Industry News

In its research for Wohlers Report 2014, Wohlers Associates, Inc. found that revenues from the production of parts for final products represents 34.7 percent of the entire market for additive manufacturing (AM) and 3D printing—terms that are used interchangeably. Since 2003, this market segment has gone from less than 4 percent to more than one-third of total revenues from AM products and services worldwide.

Toolmaker Mazak Corp., Florence, Ky., will host a free MTConnect lunch-and-learn event for manufacturers on Thurs., Nov. 6, from 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at its Northeast Technology Center in Windsor Locks, Conn. The presentation will cover how MTConnect, an open-source, royalty-free manufacturing protocol, can improve the utilization of their equipment and boost productivity, according to the company.

GF Machining Solutions LLC, Lincolnshire, Ill., welcomed more than 150 guests, including city and state officials, at the Oct. 9 grand opening of its Irvine, Calif., facility. The event featured a ribbon cutting ceremony, guided tours, product displays, machine demonstrations and presentations. The new facility, which also houses GF Piping Systems, provides support and training for customers in the West and aids collaboration between GF Machining Solutions and local manufacturers on technology development and process improvement.

KommaTrade, an online mechanical engineering trade fair, was recently launched at www.kommatrade.com. Through the Web portal, based in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, manufacturers from different sectors can make presentations with product pictures and a company description. The website allows users to click through to an exhibitor's website, which provides communication coordinates and contact information.

On Oct. 16, Sandvik Coromant Co. celebrated the opening of a Productivity Center in its new U.S. headquarters in Fair Lawn, N.J. The company held a grand opening ceremony for the headquarters on July 1. The combined $26 million, 100,000-sq.-ft. facility includes office space, meeting facilities, the Productivity Center and an aerospace-focused Engineering Competence Center for customer training, engineering and process development.

CNC tool grinding machine builder Strausak AG, Lohn-Ammannsegg, Switzerland, opened a subsidiary in Mundelein, Ill., and incorporated in the state of Illinois on July 1. Hank Ecker, previously regional sales manager of Rollomatic Inc., is the new president of Strausak Inc.

BENZ Inc., Charlotte, N.C., has released new catalogs for its Solidfix, CAPTO and Trifix modular quick-change tooling systems. BENZ specializes in tooling systems for turning and milling machines such as live and static tools, angle heads, multi-spindle heads, spindle speeders, large scale drill heads, 5-axis heads, and its lines of modular tooling systems. BENZ tooling systems are engineered in Germany and sold and serviced in the U.S. and Canada by Benz Inc.

Mitee-Bite Products LLC., Center Ossipee, N.H., has expanded its customer service program. The company continues to assist customers with no-cost clamping recommendations and on-site visits through its national sales team, and now also offers workholding design services, from simple conceptual CAD drawings at no cost to top-level CAD designs ready to import into CAM software, which are part of the company's fee-based services. Mitee-Bite engineers work with customers to develop and build turnkey workholding designs at the company's Center Ossipee location.

The Village of Elk Grove, Ill., will host the second annual Made in Elk Grove Manufacturing and Technology Expo on Oct. 21 at 1925 Busse Road. The Expo provides attendees from around the Midwest an opportunity to connect, collaborate and cultivate relationships with Elk Grove-based manufacturing companies. Over 1,000 people attended the inaugural Expo in 2013, which featured approximately 100 exhibitors from industries ranging from precision machining, plastics and electronics to packaging and industrial services.