Composite Resources

Private equity firms are snapping up manufacturing companies at a quick pace, setting off a merger and acquisition gold rush while leaving multicloud manufacturing systems unprotected in a zero-trust world.

It's hard to believe that the phrase "war for talent" was coined more than 20 years ago. Today, the fight to attract and retain talented employees rages on in virtually every industry — and manufacturing is no exception.

The Oregon Manufacturing Innovation Center Research and Development (OMICR&D) has welcomed Sumitomo Electric Carbide Inc. as its 30th member. Sumitomo, whose U.S. subsidiary is headquartered in near Chicago, also has other several other U.S. based cutting tool manufacturing facilities, and its main headquarters is in Hyogo, Japan.

Continental needed a high capacity system capable of rapid inspection cycles combined with fast surface scanning and accurate feature measurements, the aim being to gain more comprehensive insight into the company's products. The range includes electronic and hydraulic brake and chassis control systems, wheel and engine speed sensors, airbag electronics and electronic air suspension systems.

With the new SCT current converters, Beckhoff Automation completes the power measurement chain that now ranges from measuring physical values to transmitting captured data to the cloud. Continuous, system-integrated power measurement allows users to perform extensive inline analyses, for example, to detect and correct deviations quickly in order to minimize downtime.

ATV and InnovationQuarter's investment in IMSystems will help further accelerate the development of their technology in robotics. IMSystems' Archimedes Drive takes a leap forward in transmission systems. In contrast to conventional gears, which rely on cogs with fragile teeth to produce torque, IMSystems came up with a design that harnesses traction.

MachineMetrics, a leading data analytics platform for manufacturers, has announced the release of its much anticipated 2019 State of the Industry (SOTI) for CNC Machining. Driven exclusively by real manufacturing data collected from hundreds of companies and thousands of machines globally, MachineMetrics' report is a first of its kind to deliver confirmation for many gut feelings about the industry as well as to uncover unexpected manufacturing behaviors and trends never made visible before.n"Our unique ability to easily connect to any machine has allowed the MachineMetrics platform to quickly gain tremendous traction and aggregate what we believe is the most powerful global dataset of machine performance in the world. We can now use this data to provide the highest level of insight back to our customers, partners, and the manufacturing community." says Bill Bither, CEO of MachineMetrics, "We are excited to continue to break new ground for the industry as a whole."n

Marposs introduces Mida Hyper Probing — a software compatible with Marposs probes that calculates the best cycle time for machines simply by users entering repeatability range and workpiece positioning tolerance. This software can achieve an 80% reduction in cycle time, ensuring fast and precise probing.

As part of an ongoing effort to make processes and products more environmentally friendly, BIG KAISER Precision Tooling Inc., Hoffman Estates, Illinois, is making modifications to production materials and packaging. Specifically, the company switched to unleaded steel and recyclable packaging.

HCL Technologies announced the release of CAMWorks Version 2020 with several enhancements to assist machine shops in advancing their smart manufacturing practices. CAMWorks Version 2020 provides support for 3D printing of SolidWorks Assemblies, the CAMWorks ShopFloor product, intelligent probing functionality and automatic tab machining.

Madison Chemical introduces Madison Green, a mildly alkaline, environmentally friendly, biodegradable general-purpose cleaner that is highly effective on greasy and waxy surfaces, such as floors, work benches and other equipment. This free-rinsing product does not leave a white alkaline film on the cleaned surface and has a pleasant wintergreen odor.

Clippard, Cincinnati, produces fluid control products and other high-precision components, and prides itself on having been vertically integrated for decades, since its founding in 1941. The company operates two ISO-certified manufacturing locations in Ohio and does advanced machining of all types to produce its extensive catalog of standard and custom product for a myriad of markets worldwide. At the heart of its machining capabilities are 12-axis CNC Swiss machines, CNC milling centers and CNC wire EDMs, plus numerous post-finishing operations, including anodizing, EN plating and thermal deburring.