Industry News

At the BWM Group's engine plant in Steyr (Austria), in a reference project accompanied by the Technical University of Vienna, Ecoclean Monschau has significantly raised the energy efficiency of a flexible EcoCFlex Classic robot cell that had been in service for several years. The system's electric power and water consumption were each cut by around 30 percent. These energy efficiency measures are now intended to be implemented on another 95 systems of the same type installed at various sites throughout Europe and Asia.

Fabrication/manufacturing is a very discrete industry and is on a run to shift towards additive manufacturing instead of the conventional machining process. And as a result, 3D CAD sketching and modeling tools are accepted as the most lucid geometrical medium for design articulation. In the wake of this constant attraction of fabricators towards CAD, software companies have a line of CAD software modules floating in the markets.

The CNC Cookbook blog recently polled its readers regarding their use of CNC control systems. According to the results, the five most-used CNCs are FANUC, Haas, Mazak, Siemens—and Centroid, which jumped up 9 places from last year's poll. The company is less well known that those other four but has a growing niche among "do-it-yourself" manufacturers.

The mood of MFG Day, the annual celebration of U.S. manufacturing that took place Oct. 6, doesn’t cease after the plant tours and information sessions end and the participating students, parents and educators head home.

Mitchell Metal Products, Merrill, Wis., has received the first National Reshoring Award in recognition of the company’s success bringing manufacturing back to the U.S. The award, given by The Reshoring Initiative and the Precision Metalforming Association (PMA), honors a company that has effectively reshored products, parts or tooling made primarily by metal forming, fabricating or machining.

We are using standard tap water for our coolant and because we were about to order more coolant, I glanced at the data sheets and they want the TDS below 100ppm. We are at 500. I know this can be a problem for coolants and has shown issue in the shop if the sumps sit for a while.

Most employers have effective programs for accommodating workers with disabilities, but they often overlook recruiting and training practices that could expand employment opportunities, according to a national survey.

Vibration is a fact of life in almost every machining operation. Whether you’re milling, drilling, turning, or grinding, vibration can result in chatter that can ruin a part. Fighting chatter has generally been a matter of adding more mass to the machine, but if you’re clever about things, chatter reduction can be accomplished electronically, too.

International automotive technology, systems and components supplier DENSO, Southfield, Mich., is expanding its U.S. footprint with a $1 billion investment in its Maryville, Tenn. location. The investment is meant to significantly increase the role North America plays in the global trend toward vehicle safety and electrification, according to the company.

Most inspection-in-manufacturing features these days are about precision metrology equipment. This one is about people. More frequent rotation of (human) plant inspectors at medical device manufacturing facilities could benefit consumers and lead to fewer product recalls. That's the finding of a seven-year review of Food and Drug Administration inspections of and subsequent recalls at such facilities.

Vero Software Ltd., Cheltenham, England, hired Bill Horvat as outside sales account manager based in Delavan, Wis., to represent the Surfcam and Edgecam brands.

Hexagon AB, Surrey, U.K., a provider of information technologies that drive productivity and quality across geospatial and industrial enterprise applications, acquired assets from Kronion GmbH, Landau, Germany, and transferred them to Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence, North Kingstown, R.I.

Benz Inc., Hickory, N.C., which produces CNC tooling for the metal, wood and composites industries, named Brian Krin the Southeast regional sales manager for metal tooling.

Vero Software Ltd., Cheltenham, England, appointed Hector Henry brand manager of its Alphacam CAD/CAM solution.

Over 2,000 toolholders from Lyndex-Nikken Inc., Mundelein, Ill., are now available through MachiningCloud Inc., Camarillo, Calif.

Mitutoyo America Corp., Aurora, Ill., provided Digimatic calipers and micrometers to students pursuing degrees in the engineering technology program at Northern Illinois University.

In line with its strategy to digitalize its offering, GF Machining Solutions LLC, Lincolnshire, Ill., agreed to purchase 100 percent of the shares of Symmedia GmbH, Bielefeld, Germany.

Charlie Ingram, vice president of sales and marketing at Eriez Manufacturing Co., Erie, Pa., announced Adams Brothers Inc., Atlanta, as the winner of the 2016 Merwin Sales Award.

Jergens Inc., Cleveland, and MachiningCloud Inc., Camarillo, Calif., partnered to provide Jergens product data in the cloud.

Radix Inc., Windsor, Ontario, acquired vision system integrator Automated Detection Devices Inc., Mississauga, Ontario.