General Machining & Manufacturing Processes

Growth in China's manufacturing sector slowed marginally in July, reinforcing expectations that the world's second-largest economy will cool in coming months as borrowing costs rise and regulators clamp down on riskier types of financing. The official Purchasing Managers' Index stood at 51.4 in July, down from the previous month's 51.7 but still well above the 50-point mark that separates growth from contraction on a monthly basis. Analysts surveyed by Reuters had forecast that the reading would come in at 51.6, little changed from June.

Padded reamers are utilized throughout the manufacturing industry to generate the final hole geometry and meet demanding surface finish tolerances. Some examples of padded reamer applications are automatic transmission valve channels, engine valve guides and engine crankbore/cambores. Because the reaming process is one of thenlast manufacturing steps prior to assembly, it is extremely important to optimize the process to reduce costly scrap.

GF Machining Solutions LLC, Lincolnshire, Ill., has named Ellison Technologies Inc., Los Angeles, as its distributor to serve customers in two regions in the upper Midwest.

Massachusetts Lt. Governor Karyn Polito and Primetals Technology USA manufacturing support manager Jim Laliberte have co-authored a plea to Massachusetts manufacturers to hire at least one high school student for a paid STEM internship. "Companies with a STEM intern program can nurture a strong pipeline of skilled talent, one that can fill critical job openings," they write in the Worchester Telegram. At Primetals, student interns learn how to operate CNC machines and are taught safety protocols and quality standards. "We need more companies to join us," they write.

GTI Predictive Technology Inc., creators of the iPad Vibration Analyzer, offers VibePro 8 - the complete, affordable predictive maintenance solution for iPad. Condition monitoring, M2M and the IIoT have reached a new height. VibePro 8 is a compilation of 2 years' worth of work, thousands of hours and customer input.

Eriez Manufacturing Co., Erie, Pa., named Ezio Viti as the sales director at Eriez-Australia, Epping, Australia.

Doerken Corp. USA, Grass Lake, Mich., an operating unit of Dörken MKS-Systeme GmbH & Co. KG, Herdecke, Germany, has appointed Kent Anderson as president.

Doug Yates was having trouble finding folks to run his CNC machines, so he called his buddy John Dodson at the NASCAR Technical Institute in Mooresville, N.C. Dodson had an answer for Yates, CEO of Roush Yates Engines in Mooresville, but it would cost him. The idea is to train students on how to run the complex metalworking machines, not only for making NASCAR engines and race cars but for medical, energy and aerospace applications.

Without irony, Wal-Mart Stores on Wednesday outlined its recommendations to improve the U.S. manufacturing sector, writes Steve Goldstein for MarketWatch. "Wal-Mart could arguably be said to be a contributor to the demise of U.S. manufacturing, with its rapacious sourcing of consumer goods from China as it became the nation's dominant retailer. A 2015 estimate from the Economic Policy Institute, a left-leaning think tank, said Wal-Mart's trade deficit with China had displaced more than 400,000 U.S. jobs."

Dialight announced the launch of its next-generation Vigilant and SafeSite LED Area Light, offering high efficiency along with several new features that make it a flexible, functional and durable LED area light for industrial and hazardous area applications.

LNS Group, Cincinnati, appointed Aaron Grell as the national product manager for the company's air filtration product line.

Seco Tools LLC, Troy, Mich., continues to partner with Ferris State University, Big Rapids, Mich., to offer local engineering students an opportunity to participate in a multiyear internship program at Seco Tools.