Industry News

The Alamo Manufacturing Partnership (AMP), led by the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), last week was among 12 groups to receive designation as a manufacturing community through a federal initiative designed to accelerate the resurgence of manufacturing in communities nationwide by supporting long-term economic development strategies. 

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker today announced 12 new communities that have received designations under the Obama Administration's Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnership (IMCP) initiative. In May 2014, Secretary Pritzker announced the first 12 communities to receive the designation under this U.S. Commerce Department-led program, which is designed to accelerate the resurgence of manufacturing in communities nationwide by supporting the development of long-term economic development strategies. 

GF Machining Solutions, a Swiss-based machine tool company, and EOS, a German additive manufacturing (AM) company, announced on Friday that the two companies have entered into a strategic cooperation agreement bringing the technological expertise of both companies together to develop innovative solutions for mold and die customers.

Machine tool builder Okuma America Corp. has launched a new web-based machine selector tool at okuma.com/machine-selector. The tool is designed to take the guesswork out of selecting a machine by providing users with a convenient method of finding the Okuma machine tool that best suits their specific manufacturing needs, according to the company.

Design and engineering software manufacturer Autodesk Inc. and the National Institute for Metalworking Skills (NIMS) have partnered to develop the first-ever industry-recognized CAM standards and credentials. These will enhance education and training programs to meet 21st century demands for skilled CAM programmers, designers and engineers. It's estimated that almost 100,000 jobs will be created by 2024. 

Tsugami/Rem Sales, Windsor, Conn., exclusive North American importer of Tsugami machine tools, will open a new Tsugami technical center in Fullerton, Calif. 

Nearly two dozen robots competed head-to-head on a course designed to replicate rescue efforts amid disaster conditions during the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's Robotics Challenge held June 5 and 6 in Pomona, Calif. At stake: $3.5 million in prize money. 

A public-private partnership announced June 8 seeks to enhance and expand training to fill the largest number of open manufacturing jobs in states along the automotive corridor, according to a news release issed by the National Institute for Metalworking Skills (NIMS). 

Machine tool builder Mazak Corp, Florence, Ky., will host a "Discover More With Mazak" technology and education event at its Southwest Technology Center in Houston, Texas, July 8 and 9 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Intended for all manufacturing industry segments, the event will showcase the latest metalworking tools, technologies and techniques for enhancing productivity and versatility on the shop floor, according to the company.  

LNA has been appointed as a Fanuc Robotics Authorized Integrator to provide customers with automated laser marking solutions. Combined with LNA's experience with high-performance lasers and applications, customers benefit from lower manufacturing costs, vastly improved throughput, repeatability and resolution, according to the company.   

Northshore Technical Community College, Hammond, Ind., offers a machinist training program that it hopes will offset the gap in manufacturing job openings and qualified people to fill them, according to the school. The 2-year program acts as an introduction to a machining career, with students getting an associate degree in applied science with a concentration in machine tool technology, said Bridget LaBorde, dean of the campus. 

A Cleveland-based trade association, Women in Manufacturing, now counts 510 members from across the country, with a strong online presence and a growing network of state chapters designed to support the advancement of women working in the field and to increase their numbers at all levels, from the shop floor to the corporate suite and everywhere in between. 

Machine tool supplier Methods Machine Tool, Inc., Sudbury, Mass., has expanded its Southern California operation, increasing the number of sales/application engineering and service personnel by eight and offering a full range of machine tool solutions from all of Methods' partner brands. In addition, Robert Serrano has been added to the leadership team as sales manager, bringing 25 years of machine tool experience to the position. 

Jack Beckman and Spencer Massey of the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series will be joined by key members of Don Schumacher Racing on June 3 from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. for an open house at Sandvik Coromant headquarters in Fair Lawn, N.J. Beckman and Massey, who will drive DSR's Sandvik Coromant Top Fuel Dragster that weekend in the NHRA Summernationals at Englishtown, N.J., will be joined by DSR Senior Vice President Mike Lewis and Crew Chief John Medlen to highlight Sandvik Coromant's role in DSR technology and machining of key parts.

The National Institute for Metalworking Skills (NIMS), a standards and certification body, and the Gene Haas Foundation (GHF), which provides scholarships to schools for students entering technical training programs, are partnering to provide scholarship funds directly to select SkillsUSA students. 

Alicona Corp. will host a training program for its optical 3D measurement systems June 23-25 at the company's Bartlett, Ill. headquarters. The three-day program costs $4,500 per person.

Ceratizit SA has acquired German solid carbide toolmaker Klenk GmbH & Co. KG, augmenting the Ceratizit Group's product portfolio with custom solutions for solid-carbide round tools, according to the company. With the addition of Klenk, the Ceratizit Group aims to further strengthen its position in the solid-carbide tool market, according to Thierry Wolter of the Ceratizit Group's executive board. "It is our aim to be perceived as a global premium player for all cutting tools," he said.  

Machine tool builder Okuma America Corp. and machine tool distributor Morris South have partnered to host Southern Tech Fest, June 24—25, at Morris South's Tech Center and Okuma's Partners in THINC facility in Charlotte, N.C.

Toolmaker SGS Tool Co., Munroe Falls, Ohio, has completed and held a grand opening of its new 76,000 sq. ft. endmill facility in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. The new plant was constructed next to the company's existing manufacturing facilities and creates increased toolmaking capacity.

According to the Global Waterjet Machine Market 2015-2019 research report, enhanced R&D innovations are expected to reduce costs in the worldwide waterjet machine market, with customers other than traditional end users generating demand.