Industry News

Exclusive watches - “made in Australia?” Absolutely, thanks to Nicholas Hacko, a talented watchmaker who opened a small factory making high-quality timepieces in Sydney a few years ago. To be flexible and competitive, he invested in a high-precision 5-axis machining center from Kern Microtechnik, enabling him to reliably produce the micron-accurate parts, which are the basis for his business today.

Equipment manufacturers, engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) companies, and power and process plant owners and operators commonly face the challenge of keeping their fleet, machinery, and other assets working efficiently, while also reducing the cost of maintenance and time-sensitive repairs. Considering the aggressive time-to-market required for industrial products and services, it is crucial to identify the cause of potential faults or failures before they have an opportunity to occur. Emerging technologies like the Internet of Things, big data analytics and cloud data storage are enabling more vehicles, industrial equipment and assembly robots to send condition-based data to a centralized server, making fault detection easier, more practical and more direct.

Olis Robotics, a leader in next-generation remote robotics software, announced its selection as a subcontractor by Tethers Unlimited as part of the NASA FabLab prototype project. The FabLab will be used on missions aboard the International Space Station (ISS) to demonstrate orbital recycling and reuse capabilities by providing on-demand manufacturing of mission-critical parts. It’s a first step toward on-demand orbital manufacturing through reclamation, recycling and 3D metal and plastics printing.

We are in part three of our article series “Poly–poly–or what?” The series looks back at the time between autumn 1974 and the Hanover Trade Show in the spring of 1975. Dealing with this new cutting material “polycrystalline diamonds” (PCD) was fascinating for all of us; after the presentation at the first Hanover Trade Show in 1973, each day brought new insights for production and for different applications.

Fraisa SA is a family-owned business that offers its customers a complete range of endmills, drills and taps. The toolmaker provides a full customer service offering with logistics, specials, regrinding and recycling of tools. With its headquarters in Bellach, Switzerland, Fraisa has a strong position in Europe and entered the U.S. and Chinese markets in the last 10 years.

Researchers at the University of Waterloo have taken a huge step towards making smart devices that do not use batteries or require charging.

Many parents undervalue manufacturing as a career for their children. However, when parents were told about the financial benefits of jobs in manufacturing, they said they would encourage their children to explore the field.

Caterpillar Inc.'s E4Life program partners with public schools in Peoria, Illinois, to provide hands-on manufacturing experience to high school students with a focus on innovation. Prior to the implementation of this program, Caterpillar spent time with students and potential participants to find out what barriers stand between them and the workforce.

Cluster’s CEO and founder, Kim Taylor, has been highlighted in People Magazine’s feature "25 Women Changing the World."

A shop’s product mix, the types of jobs running in the shop, can make or break it. The right mix increases profitability and makes for happy customers. The wrong mix risks demoralizing the shop and upsetting customers, ultimately resulting in more stress and less profit. Actively managing your product mix to correctly fit your shop makes life much easier. However, it does take intention to step away from the jobs you know your shop can, but shouldn’t make.

From assembly and pick-and-place to material handling and packaging, the use of robots is on the rise in factory automation. Extremely customizable in even the most complex applications, automation systems are beneficial for a variety of reasons. Taking the plunge into automation, however, can be confusing and daunting. With so many factors to consider, you may be wondering where to start. This guide is a broad overview, but can serve well as a starting point for those new to automation.

Being a data-driven manufacturer is all the rage. Sight Machine engages daily with global manufacturers looking to better use production data to predict machine failure, optimize processes or increase output. Yet many of these manufacturing analytics projects stumble out of the gate. Here’s why.

If you're a manufacturer wanting to take your first steps toward the internet of things and you're overwhelmed by the plethora of vendors and IoT platforms in the IoT space, you're not alone. IoT is still a new space with many moving parts and products. This makes it hard for organizations to know exactly where and how to get started.

The challenge racing across businesses today is how to improve, scale and sustain an excellent customer experience (CX). CX is the sum of all the customer’s interactions, good, bad or indifferent, with a company’s products, services and other support services that the customer encounters in their pre-, during and post-purchase activities.

As with any industrial equipment, there are certain components of waterjet cutting systems that are expended during operation. These consumables will need regular replacement to keep the machine running efficiently. In an abrasive waterjet, garnet will account for the bulk of consumable expenditure. However, both abrasive and water-only machines contain parts in the pump and cutting head that are constantly exposed to extreme conditions, causing them to eventually wear out. One such part is the waterjet orifice, a small metal disk containing a gem that focuses the waterjet stream.

The .45-caliber pistol, aka the M1911A1, is one of the most iconic handguns ever made. Perhaps the rarest of this common breed are those made by Singer Manufacturing Co. Best known for manufacturing sewing machines, Singer produced a handful of .45s on the eve of World War II. The guns were so good that the U.S. military asked the company to build more complicated equipment instead.

CNCMachines.net, an American used CNC machine dealer based in Sanford, Florida, announced it is accepting applications for a newly created $2,000 scholarship. The competitive award is for students enrolled in a CNC machinist, CNC operations, engineering or manufacturing certificate or degree program.

For a long time, not much was known about Savannah Co. The precision machining firm didn’t even have a sign out front. There is one now. Arne King, who purchased Savannah two years ago, is working to enhance its visibility.

Global revenues for linear motion products reached a record high of $7.9 billion in 2017. Revenue growth of 10.2 percent is expected in 2018, primarily due to substantial order backlogs. Growth will then slow to 4.5 percent in 2019. Due to improved global economic conditions and an increase in manufacturing activity, total revenue from linear motion products is forecast to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.6 percent from 2017 to 2022.

Any good machinist knows when to hit the stop button when their operation goes awry. Human senses - touch, see, hear, all come into play when optimizing a machining process. But as the saying goes, we're only human. Manually checking all machines running at all times leaves room for error and is next to impossible. Digital machining gives you a pair of digital eyes and ears providing you with the most accurate data from your machine – so you can know about disruptions before they happen.