Software & Digital Solutions

END USER: Special Quality Alloys Inc., (281) 548-1277, www.sqainc.net. SOLUTION PROVIDERS: Industrial Diamond Products Co. Inc., (713) 991-1600, www.idp-tx.com; Simonds Saw, (800) 343-1616, www.simondsint.com. CHALLENGE: Extend bandsaw blade life while reducing cycle times. SOLUTION: Back-edge ramping technology to accelerate the sawing rate.

Four major players involved in industrial automation are collaborating on the development of a platform that connects CNC machines, robots, peripheral devices and sensors. The purpose of the system is to deliver analytics that optimize manufacturing production.

As CNC machining gets more complicated, the chance of programmer and operator errors increases. These errors can cause collisions involving machine components and workpieces during the cutting process, resulting in downtime and part, tool and machine damage. Costly crashes aren't inevitable, however, thanks to technologies aimed at preventing collisions and minimizing their impact.

Contrary to the history lessons from middle school about "the" Industrial Revolution, it is a widely held belief that the modern world has experienced three industrial revolutions. In the first, industry harnessed the power of steam and water. Mass production, reliable electrical power and division of labor drove the second revolution. Electronics and the computer defined the third.

It's not the most glamorous piece of equipment by any means, but the ball bar is a diagnostic tool used, in some form, to benchmark the performance of virtually every machine tool sold, according to Harold Schoch, vice president of technology and sales for Konecranes, Erlanger, Ky.

A new report produced by Research and Markets, a market research company based in Dublin, forecasts a compound annual growth rate of 7.6 percent for the global digital manufacturing market through the year 2020.

WorkNC CAM Software's latest 2016 version integrates Vero Software's innovative Waveform technology to reinforce its key assets of toolpath reliability, time savings, cost reduction and high surface quality.

CEO of John Force Racing Inc. and 16-time NHRA Funny Car champion John Force along with Cory Miller, General Manager of Hurco North America, announced an initial five year agreement between the Indianapolis area based companies that will continue to enhance the development and production capabilities of JFR and its Force American Made (FAM) machining company.

Delcam incorporates a wealth of new features into every release of its FeatureCAM product for automating CNC programming. FeatureCAM 2016 R3 available now, delivers a range of new features and improvements such as new toolpath strategies and access to Autodesk A360 collaboration software.

Allied Machine & Engineering Corp. offers a range of customization capabilities, including special sizes, geometries, substrates, and coatings for tool bodies, blades and inserts. Also available are customized threadmills, reamers, and boring tools. The online Insta-Quote system lets customers design, quote and order customized tooling in minutes.

It's fitting that "Technology" is part of Indiana Technology and Manufacturing Cos.'s name. In addition to providing a full slate of machining and assembly services, ITAMCO created what it says is the first industrial Bluetooth transmitter (called iBlue) and continues to develop a broad range of manufacturing apps for mobile devices and Google Glass.

Hypertherm is expanding its support for technical education by offering free licenses of its ProNest CAD/CAM software to North American schools, trade unions and other training facilities. The effort is part of an expansive commitment to the next generation of fabricating professionals.