Industry News

Etna opened in 1946, and until recently was one of the last remaining tool and die shops in Manhattan. After years of watching the neighborhood grow and transform from its Bond Street location for 70 years, James Galuppo, the owner, has reluctantly closed the shop’s doors.

The global ceramics market is expected to reach $287 billion by 2022, according to a recent report by Grand View Research Inc. Furthermore, advanced ceramics are expected to be the fastest-growing segment in terms of volume at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of over 9 percent through to 2022.

Schunk USA, Morrisville, N.C., started construction on an expansion project at its U.S. headquarters that will more than double the size of the facility.

Paul Polesnak has joined Franklin Bronze Precision Components LLC, Franklin, Pa., as quality assurance manager.

Business conditions continued to improve across the US manufacturing sector in August, albeit at a weaker pace. At 52.5, the seasonally adjusted IHS Markit Flash U.S. Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) remained above the 50.0 neutral value, but fell from 53.3 in July to signal only a modest rate of improvement.

Stents and tubes are used in countless medical devices, with new ones added every day, fueled in part by the growth of minimally invasive surgery and the commonplace use of stents. The number and diversity of devices is rapidly increasing, as well as demand for more and more laser-cut stents, flexible tubing, cannulas and microcannulas, needles, biopsy devices and other minimally invasive tools. While legacy stent- and tube-cutting systems have performed well in recent decades, cutting technologies entering the market offer faster, better cuts with higher production rates and unique cutting capabilities.

Additive manufacturing developer HP Inc. and professional services company Deloitte together will work to accelerate the digital reinvention of the $12 trillion global manufacturing industry. The two companies will collaborate on the implementation of HP’s 3D printing systems in large-scale manufacturing environments, applying their digital operations experience to help enterprises accelerate product design and production, create more flexible manufacturing and supply chains, and enhance efficiency across the manufacturing lifecycle.

Micro Technology Inc., Tullahoma, Tenn., makes parts that are used to mount to automotive engine blocks to be robotically transported through assembly lines. The company uses HAAS VF-3 with CAT40 taper tools. One part is 6061 Aluminum with a tolerance requirement of +/- 0.002" and was being machined with a face mill at 3,000RPM 120IPM with 1.25" axial and 1.2" radial depth of cut. The challenge: Improve productivity without sacrificing quality and accuracy. OSG Tap & Die describes their solution in a recent web feature:

Seco Tools looks at passive and dynamic vibration control in a recent technical article on the company's web site. In metalcutting, vibration is generated by the changing forces that occur when making chips. The intermittent forces are apparent in the interrupted cutting process of milling and also appear in turning operations when the toolholder bar is periodically loaded and unloaded as chips form and break. A passive/dynamic approach to vibration control for tools involves application of a tuned mass damper concept.

"By 1900 economically diverse Providence ranked among the nation's 10 biggest industrial centers, and its board of trade boasted (perhaps without exaggeration) that the city contained the world's largest tool factory (Brown & Sharpe), file factory (Nicholson File), engine factory (Corliss Steam Engine Company), screw factory (American Screw), and silverware factory (Gorham)," writes Patrick T. Conley in The Providence Journal. "These businesses were exuberantly proclaimed as Providence's Five Industrial Wonders of the World." He said Brown & Sharpe is the subject of a solid, well-researched, detailed history.

ITAMCO (Indiana Technology and Manufacturing Companies) is delivering components to the medical device industry made with their new EOS M 290 additive manufacturing printer. The EOS printer was delivered in June 2017 and ITAMCO was shipping components to a medical device supplier in August.

Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence North America hosted an exclusive celebratory event and book signing Aug. 21 to recognize the nearly 185-years of Rhode Island’s rich industrial history. The event showcased Gerald Carbone's new book titled "Brown & Sharpe and the Measure of American Industry,honoring the legacy of Henry D. Sharpe Jr.

Supfina Machine Company Inc., North Kingstown, R.I., a manufacturer of surface-finishing systems and equipment, has added two members to its U.S. sales team.

Pferd Inc., Milwaukee, a global manufacturer and distributor of abrasives, brushes and power tools, appointed Michael Roche as account manager of the pipeline market.

Jeff Stowe joined Unist Inc., Grand Rapids, Mich., as territory manager.

Vero Software Ltd., Cheltenham, England, hired Sales Account Manager David Lee to represent the Edgecam and Surfcam brands from his office in Bellevue, Wash.

Are you having vibration or power consumption problems? The solution might be to change the cutter pitch. Learn how the pitch affects productivity, stability and power consumption.

Cutting threads is an important element of machining. Even if you aren’t into making your own, custom-sized threads, it still helps to know how to create them. We’ve seen customers get pretty creative with their machines and cutting methods, but with a Tormach mill, there are three main ways to cut threads.

The American manufacturing industry is charging ahead. Despite losing five million jobs over the past decade due to automation and offshoring, the American manufacturing industry is now producing up to 12% of the country's gross domestic product. That's the same percentage of product produced in 1960, but with three times the growth in productivity experienced in 1978.

Heule Tool Corp., Cincinnati, announced Bullock Tooling & Accessories Inc., Upland, Calif., as the company's representative in Southern California.