Industry News

It is certainly not news that, more and more, dedicated gages are being placed at the point of manufacture. Tight-tolerance measurements that were once performed in a semiclean room by a trained inspection technician are now being done right next to the machine, often by the machinist. But just because shop floor gaging has become commonplace, doesn't mean that just any gage can be taken onto the shop floor. To assure good gage performance, there are a number of specifications and care issues which need to be addressed.

When the topic of energy efficiency comes up, energy-efficient machine tools don't immediately spring to mind. Yet machine tools contain motors and auxiliary components whose energy demand varies widely during machining operations. Happily, a new series of ISO standards can help measure energy supplied and improve machine design and performance.

Cincinnati Inc. named Nick Thielmann sales engineer for the Midwest, covering Wisconsin, northern Illinois and northern Michigan.

To further serve customers in Michigan, Röhm Products of America Inc., Suwanee, Georgia, partnered with industrial manufacturers representative Motor City Industrial Marketing.

Coherent Inc., Santa Clara, California, expanded its portfolio of industrial laser-based machine tools with its recent acquisition of O.R. Lasertechnologie GmbH, Dieburg, Germany.

Privet Fund Management LLC, Atlanta, completed the acquisition of Hardinge Inc., a global provider of advanced metalcutting machine tool solutions and accessories.

Esben Østergaard, co-founder and chief technology officer of Universal Robots A/S, a manufacturer of collaborative robots, was awarded the automation industry's most prestigious honor, the Engelberger Robotics Award.

Eriez Manufacturing Co., Erie, Pennsylvania, President and CEO Tim Shuttleworth and Vice President of Sales and Marketing Charlie Ingram announced the promotion of John Blicha to the newly created position of director of global marketing and communications.

Amada Miyachi America Inc., Monrovia, California, a manufacturer of resistance welding, laser welding, marking, cutting and micromachining equipment and systems, appointed Kurt A. Tolliver vice president of sales.

When manufacturing environmental equipment like pumps, samplers, and other measuring equipment, manufacturers frequently outsource the machining of their products' individual parts. Machining equipment is typically complex and expensive, so most manufacturers contract with outside vendors to machine their parts, and then assemble parts into finished products in-house. While the cost barrier of in-house machining for environmental equipment manufacturers may be high, it can result in huge benefits. After making the investment in advanced machining equipment to bring machining in-house, QED has improved quality and reduced lead time while also achieving cost savings.

When it comes to achieving high material-removal rates in even the toughest materials, it's hard to beat helical cutters. With the correct insert grades and cutting data, these cutters can achieve far greater depths of cut than non-helical milling tools without sacrificing reach or the ability to hold tolerance. This means higher rates of metal removal at speeds that reduce the time the inserts spend in-cut, simultaneously minimizing cycle times and maximizing tool life.

Looking back, two kinds of people lived in the United States in 2016: those who believed Donald Trump and those who believed data. But all was not as it seemed.