Industry News

Robots and the programming they rely on have certainly made huge leaps in recent years. But manufacturers have little use for jumping or cuddling machines. They need performers that can do specific production jobs. Do robots fit the bill? Will they replace all our manufacturing employees?

A close look at the performance of America's top manufacturing companies reveals a surprising story of industrial growth. It also suggests an alarming future.

Sascha Fischer, machine tool business manager at Siemens Industry Inc., discusses how CNC technology can take motion control and production data to the cloud to drive digital factory capabilities. Connecting production equipment to data networks promises increased uptime, process optimization and predictive maintenance. Most shops already have the key building block to start: the CNC that manages machine tools.

A waterjet cutting system utilizes a mixture of water and abrasive (or in some cases, water only) to cut through workpieces by rapidly eroding the material. Because water plays such a significant role in the operation of these machines, it is important that the condition of the water is optimized to maximize both the efficiency of the waterjet and the longevity of its components.

CONTOUR360 has been announced as the first ever ANCA Tool of the Year award winner at IMTS with the company's creative and eye-catching tool.

Whether you know it as Industry 4.0, the fourth Industrial Revolution or smart industry, manufacturing is going through a deep transformation with changes centered around digitalization. While most industries are already on this digitalization path, the disruption is more visible and pronounced in manufacturing because it is expanding virtual data and processes into environments that have been fundamentally about physical products. An up-and-coming technology is beginning to make waves: blockchain. This white paper explores how blockchain is being applied in manufacturing.

The Jacksonville Jaguars introduced FANUC America as a partner of the team and welcomed five new robots to TIAA Bank Field and the Jaguars family of game day staff this past Sunday during the team’s victory over the New England Patriots.

The introduction of our Borazon CBN grinding wheel was still in full swing when I received information from General Electric in 1972 that a new cutting material would be coming soon. What could it be? Naturally all of us were curious!

From a one-man engineering office to a technology and global market leader in just 50 years - a rare occurrence even in south-west Germany with all its "hidden champions." Blum-Novotest GmbH has achieved this not only through hard work but by being innovative, intelligent and diligent. To mark this event, the company held the BLUM TECH-TALK under the title "50 years of Innovation" in a special setting on 7 June 2018: Numerous guests from more than 20 countries heard keynote speeches from leading experts, saw interesting demonstrations in the BLUM Tech-Centre and witnessed the unveiling of a product that combines the experience gained from over 50 years in this field.

Kelsi Maree Borland writes that e-commerce has become the principal, or at least the most fervent, driver of industrial activity in the United States and particularly in Southern California, which is home to some of the country’s tightest industrial markets. While e-commerce dominates U.S. industrial activity, manufacturing activity is still booming—south of the border. Mexico has picked up much of the industrial manufacturing business, and as a result the north Baja industrial region is seeing record-breaking stats.

When you think of a doing something “like a boss,” words like confident, swagger, authority, cool, finesse and amazing come to mind. Those words apply to manufacturers who are killin’ it day in and day out.

As part of a joint research project, the companies Blaser Swisslube and KAISER have searched for the optimal combination of tool and metalworking fluid for titanium cutting. The results are impressive.

The manufacturing community is finding workers in the form of veterans. While 80 percent of manufacturers report difficulty filling positions, more than 200,000 service members return to civilian life each year in search of new careers.

China’s capital, Beijing, will shut about 1,000 manufacturing firms by 2020 as part of a program aimed at curbing smog and boosting income in neighboring regions, state media said. Beijing will focus on dynamic, high-tech industries and withdraw from “ordinary” manufacturing, reported the People’s Daily, a Chinese Communist Party newspaper, citing a recent policy document published by the Beijing municipal government.

Hard work and first-class teamwork between the gear factory Hänel and Hainbuch have paid off. The new mandrel Mando G211 for gear manufacturers, suitable for gear hobbing, gear cutting and gear grinding, is available as a standard mandrel from stock and can be used optimally on gear cutting machines. Not only for Hainbuch was this project a success, but also for Hänel. This enabled optimization of manufacturing processes, reduced setup time and improved gear quality because the mandrel guarantees stable clamping and dampens vibrations.

Terry Iverson, a machine tool industry veteran, is on a quest to change the perception of the American manufacturing workforce landscape. The manufacturing floor is not what it once was. Computerized, clean and automated cells have emerged in the market and need an entirely new level of shop expertise.

U.S. manufacturing is not in decline but alive and well, producing record levels of output in recent quarters despite significant price deflation for manufactured goods. No other sector of the U.S. economy delivers greater value to American consumers than manufacturing when it comes to providing more and more output at prices that have declined annually by 2.64 percent in real inflation-adjusted terms over the past quarter century.

Penn Stainless Products recently installed a new Koike Aronson Versagraph Millennium Series plasma cutting system (Model 6300) at its Jackson Center facility. The new unit provides western Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio the same high-quality cuts available through PSP’s Quakertown facility at shorter delivery times. The system utilizes Hypertherm HPR800XD HyPerformance plasma technology for a clean, consistent cut up to 2.5” thick, and features an extra-wide cutting envelope of 10 feet wide x 40 feet long.

The Republican Party has become the party of blue-collar America. After the 1992 election, 15 of the 20 most manufacturing-intensive congressional districts in the U.S. were represented by Democrats. Today, all 20 are held by Republicans. The shift of manufacturing from a Democratic stronghold to a Republican one is a major force remaking the two parties. It helps explain Donald Trump’s political success, the rise of Republican protectionism and the nation’s polarized politics. It will help shape this year’s midterm elections.

Rocklin Manufacturing, Sioux City, Iowa, has a long and storied history that began in 1934 during the height of The Depression. Just 8 years later, founder I.J. Rocklin moved the company to a uniquely constructed, two-story brick building built in 1912. Now, after a massive restoration effort that began in 2016, the company once again is calling this historic building home.