General Machining & Manufacturing Processes

A new piece of specialist CAD-for-CAM software specifically for sheet metal has been launched alongside the latest release of Radan. Radan Designer will form a pivotal part of Radan's CAD/CAM functionality in preparing parts for bending, nesting and cutting. From model design to part repair and modification, it is said to be a solution for taking geometry through to manufacture.

In 2017, AccuRounds began talks with MachineMetrics and installed their machine monitoring system on 10 CNC machines in January 2018. Within a year, they had connected 23 machines and were driving process improvements and greater collaboration between engineers and machinists. Because of AccuRounds' history of building a strong culture from the front office to the shop floor, the team worked to deliberately manage the tensions that came to the surface during their first few months after installation.

Hy-Tech Engineered Solutions, Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania, is pleased to announce the acquisition of Blaz-Man Gear and Gear Products & Manufacturing; both Chicago-based companies specialize in the manufacture and distribution of custom gears and power transmission gear products. The addition will triple Hy-Tech's capacity in gear production, as well as bring new expertise to expand into more complex spiral and straight bevel gear design and manufacture.

The new Heidenhain Life Sciences brand partnership is now in place, offering ground-breaking technology that enables lab automation for the advancement of medical technology. This development consists of the business partnerships from the Heidenhain Group that includes Heidenhain, IMT and ETEL brands.

Index Corp. has announced the hiring of Matt Voyles for the role of service manager. In his position, Voyles will be responsible for overseeing the 22 field service engineers that respond to customer needs across the U.S. and Canada, as well as coordinating with personnel at the Noblesville, Indiana-based machine tool builder's network of 19 distributors, many of whom provide service to customers as well.

Dapra's new SBD series inserts help operators finish their back draft jobs faster, with greater accuracy – and fewer insert changes – for maximum performance in long-reach, low-pressure finish cutting.

Solar Manufacturing Inc. commemorated the opening of a new, 59,000-sq.-ft plant with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Oct. 24. The company, located at 1500 E. Clymer Ave., Sellersville, Bucks County, is the first business to build in the newly established Sellersville Business Campus. On hand to celebrate were a number of Bucks County notables, including Thomas C. Hufnagle, mayor of Sellersville Borough; Mary Smithson, chair of the Bucks County Industrial Development Authority; and Robert G. Loughery, chairman of the Bucks County Board of Commissioners.

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.

Emuge Corp. has expanded its line of FPC milling/drilling chucks products to include Slim Line models that are designed to enhance 5-axis machining productivity and versatility. Available in the 1/8" to 9/16" (2 mm to 14 mm) size range (FPC14), the compact, slim design with tapered shape enables easier access to the work, especially in confined areas and for challenging angles.

With the new release of TDM Global Line 2019, TDM Systems offers many of the functions of its core solution. The TDM core solution is comprised of TDM Shopfloor Manager, TDM Production Document Management, Graphic Functions and TDM WebCatalog.

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.