Industry News

AMT — The Association for Manufacturing Technology released its December 2016 U.S. Manufacturing Technology Orders Report this week, noting that orders finished 2016 down 4 percent compared to 2015. But the report also holds some good news: month over month data showed December orders up a whopping 20.6 percent compared to November.

Two companies, using different 3D-printing methods, have put titanium components into extreme environments. SLM Solutions recently completed a 12.21" × 8.74" × 8.66" dia. titanium aircraft component using its two-laser selective laser melting process. And Sciaky Inc. has used its Electron Beam Additive Manufacturing (EBAM) technology to produce a titanium Variable Ballast (VB) tank for an autonomous submarine. Now that such critical additive-made titanium parts are out of the lab and in use, these companies and their competitors are working to speed their processes and increase their maximum build sizes.

Two high school students — senior Margaret Schiffer and sophomore Rosie Sirk — traveled to Los Angeles to represent the National Robotics League on behalf of Beaumont School at the SolidWorks World Conference.

Time-tested workholding allows a parts manufacturer to target other areas for improvement, if needed. Husky Corp., for example, needed space-saving hydraulic components when refixturing a dial machine with limited space for fixtures and conducted an extensive search 30 years ago for a solution, said Darrell Vilmer, senior manufacturing engineer – machine/fixture designer for Husky.

In recent years the manufacturing world has seen numerous hybrid additive-subtractive machines. These generally are in the form of a 3D printing head combined with a CNC machining center: the additive is added. But creative additive enthusiast Thomas Sanladerer has come at the idea from the opposite direction: he has started with a 3D printer and transformed it to be able to function as a CNC mill.

A growing global movement toward automation, and it comes at a time in China when demands for fair working conditions and wages have led to increased volatility, resulting in labor strikes in different parts of the country.

After being packed into 11 crates and travelling from Neuhausen, Germany to Baltimore by boat, and onto its final destination by truck back in December, a 20-foot-long, 135,000 lb. industrial machine from Zimmermann was moved into place over the course of several hours at the Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology.

Kitagawa NorthTech Inc., Schaumburg, Ill., recently announced the promotion of Kevin Bennett to vice president of sales and marketing. In addition to directing the company's North American sales and marketing efforts, Bennett will be involved with the operational aspects associated with how the company brings new workholding products and services to the market.

Epicor Software VP of Portfolio Marketing - Manufacturing Terri Hiskey shared insights on how she believes ERP software will evolve in response to manufacturing trends such as the Internet of Things and increased use of robotics and automation. Artificial intelligence and advanced analytics will transform ERP, she writes at ETCIO.com's Tech Talk blog: "The smart factory and Industry 4.0 will give ERP systems a new lease of life, making the ERP systems of yesterday unrecognizable."

Metal additive manufacturing has yet to fully break into mainstream manufacturing operations. While the market is growing significantly, it's still rare to find metal 3D-printing capabilities outside large corporations or advanced research institutions. It's particularly rare to find the capability married with advanced multiple-axis CNC machining capabilities. Imperial Machine & Tool Co., Columbia, N.J., is an advanced manufacturing company that has done just that.

One of the activities CTE Editor Alan Richter enjoys most about his job is touring production facilities. The visits give him a chance to see how parts and products are made while meeting face-to-face with talented metalworking professionals.

Sweden-based information technologies provider Hexagon AB has announced an agreement to acquire MSC Software Corp., the Newport Beach, Calif. based provider of computer-aided engineering solutions such as simulation software. The agreed-upon purchase price is $834 million. The acquisition is subject to clearance and standard regulatory filings and is expected to be complete in April of 2017.