General Shop Equipment & Supplies

Jonathan Saada, aerospace veteran and president and founder of Hi-Speed Corp., a top manufacturer's representative to the aerospace market, announced his decision to represent high-performance tool manufacturer YG-1. According to Saada, the decision was clear after analyzing the performance, breadth and value of the YG-1 product portfolio.

By 2025, nearly 25 percent of the U.S. population is expected to be 60 years of age or older. With this demographic preparing to exit the workforce and enter retirement, what can be done to retain people's knowledge and pass it down to the next generation of employees? After all, a good portion of the knowledge that our "employee elders" possess is not written down or stored on computers—it's in their heads. This is especially true in the manufacturing sector.

If the third time is the charm for a grant request in Pardeeville, Wis., all its schools will win. But luck won't get it done. Pardeeville High School applied last month for the Fab Lab grant from the Wisconsin Economic Development Council, which awards $25,000 in matching funds for technology education at school districts.

Shaping Success Together is Vollmer's motto at the international trade fair GrindTec 2018 in Augsburg, Germany. The specialist in grinding and eroding machines has further developed both technologies and services for its sharpening and machine tools in close communication with customers and partners.

Zhuming Bi's "Finite Element Analysis Applications: A Systematic and Practical Approach" strikes a solid balance between more traditional finite element analysis (FEA) textbooks that focus primarily on theory and the software-specific guidebooks that help teach students and professionals how to use particular FEA software without providing any of the theoretical foundation, the publisher reports.

Mahr Inc., Providence, R.I., announced that Lara Rapport joined the company as quality manager to support its continued growth and ongoing commitment to excellence.

GF Machining Solutions LLC, Lincolnshire, Ill., a supplier of high-precision machine tools and automation services, has strengthened its distribution network to include new partners in two key U.S. manufacturing regions.

Solar Atmospheres of California Inc., Fontana, Calif., completed its most recent facility expansion.

The technical closing report about EMO Hannover 2017 shows that exhibitors presented many innovations. For instance, to enable large components to be flexibly and cost-efficiently machined irrespective of the component's dimensions, the start-up Picum MT, created by the Institute of Production Engineering and Machine Tools at Leibniz University in Hanover, Germany, is adopting fresh approaches. Instead of bringing the component to the machine tool, the Picum One, an intelligent tool robot weighing about a mere 100 kg with its own single-software solution and innovative metrology, is brought to the component.

Northern Maine Community College officials know the value of strong relationships among employers, educators and students, as evidenced by three campus visits from General Electric Co., Pratt & Whitney and the Associated General Contractors of Maine Inc. One of the visits was for students in the precision machining technology program.

Hardinge Inc., Elmira, N.Y., an international provider of metalcutting solutions and accessories, entered into a definitive merger agreement under which Hardinge will be acquired by an affiliate of Privet Fund Management LLC, Atlanta. Under the terms of the agreement, Privet Fund Management will acquire all shares of Hardinge common stock not currently owned by Privet Fund Management for $18.50 in cash, for a total transaction value of approximately $245 million.

In connection with the upcoming 50th anniversary celebration of Hurco Cos. scheduled for March 6 at the machine tool builder's corporate headquarters in Indianapolis, I spoke with Michael Cope, the company's product technical specialist.