Industry News

“Manufacturers who conduct a lot of machining know that the cost of productivity of a machining operation is inextricably connected to the selection of the cutting tool and the process for managing them,” writes GE Industry Analyst Andy Henderson in a GE Digital blog post. “In the utopian future, the manufacturing intelligence system will automatically control how cutting tools are used and automatically optimize the cost of machining operations.”

Helical Solutions LLC recently announced a top-tier finish in the 2015 Boeing Industry Challenge II, which is an invitational tournament meant to test the world's strongest and highest-performing milling tools in aerospace titanium.

Handshake, which offers B2B commerce technology for manufacturers and distributors, announced key findings from its 2016 Manufacturing & Distribution Sales and Technology Survey Report. This annual survey explores how manufacturers and distributors around the world are changing the way they sell and deliver products to their customers in the wake of new challenges, disruptive technologies and shifting customer expectations.

Abrasive, brush and power tool manufacturer Pferd Inc., Milwaukee, appointed Jon-Michael Raymond as its vice president of sales.

Automation equipment manufacturer FANUC America Corp., Rochester Hills, Mich., named Mike Cicco president and CEO and Rick Schneider chairman.

Camfil Air Pollution Control, Jonesboro, Ark., appointed John Poehler director of reseller/rep sales. As part of its reorganization, the manufacturer of dust, mist and fume collection equipment named Matt Caulfield director of mining/pharma and Kevin Tucker automotive market manager.

Osborn, the Richmond, Ind.-based supplier of industrial brushes, polishing compounds and buffs, named Ty Weber product manager for its abrasives division.

Cline Tool, Newton, Iowa, added two new field application engineers: Bill Gindhart at the toolmaker’s Rockford, Ill., branch and Thomas Koons, who will serve Knoxville, Tenn., and the surrounding area.

Optomec, Albuquerque, NM, a global supplier of production-grade additive manufacturing systems for 3D printed metals, launched a new tool series today at IMTS 2016 that reportedly enables low-cost, high-value metal additive manufacturing.

A video posted by Cutting Tool Engineering (@cteplus) at IMTS 2016.

Tweets by @CTEplus at IMTS

“The 30-foot-by-35-foot pit in a concrete floor is empty, shiny and immaculate as it awaits the arrival of a massive machine for use by Connecticut manufacturers to cut, shape and do a range of other tasks with composite materials,” writes Stephen Singer in the Hartford Courant. “At the Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology in East Hartford, the large rectangular hole resembling a swimming pool and reaching a depth of 4 ft. in parts will be filled later this year by the 130,000-lb, high-speed industrial machine [that] will be used to shape, cut, grind and otherwise fashion aerospace and other industry components made of composites.”

"With rising salaries, labor unrest, environmental devastation and intellectual property theft, China is no longer an attractive place for Western companies to move their manufacturing," writes Vivek Wadhwa. "Technology has also eliminated the labor cost advantage. [China] built its dominance in manufacturing by offering massive subsidies, cheap labor, and lax regulations. With technologies such as robotics and 3D printing, it has no edge."

At GreenBiz, Mark Johnson, director of the Department of Energy's Advanced Manufacturing Office, describes the importance of manufacturing innovation to the burgeoning U.S. clean-energy industry.

Los Angeles Times reports: Factories south of the border are fueled by American goods and services—creating a silver lining for at least some workers in the U.S.

Small businesses that use data to help make decisions are more strongly growing revenue as compared to their counterparts who use data on a limited basis, according to new research from Exact and Pb7 Research. The findings show that businesses across the U.S. and Europe who lean on data insights reported revenue growth of 21 percent in the last financial year, as compared to 9 percent for businesses reporting limited use of data.

5ME recently acquired 51 patents in four patent families from Creare, an innovator in cryogenic systems and fluid dynamics. The acquisition gives 5ME control of the intellectual property related to cryogenic machining – specifically, the process of transmitting liquid nitrogen at -321° F through the spindle/turret and tool body, directly to a cutting tool’s edge.

The Make & Elevate Manufacturing Leadership Series will take place September 12-14 to coincide with IMTS (International Manufacturing & Technology Show). The series offers two components: the three-day “Mastermind Forum” and a “One-Day to Elevate Workshop,” both designed to help manufacturing leaders take their businesses to the next level.

It is a reminder of the race between the hare and the hedgehog: Materials are becoming stronger, tougher, more resistant. But the manufacturers of precision tools manage time and again, often in collaboration with research institutes, to also efficiently machine the most demanding materials after a relatively short time. In this interview Professor Dr.-Ing. Dirk Biermann, Director of the Institute of Machining Technology (ISF) at the Technical University of Dortmund, explains the current developments and challenges surrounding the tool.

SLM Solutions played its part helping athletes strive for gold at the Rio Olympics by providing selective laser melting metal additive manufacturing technology to help bicyclists improve their equipment. SLM Solutions customer Erpro & Sprint is a leading company in the field of digital manufacturing in France, offering a range of 3D printing services at its facility just north of Paris.