General Machining & Manufacturing Processes

Precision Tool Technologies Inc. is a manufacturer and distributor of high-quality products and services for wholesale optical laboratories and retail optical industries. The company's first success came in the precision machining of polishing tools and mold inserts for the optical industry, where accuracy of ±0.0001" and surface finishes of 4 Ra are required. For successful operations, this level of excellence must be repeatable on a daily (and nightly) basis. During the course of perfecting their techniques, Precision Tool became the "go to" company for solving difficult machining problems for a variety of industries. Haimer has been a key partner in helping them maintain this competitive edge.

Recently, Haimer USA tried something new: a community outreach project. The employees at Haimer USA joined forces to collect items for a worthy, local organization.

Precision Cutting Tools, a U.S. carbide round tool manufacturer, and Haimer USA, a market leader in toolholding technology, have signed a U.S. licensing agreement for Haimer's patented Safe-Lock anti-pullout system.

The SCHUNK ROTA NCR-A sealed 6-jaw pendulum compensation chuck has special seals at the jaw interface and the piston to keep the grease from being washed out and the clamping force from being gradually lost. Even in the case of low clamping forces, precise functioning of the chuck is ensured, and at the same time the seals ensure than an ingress of chips and dirt into the chuck body is avoided. As a result, process safety increases, and the maintenance intervals extend. This means that the lathe chuck doesn't have to be lubricated or cleaned as often.

The Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence Production Software business has hired new Account Manager Nicole Scott to oversee accounts for its metalcutting CAD/CAM customers in Texas and Oklahoma.

Many of America's leading entrepreneurs have immigrant backgrounds, playing a vital role in driving innovation and economic growth. In this article, Eurotech Gold customer Victor DaCruz, owner, and his wife, Betty DaCruz, the chief financial officer and human resources director of DACRUZ Manufac-turing, Bristol, Connecticut, share their company's business philosophy and the history of how his family started in business.

Metalworking processes like machining, sawing, grinding, buffing, polishing, fettling, brushing, drilling, cutting and abrasive blasting can create fine metal particles that become airborne and present an explosion hazard, if these metals are combustible. To help reduce this risk, Camfil APC offers Venturi and Vortex wet scrubbers.

Things seem to be going very well for American manufacturing. Since 2009, 1.2 million manufacturing jobs have been created. The fracking industry has significantly lowered energy costs. Unemployment has reached a low of 3.8%, and 145,000 jobs were re-shored in 2018. We have had 10 years of growth since the Great Recession, and many articles in the past year suggest that the U.S. is in a manufacturing renaissance. But are we?

Michigan is taking steps to build on a tradition of innovation by investing in the workers, thinkers and leaders of tomorrow. This effort was on display last month at Lightweight Innovations for Tomorrow's Learning Lab summer bridge program, which allowed University Prep Science & Math High School students from Detroit to tour the building and meet manufacturers and educators.

The economy is not just the stock market. A number of factors contribute to the overall health of the economy, and one of them is manufacturing. Although the jury is still out on whether a recession is coming for the broader economy, some people are concerned that a recession has arrived in the manufacturing sector.

Researchers at Georgia Institute of Technology developed robots that have the ability to reason about shape, function and attachment of unrelated parts. This lets the robots build basic tools by combining objects. The breakthrough is a significant step toward enabling intelligent agents to devise tools that could prove useful in hazardous situations.

A third of Generation Z — adults ages 18 to 22 — have had manufacturing suggested as a career option compared with 18% of millennials and 13% of the general adult population, according to a new study. Gen Z is 7% more likely to consider working in the manufacturing industry and 12% less likely to view it as in decline compared with the general population.