Industry News

In the 2019 Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence, three $100,000 first-place prizes were awarded to Cesar Gutierrez, a manufacturing teacher from Tucson, Arizona, Wendy Schepman, a landscape operations teacher from Stuart, Florida, and Brent Trankler, a welding teacher from Sikeston, Missouri, with the prize winnings shared between the individual teacher or team and their high school skilled trades program.

Airbnb came along and offered travelers the opportunity to get lower prices and better service, along with better proximity to where they wanted to be, from less established service providers, including private homes. Now, by leveraging the idle 3D-printing capacity of small manufacturers, Techniplas Prime has started to do the same for automotive companies looking for the best solutions for their manufacturing services needs.

The cumulative stress of President Donald Trump’s escalating trade war is leading to if not an irreparable breach between the U.S. and China, then certainly a significant fraying. Trade talks notwithstanding, the rising cost of the tariffs is already inducing some U.S. manufacturers to exit China. But in most instances, they are not returning to home shores.

When Suttner adopted a growth strategy 15 years ago, the company decided to significantly increase the manufacturing depth. Priority was to be focused on parts with complex designs and high added value. The executive management brought Arno Werkzeuge on board as their partner and facilitator to also increase productivity. This success story has brought about manufacturing competences and products that were inconceivable in the past. At the same time, it is an effective solution to the lack of skilled workers.

Manufacturers face continual pressure to expand margins and be more profitable. Smart manufacturing can bring real bottom-line value to a business, helping it do more with less.

In 2017, Tulip raised $13 million with help from New Enterprise Associates Inc., Pitango Venture Capital and a handful of investors who already were onboard for the seed round. Now the Somerville, Massachusetts, startup is back with a round of financing that’s three times that. Toolmaker DMG Mori has joined the ranks, along with Vertex Ventures.

The global market for gear measuring machines is poised to grow at a noteworthy rate by the end of the forecast period. In terms of value, the global gear measuring machines market is expected to reach ~ US$ 538 Mn by the end of 2029. In terms of revenue, the global market for gear measuring machines is foreseen to expand at a CAGR of ~3% throughout the forecast period, as revealed in the research.

Computer numerical control machining is an exercise where software controls how machinery moves as it produces an object. For example, when you want an automotive device from Geomiq.com, written codes are fed into the system whereby the machine runs as instructed. Consequently, your automotive item will be ready without the intervention of humans because the program runs independently.

Since 1992, RobotWorx has been refurbishing industrial robots, restoring the workhorses of manufacturing environments to like-new condition. Robots are commodities today, performing everything from welding tasks to handling intrinsic materials in solar panel clean room environments. For RobotWorx, opportunity beckons when companies upgrade their plants, close their facilities, or when old robots are replaced. Regardless of their condition, RobotWorx gives used robots new life.

CNC machining is a common industrial process with specific design features that work best. Learn the ins and outs of CNC design in this detailed guide.

Machining a part requires knowing the correct speeds and feeds for a cutting tool and material — a skill that can take years to master. What if a resource existed that made it possible for anyone to run a CNC machine and successfully cut a range of materials, from plastic and stainless steel to titanium? What if the same resource could help seasoned machinists learn how to optimize a new cutting tool or a new material?

NVision Inc., in cooperation with the Nasher Sculpture Center in Dallas, is making it possible for those with vision-impairment to interactively engage with some of the great works by modern sculptors. NVision, a leader in 3D noncontact optical scanning/measurement for more than 29 years, recently scanned several sculptures by Auguste Rodin (perhaps best-known for his sculpture, The Thinker) and Julio González for the Nasher. The scanning data was used to 3D-print to-scale replicas of the sculptures for a tactile educational experience for the blind and visually impaired.

The National Institute for Metalworking Skills (NIMS) and the Oregon Manufacturing Innovation Center – Research & Development (OMIC R&D) have united to define a set of Metrology standards and to develop a metrology certification process. Metrology, the study of measurement, has far-reaching applications in the manufacturing industry. The ability to compare and verify a physical part against its CAD model is in high demand, and that demand is predicted to increase.

At first blush, hardness and toughness may seem like interchangeable concepts, but they actually exist at opposite ends of a continuum that defines indexable and solid tool performance, particularly when it comes to carbide inserts. Harder inserts offer greater wear resistance for superior performance and tool life in hot cutting environments, while tough inserts can handle greater impacts and stressors for the highest feed and depth of cut. For any given application, there is an optimal balance of hardness and toughness – and toolmakers have worked diligently to establish metallurgic principles to offer a range of tools that can meet the diverse needs of manufacturers.

Manufacturing is transitioning from a linear supply chain world to a much more adaptable internet of goods. Just as the internet is built on the TCP/IP stack, the internet of goods will be built on a new manufacturing stack that goes beyond the factory floor.

Our discourse on the manufacturing renaissance is marked by a failure to take hysteresis into account. First, I will select representative voices from the discourse. Then I will present a bracing article from IndustryWeek. I’ll conclude by merely alluding to remedies.

The National Institute for Metalworking Skills (NIMS) is now offering standardized CAM credentials, CAM Milling and Turning. “The CAM field continues to grow and is expected to create almost 100,000 new programmer, designer, and engineer jobs by 2024,” said NIMS Executive Director Montez King. “It is imperative that people entering the field are properly trained and capable, and these credentials show a potential employer that applicants are ready to program CNC machine tools. Further, employees already on the job may wish to secure an official, portable, industry-recognized certification.”

Precision and efficiency have become the leading demands for manufacturing. Modern equipment is changing rapidly. Sturdier, harder materials are used, complex geometries with tight tolerances and fine surface finishes are required, and all that has to be done at a faster pace. This race toward product perfection involves using professional custom machining services for more and more industries and for a lot of different purposes.

When tariff hikes began in spring 2018, companies associated with manufacturing immediately went on alert. Over the past year and a half, continued escalations have increased pressure on U.S. and China relations, leaving international companies that rely on Chinese manufacturing looking to reduce uncertainty with short- and long-term solutions.

The global cutting tool inserts market is likely to account for ~US$ 18.1 Bn by the end of the assessment year 2019, and is estimated to expand at a CAGR of ~7.0% during the forecast period of 2019-2029. Among the type of material, the carbides segment is anticipated to grow at a noteworthy rate, owing to their cost effectiveness and durability, thereby contributing to the relatively high growth rate of the carbides segment over the forecast period.