Software & Digital Solutions

Earlier this week we shared the conclusions of the McKinsey Report, which concluded that it may be possible for U.S. manufacturing to grow by 20 percent and add more than 2 million jobs by 2025. That was the good news. It can only happen, however, if manufacturers embrace Industry 4.0 technology. The Integr8 conference in Detroit showed how to get started.

Parker Steel Co., Maumee, Ohio, hired Shawn Kaelber as information technology manager.

Increase the speed and accuracy of doing business in today's complex manufacturing environment and streamline operations. With the new innovations available in Macola 10, you can easily configure your own workspaces at the user level – without the need for developers or consultants.

Last week's blog post on the successors of Rosie the Riveter inspired a reader to share her own experience as an early woman in manufacturing. Lois Anderson was tasked with walking into plants in Southwestern Michigan to convince dubious managers and workers to use new methods to improve their production quality and efficiency. In the end, she helped them excel.

My October 20 post on adding capabilities to your current CNC brought a response from a reader who who shares a problem. "We have a few Kitamura MyCenter 4XiF VMCs with FANUC 16iMB controls running daily on our shop floor," he writes, "The control hasn't given us a single problem since they powered on for the first time. However, we haven't been able to get the machines onto our network and we have given up trying."

MVTec Software GmbH, Munich, is expanding its team.

MVTec Software GmbH will release the new version 17.12 of its standard software HALCON on December 8. The new version features an extensive set of cutting-edge deep-learning functions, which can be instantly applied in industrial settings.

A recent CNC Cookbook survey included respondent comments about what they found lacking in their current CNC control. They mentioned inadequate work offsets, lack of web monitoring, limited tool data management and other shortcomings. FANUC Corp.'s Paul Webster explains why for some users, it may not be too late to easily add the capabilities they need.

A survey designed to assess manufacturers' preparedness for Industry 4.0 changes polled 537 manufacturing executives across eight industry segments. The vast majority of manufacturers surveyed have recognized the need for industrial transformation, with most already taking action. Those that have done so say they are already seeing benefits as a result.

Fabrication/manufacturing is a very discrete industry and is on a run to shift towards additive manufacturing instead of the conventional machining process. And as a result, 3D CAD sketching and modeling tools are accepted as the most lucid geometrical medium for design articulation. In the wake of this constant attraction of fabricators towards CAD, software companies have a line of CAD software modules floating in the markets.

End User: DoubleStar Corp., (888) 736-7725, www.star15.com; Solution Provider: DP Technology Corp., (800) 627-8479, www.espritcam.com; Challenge: Write CNC programs to efficiently machine knives. Solution: 3D milling strategies in a CAM program.

The benefits of presetting are somewhat intangible; it takes a little digging to actually understand how much time is spent manually setting tools and what impact that has on shop throughput and profitability.