operations.

As the host of the CNC Router Tips podcast, Bill Griggs is well-known in the world of CNC routers, but now he's taken to machining harder materials with his PCNC 1100.

ZOLLER Inc. welcomed more than 150 visitors to its premier 2-day Open House & Innovations Days event, which took place on June 19th and June 20th at the company's new North American Headquarters and Industry 4.0 Tech Center, in Ann Arbor, Mich. Apart from offering customers, partners, suppliers and the press the opportunity to tour the new state-of-the-art building, the key focus over the 2 days was demonstrating ZOLLER's 'Smart Factory" Solutions. The solutions, including tool presetting and measuring, tool inspection, software and automation solutions, offer seamless connectivity at each stage of the production process. ZOLLER's innovative, Industry 4.0 solutions allow significant time and cost savings for companies of all sizes in diverse industries.