General Machining & Manufacturing Processes

Almost 30,000 metric tools from Komet Group GmbH, Besigheim, Germany, are now available through MachiningCloud Inc., Camarillo, Calif.

In manufacturing, the nature of the work as well as the nature of the workers are changing: What's a prospective employer to do? Some pre-Manufacturing Day discussion.

Advances in technology and changing trade patterns are affecting opportunities for export-led manufacturing. Smart automation, advanced robotics and 3-D printing are new factors influencing which locations are attractive for production. While these shifts threaten significant disruptions in future employment, particularly for low-skilled workers, they also offer opportunities, according to a new report released today by the World Bank Group.

In 2017 robot supplies in the Americas will surge by 16 percent from 2016, according to the International Federation of Robotics. IFR estimates that by 2020 the worldwide stock of operational industrial robots will increase from about 1,828,000 units at the end of 2016 to 3,053,000 units—an average annual growth rate of 14 percent between 2018 and 2020.

A new report from Kaspersky Lab found that in the first half of the year, the manufacturing industry was the most susceptible to cyberthreats – with the industrial control systems (ICS) computers of manufacturing companies accounting for almost one third of all attacks.

Demand for operational efficiencies such as greater visualization into a factory's automation solutions portfolio has prompted Mitsubishi Electric Automation Inc. to introduce its latest human machine interface (HMI). The GT25 Wide HMI is an interface that monitors and controls machine components with a graphical touchscreen that connects to equipment such as PLCs, VFDs and servos.

Gentle and quick transportation of goods plays an important role in material handling and the packaging industry. Above all, the speeds of the plants are constantly increasing due to increased productivity. For this reason, igus has developed knife edge rollers made from the high-performance plastic iglide H1, created specifically for applications with higher transport speeds.

In recent years the gear market has been experiencing a trend towards outsourcing. As a result of this shift, many suppliers are receiving orders for the soft machining—wet or dry hobbing--of gears. "With the LC 280 α, Liebherr has developed a new generation of gear hobbing machines for such short-term requests", said Dr.-Ing. Hansjörg Geiser, manager development and design, gear cutting machines. "This gear cutting machine equipped with Liebherr quality offers maximum flexibility, maximum productivity, and is available to the customer at short notice."

Absolute Machine Tools Inc., Lorain, Ohio, hired Jeff Sturtevant as general manager of the Mason Technical Center in Mason, Ohio.

Join thousands of manufacturers Oct. 6 as they open their doors to show modern manufacturing in action and inspire the next generation of skilled workers. Manufacturing Day is an annual celebration in which manufacturers invite their communities—including students, educators, businesspeople, media and politicians—to facilities in a collective effort to educate visitors about manufacturing career opportunities and improve public perceptions of manufacturing.

In the EU-funded project SelSus, Fraunhofer scientists are collaborating in a consortium with partners from research and industry to develop maintenance technology capable of forecasting machine downtimes in production before they occur. This allows plant managers to rectify faults before the machine breaks down. The system even corrects some defects automatically.

HEIDENHAIN's LIC 4100 V linear encoder for vacuum environments is a new addition to the LIC 4100 linear absolute kit style encoder system. With several technical considerations, these new encoders can operate down to 6*10-7 mbar, survive a 100o C bake out and have low outgassing.