Industry News

Residents and activists in California continue to fight business interests over exposure to the carcinogen chromium-6, made famous by the 2000 film "Erin Brockovich." One issue involving the substance concerns its use at metal-treating companies. They oppose tightening air regulations. The metal-finishing industry provides about 9,000 jobs in the state, with more than half of them in Southern California.

Machine tool builder Niigata Machine Techno USA Inc., Elk Grove Village, Ill., opened its North American headquarters.

LMT Onsrud LP, Waukegan, Ill., and MachiningCloud Inc., Camarillo, Calif., are partnering to provide LMT Onsrud product data in the cloud.

Imagine a beam of light traveling unimpeded for 13.5 billion light years, only to get deflected and distorted just before being captured by a telescope. That is something the builders of the Giant Magellan Telescope are working hard to avoid.

Jasper, Ind.-based toolmaker NAP Gladu, a Techniks Industries company, acquired Eide Saw & Tool Service Inc., Minneapolis.

Gear Motions Inc., Syracuse, N.Y., is partnering with Southeast Industrial Solutions, Atlanta.

As reported in The Wall Street Journal, nearly 200 parents of high school students in Fort Collins, Colo., recently gathered for "Parents' Night." Their children, they were told, could have great, well-paying careers while being "the next generation of makers." The venue? Woodward Inc., an engine and equipment components plant looking for ways to line up the next generation of employees amid a dearth of manufacturing workers nationwide. "We're really trying to get after the parents—the parents are influential with their kids," said Keith Korasick, Woodward's vice president of operations, who started as a machinist there 26 years ago. "Our message to the parents was, 'There's another option.' You can't have everybody be a lawyer."

Stanek Tool LLC, New Berlin, Wis., a manufacturer and employee-owned business specializing in the design and production of complex hydraulic workholding fixtures and precision machined components, appointed Kevin Lichtenberg CEO.

Aircraft Tooling, a Dallas-based repair center for the aviation industry, was surprised to find that Universal Robots could withstand the high temperatures and harsh environment while performing metal powder and plasma spray processes. The UR "cobots" have been in operation for 3 years without breakdown or service requirements.

Single Source Technologies, Auburn Hills, Mich., a distributor of machine tools and consumables, is collaborating with SmalTec International LLC, Naperville, Ill., to bring the EM203 and GM703 microprecision EDMs to SST's West, Mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions.

​​​A year ago, a leading aerospace manufacturer approached Sandvik Coromant with a machining challenge. The operation in question was finishing deep titanium pockets, a common feature in structural aircraft components.

The skills gap is a well-known, widespread dilemma across the manufacturing industry. Now that the gap is a mainstream problem, what are the steps industry leaders can take to solve it?