Industry News

Titanium is the leading material for artificial knee and hip joints, but a discovery by Rice University physicists shows that the gold standard for artificial joints can be improved with the addition of some actual gold.

Penn State Behrend’s new Advanced Manufacturing and Innovation Center, a $16.5 million, 60,000-sq.-ft. building, will house Penn State Behrend’s mechanical engineering program, the college’s largest major, in terms of enrollment, and the industrial engineering program.

Scientific Cutting Tools (SCT), Simi Valley, Calif., has added the capability of coating its own cutting tools on premises in the form of a new coating machine from Platit which enables the coating of up to 500 tools in 4 hours.

GTI Spindle Technology Inc., Manchester, N.H., recently opened a state-of-the-art facility in North Carolina that the company said is capable of repairing and rebuilding high-precision spindles, including those made by Makino, Mazak, Kessler, Gamfior, Enshu and OKK.

Mitutoyo America Corp., Aurora, Ill., recently celebrated the grand opening of its newly renovated M3 Solution Center in City of Industry, Calif.

Riten Industries offers a free 30-day, risk-free trial program to metal workers who are undecided about committing to this different type of workholding tool. Face driving can completely turn or grind a workpiece in a single cycle, without stopping to flip and rechuck the part, reducing cycle time and increasing productivity.

It is a matter of course for manufacturers of rail and train components to ensure that quality products and services continue to be delivered to the industry every day. Increasing reliability through new tools, materials and machining techniques, as well as supporting productive and cost effective maintenance of existing infrastructure, is crucial.

A new report produced by Research and Markets, a market research company based in Dublin, forecasts a compound annual growth rate of 7.6 percent for the global digital manufacturing market through the year 2020.

Jarvis Cutting Tools is constructing a 500W AC solar panel array in front of its property in Rochester, N.H. Jarvis President Costikyan Jarvis said the solar project will help the company cut production costs and capitalize on incentives for producing solar energy, according to a report on fosters.com.

In two separate personnel moves, YG-1 Tool Co., Vernon Hills, Ill., recently promoted Shane Hollenbaugh to Executive Director of Sales and hired Bill Pulvermacher as Director of Marketing. Pulvermacher will be responsible for marketing, strategy and brand development.

Economic activity in the manufacturing sector expanded in June for the fourth consecutive month, while the overall economy grew for the 85th consecutive month, say the nation’s supply executives in the latest Manufacturing ISM Report On Business.

IKONICS Corp., a Duluth-based imaging technology company, announced today that IKONICS Precision Abrasive Machining capabilities align with NASA test results to reduce aerodynamic drag on acoustic jet engine liners.

CEO of John Force Racing Inc. and 16-time NHRA Funny Car champion John Force along with Cory Miller, General Manager of Hurco North America, announced an initial five year agreement between the Indianapolis area based companies that will continue to enhance the development and production capabilities of JFR and its Force American Made (FAM) machining company.

Takumi USA, Indianapolis, recently unveiled its new technology center and showroom to distributor partners to kick off the introduction of Takumi USA to the North American market.

Patrick M. Ryan, Vice President of Manufacturing for Kankakee, Ill.-based Stor-Loc, passed away June 25, 2016. A founder of the Stor-Loc Modular Drawer System, Pat recently celebrated 25 years in business.

Most manufacturers offer at least occasional in-house instruction as factory work has become more about brains than brawn. But Tooling U-SME, an organization focused on manufacturing education that's part of an industrial nonprofit in Dearborn, Mich., found in a recent survey that just 25 percent have a structured training program.

Economists have been debating the performance of business investment during the current recovery. Much of the debate has centered around the relative importance of policy (such as regulation) and demand. Meanwhile, from a company’s perspective, it probably doesn’t make sense to invest when its existing plant and equipment are already underutilized.

Michigan Manufacturing International (MMI) was founded in 1991 in Michigan by Jacob Prak. A number of moves were necessary as the operation outgrew each location, but the name remained the same. In November 2013, MMI built a 40,000 square foot building in Stevensville, Md., and currently occupies 12,000 square feet of that space.

Sound website design and integration attracts new business and simplifies operations for manufacturers, internet marketing professional Gary Sargent said.

Carbide Tool Services Inc., Anoka, Minn., recently hired Dan Hoemberg as Operations Manager.  Hoemberg, who graduated from the University of Minnesota with a bachelor’s degree in Manufacturing Management, also has a degree from Staples Technical College in Tool Room Machining.