Industry News

Vision Engineering, a manufacturer of high-quality visual inspection and measurement technologies, announces that it has sold over 20,000 Mantis microscope products in the last five years.

Milltronics USA has named Foothills Machinery Sales as its exclusive full-service distributor for the states of Colorado and New Mexico. Founded in 1984, Foothills Machinery Sales is Colorado’s oldest independent dealer of machine tools. Located in Broomfield, Colorado, Foothills Machinery Sales is home to both knowledgeable sales and service support staffs.

The Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence Production Software Business has hired four new team members in support of its metalcutting software, including EDGECAM, SURFCAM and WORKNC. Customer Service Representatives Kristi Adeleke and Anita Pilarski, Applications Engineer Mike Rowe, and Account Manager Michael Skerjance will provide support and facilitate services for new and existing metalcutting customers.

Ultimaker a leader in desktop 3D printing, today released its first 3D Printing Sentiment Index. Independent research conducted by Savanta, an international research firm, details a comprehensive view of the current and future potential for 3D printing in 12 countries, while covering the widest range of verticals and professions, including education. The quantified index reveals the U.S., U.K. and Germany have the highest expectations for implementing additive manufacturing and capitalizing on its opportunities.

Newcastle Systems, a leading provider of mobile-powered workplace solutions designed to make warehouses, manufacturing facilities and retail floors more efficient, announced a new partnership with German-based Andreas Laubner GmbH that brings its mobile-powered solutions to the European market.

Newcastle Systems, a leading provider of mobile-powered workplace solutions designed to make warehouses, manufacturing facilities and retail floors more efficient, has signed an agreement with BlueStar, a leading global distributor of solutions-based digital Identification, mobility, point-of-sale, RFID, digital signage, network infrastructure and security technology. BlueStar’s partner network will gain the opportunity to offer several of Newcastle Systems’ Mobile Powered Products and Workplace Mobility Solutions.

Winbro Group Technologies Ltd. announces the acquisition of its business by Taiwan-headquartered Quaser Machine Tools (QMT).

Emuge Corp., a leading manufacturer of high performance taps, thread mills, drills, endmills and other rotary tools, and precision machine tools supplier Brooks Associates Inc. have announced a collaborative effort that expands their respective capabilities for customer training, machining demonstrations and applications testing.

The Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence Production Software business has hired new Applications Engineer Lisa Cameron to support customers of the ALPHACAM CAM software for metal, stone and wood.

Although the NFPA 652 deadline to complete a Dust Hazard Analysis (DHA) has been moved to October of 2020 because of the limited supply of qualified auditors, you should not delay getting started. Your people and facility may be at high risk now, and the NFPA standards states, “The owner/operator shall demonstrate reasonable progress in each of the 5 years." Dust collection systems are one of the most critical elements to be included in a dust hazard analysis because they are a leading cause of combustible dust incidents. According to FM Global statistics, more than half of all dust explosions originate in the dust collector. An unprotected dust collector can reach high pressures that can fragment the housing and send a pressure wave, heat, flames, and dangerous projectiles into the workplace.

Chiron Group celebrated the official opening of its new Precision Factory with a large number of guests from industry and politics. The building was constructed specially for the assembly of new machine series which combine productivity and precision in an unprecedented way. Optimized assembly and logistics processes in the plant will also ensure shorter delivery times.

The Oregon Manufacturing Innovation Center Research and Development (OMIC R&D) welcomed Absolent as its 28th member. Absolent, whose U.S. subsidiary is headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina, and a northwest office in Tacoma, Washington, cleans contaminated air at the source in various metalworking processes such as machining, die casting, heat treating, cold heading, textiles, food, and welding that generate smoke, oil mist, oil smoke and dust.

Somma Tool Co. announces its acquisition of the Max-Bar Tool Co. Max-Bar is a leading manufacturer of carbide cutting tools and holders for Swiss-style CNC machines. The Max-Bar product line offers toolholders and carbide inserts in six separate IC sizes to cover all manufacturing applications.

Forkardt Inc., Traverse City, Michigan, announced the acquisition of the intellectual property (IP) Soft-Touch technology assets from General Manufacturing Systems, a supplier of custom workholding products in Saginaw, Michigan. With Soft-Touch, Forkardt strengthens its advanced custom and highly specialized workholding capabilities and IP portfolio for challenging applications in the automotive and aerospace markets, such as the manufacturing of aluminum die cast materials and thin-walled components where part deformation is a concern.

Tacoma, WA, November 12, 2019 — Stellar Industrial Supply today announced that CEO John Wiborg is the first male named to the W.I.S.E. (Women Industrial Supply Executives) Advisory Council.

When parts manufacturers enter the world of Industry 4.0, in which their operations are data driven, they will need production control software, such as a program for enterprise resource planning or materials requirement planning. In his new book “How to Implement a Manufacturing System,” Martin Bailey covers the best practices and pitfalls when implementing an MRP/ERP system.

Leading power tool manufacturer Festool opts for a six-component force/moment sensor from Kistler to develop its new jigsaws. The compact piezoelectric quartz load cell captures forces and moments during the sawing process: a key advantage for testing new jigsaws and validating saw blades.

A report from McKinsey & Co., “The Future of Work in Black America,” highlights the challenges American workers will face during the next decade as automation continues to take away blue-collar jobs. While the negative effects of automation are expected to hit all demographics, black American men are the group who will be most affected.

Welders, machinists and other blue-collar workers may not have the jobs that are talked about most on the Space Coast, but recruiters say those employees are the ones needed most. Although they compete with each other for job candidates in the Brevard County job market, local companies agree that it's very hard to hire manufacturing workers in the area.

GF Machining Solutions and GF Piping Systems are further enhancing their direct sales and service support to customers in Mexico with the opening of a new Nuevo Leon joint headquarters. In late October 2019, the companies conducted a groundbreaking ceremony for the 75,000-sq.-ft. facility.