Industry News

News • August 29, 2017

Global ceramics market expected to significantly grow

The global ceramics market is expected to reach $287 billion by 2022, according to a recent report by Grand View Research Inc. Furthermore, advanced ceramics are expected to be the fastest-growing segment in terms of volume at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of over 9 percent through to 2022.

News • August 27, 2017

Schunk USA expands headquarters

Schunk USA, Morrisville, N.C., started construction on an expansion project at its U.S. headquarters that will more than double the size of the facility.

News • August 27, 2017

Franklin Bronze Precision Components LLC appoints quality assurance manager

Paul Polesnak has joined Franklin Bronze Precision Components LLC, Franklin, Pa., as quality assurance manager.

News • August 25, 2017

IHS Markit Flash: U.S. manufacturing growth slows in August

Business conditions continued to improve across the US manufacturing sector in August, albeit at a weaker pace. At 52.5, the seasonally adjusted IHS Markit Flash U.S. Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) remained above the 50.0 neutral value, but fell from 53.3 in July to signal only a modest rate of improvement.

News • August 25, 2017

New tube-cutting technology meets next-generation production needs

Stents and tubes are used in countless medical devices, with new ones added every day, fueled in part by the growth of minimally invasive surgery and the commonplace use of stents. The number and diversity of devices is rapidly increasing, as well as demand for more and more laser-cut stents, flexible tubing, cannulas and microcannulas, needles, biopsy devices and other minimally invasive tools. While legacy stent- and tube-cutting systems have performed well in recent decades, cutting technologies entering the market offer faster, better cuts with higher production rates and unique cutting capabilities.

News • August 25, 2017

HP and Deloitte join forces to push 3D printing use in manufacturing

Additive manufacturing developer HP Inc. and professional services company Deloitte together will work to accelerate the digital reinvention of the $12 trillion global manufacturing industry. The two companies will collaborate on the implementation of HP's 3D printing systems in large-scale manufacturing environments, applying their digital operations experience to help enterprises accelerate product design and production, create more flexible manufacturing and supply chains, and enhance efficiency across the manufacturing lifecycle.

News • August 25, 2017

OSG on cutting aluminum auto parts with Micro Technology

Micro Technology Inc., Tullahoma, Tenn., makes parts that are used to mount to automotive engine blocks to be robotically transported through assembly lines. The company uses HAAS VF-3 with CAT40 taper tools. One part is 6061 Aluminum with a tolerance requirement of +/- 0.002" and was being machined with a face mill at 3,000RPM 120IPM with 1.25" axial and 1.2" radial depth of cut. The challenge: Improve productivity without sacrificing quality and accuracy. OSG Tap & Die describes their solution in a recent web feature:

News • August 25, 2017

What’s shakin’? Seco Tools on vibration control

Seco Tools looks at passive and dynamic vibration control in a recent technical article on the company's web site. In metalcutting, vibration is generated by the changing forces that occur when making chips. The intermittent forces are apparent in the interrupted cutting process of milling and also appear in turning operations when the toolholder bar is periodically loaded and unloaded as chips form and break. A passive/dynamic approach to vibration control for tools involves application of a tuned mass damper concept.

News • August 25, 2017

Rise, fall of Rhode Island industrial giant Brown & Sharpe told with precision

By 1900 economically diverse Providence ranked among the nation's 10 biggest industrial centers, and its board of trade boasted (perhaps without exaggeration) that the city contained the world's largest tool factory (Brown & Sharpe), file factory (Nicholson File), engine factory (Corliss Steam Engine Company), screw factory (American Screw), and silverware factory (Gorham), writes Patrick T. Conley in The Providence Journal. "These businesses were exuberantly proclaimed as Providence's Five Industrial Wonders of the World." He said Brown & Sharpe is the subject of a solid, well-researched, detailed history.

News • August 25, 2017

ITAMCO ramps up additive manufacturing

ITAMCO (Indiana Technology and Manufacturing Companies) is delivering components to the medical device industry made with their new EOS M 290 additive manufacturing printer. The EOS printer was delivered in June 2017 and ITAMCO was shipping components to a medical device supplier in August.

News • August 24, 2017

Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence North America Hosts Book Signing Event

Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence North America hosted an exclusive celebratory event and book signing Aug. 21 to recognize the nearly 185-years of Rhode Island's rich industrial history. The event showcased Gerald Carbone's new book titled "Brown & Sharpe and the Measure of American Industry,honoring the legacy of Henry D. Sharpe Jr.

News • August 23, 2017

Supfina Machine Company Inc. expands US sales team

Supfina Machine Company Inc., North Kingstown, R.I., a manufacturer of surface-finishing systems and equipment, has added two members to its U.S. sales team.