General Machining & Manufacturing Processes

The General Aviation Manufacturers Association expresses optimism about the industry's prospects for 2019. Also, increased third-quarter 2018 aircraft delivery figures were seen across all aircraft segments.

If not for a high school technical program that introduced Matt Schauer to the manufacturing industry, the 25-year-old might have never ended up at Fredon Corp., operating a machine as big as a room in a house.

Inevitably, disagreements arise in the manufacturing industry, whether involving applications, performance, specification compliance, intellectual property ownership or any of a number of other subjects. What has not kept up with technological change is the sophistication of dispute resolution. That is a particularly serious problem for manufacturers because the increasing complexity of manufacturing technology often makes disputes more complex, even arcane, than disputes of the past.

In the United States, the universal complaint about recruitment for manufacturing jobs is that there aren't enough qualified candidates for all the positions that people are working feverishly to fill. So why are recruiters hobbling their own efforts by purposely limiting the candidate pools they'll even consider?

The Oregon Manufacturing Innovation Center (OMIC) R&D facility is the only one of its king in the United States. It's mission is to "Develop and apply advanced metals manufacturing technologies and processes for industrial competitive advantage and academic growth, while inspiring and educating the next generation's manufacturing workforce."

No matter how well your manufacturing business performs, it can always perform better. If you want to keep up with emerging trends, such as shop floor automation, additive manufacturing and the industrial internet of things, you'll need to make a quantum leap with your manufacturing technology. The surest route is to embrace connected manufacturing.

Digital manufacturing as a service now delivers big manufacturing advantages regardless of customer size. The freshly leveled playing field is great news for upstart and small businesses no longer priced out by the costs of equipping, maintaining, operating, staffing and upgrading complex production lines.

Lead Angle: Editor Alan Richter chats with economic authorities in the aerospace, automotive and energy industries to find out what's coming next year.

MachineMetrics, which equips factories with the digital tools needed to increase productivity and win more business, announced Dec. 11 it has raised $11.3 million in Series A financing.

Weldcote Metals, a division of Zika Group, announced the availability of a comprehensive line of metalworking abrasives, many of which will be made in the U.S. at Weldcote's production facility in Niles, Illinois. The entire line includes more than 900 new SKUs.

A circular connector is a coupling device built with a circular interface and cylindrical contact housing which comes with a huge variety of materials, sizes, contact layouts and types, and coupling designs. These circular connectors are commonly utilized for data, signal and power connections in the automation, manufacturing, military, aerospace and transit industries thanks to their rugged mechanical performance and ease of connectivity. They are also very versatile and flexible because of a wide range of contacts, voltages, and currents that can be conveniently featured based on the requirements of the applications.

Engineering components and parts manufacturer, WDS Component Parts Ltd. has extended its range of gas struts with new stroke lengths and options. The company can provide standard gas struts by overnight delivery or work with customers to develop bespoke units that match their application needs.