Industry News

The CNC Cookbook blog recently polled its readers regarding their use of CNC control systems. According to the results, the five most-used CNCs are FANUC, Haas, Mazak, Siemens—and Centroid, which jumped up 9 places from last year's poll. The company is less well known that those other four but has a growing niche among "do-it-yourself" manufacturers.

The mood of MFG Day, the annual celebration of U.S. manufacturing that took place Oct. 6, doesn't cease after the plant tours and information sessions end and the participating students, parents and educators head home.

Mitchell Metal Products, Merrill, Wis., has received the first National Reshoring Award in recognition of the company's success bringing manufacturing back to the U.S. The award, given by The Reshoring Initiative and the Precision Metalforming Association (PMA), honors a company that has effectively reshored products, parts or tooling made primarily by metal forming, fabricating or machining.

Vibration is a fact of life in almost every machining operation. Whether you're milling, drilling, turning, or grinding, vibration can result in chatter that can ruin a part. Fighting chatter has generally been a matter of adding more mass to the machine, but if you're clever about things, chatter reduction can be accomplished electronically, too.

International automotive technology, systems and components supplier DENSO, Southfield, Mich., is expanding its U.S. footprint with a $1 billion investment in its Maryville, Tenn. location. The investment is meant to significantly increase the role North America plays in the global trend toward vehicle safety and electrification, according to the company.

Most inspection-in-manufacturing features these days are about precision metrology equipment. This one is about people. More frequent rotation of (human) plant inspectors at medical device manufacturing facilities could benefit consumers and lead to fewer product recalls. That's the finding of a seven-year review of Food and Drug Administration inspections of and subsequent recalls at such facilities.

Vero Software Ltd., Cheltenham, England, hired Bill Horvat as outside sales account manager based in Delavan, Wis., to represent the Surfcam and Edgecam brands.

Hexagon AB, Surrey, U.K., a provider of information technologies that drive productivity and quality across geospatial and industrial enterprise applications, acquired assets from Kronion GmbH, Landau, Germany, and transferred them to Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence, North Kingstown, R.I.

Benz Inc., Hickory, N.C., which produces CNC tooling for the metal, wood and composites industries, named Brian Krin the Southeast regional sales manager for metal tooling.

Vero Software Ltd., Cheltenham, England, appointed Hector Henry brand manager of its Alphacam CAD/CAM solution.