Design & Engineering

Articles • December 22, 2017 • Alan Richter

Manufacturing Day … every day

The mood of MFG Day, the annual celebration of U.S. manufacturing that took place Oct. 6, doesn't cease after the plant tours and information sessions end and the participating students, parents and educators head home.

News • November 30, 2017 • Michael C. Anderson

In digital manufacturing, the supplier’s real product is intellectual property

In the digitized manufacturing world being born, the product that a job-shop produces is less a piece of engineered metal and more a piece of intellectual property. So said Tom Kelly, the executive director and CEO of Detroit's Automation Alley. That difference brings risks but also unprecedented opportunities for those who are ready.

Articles • October 26, 2017 • Michael C. Anderson

Look Ahead: All together now

The toii Platform, created by thyssenkrupp Materials Services GmbH, is said to effectively communicate with a wide array of systems and devices that will help fulfill the promise of the industrial internet of things (IIoT).

Articles • October 5, 2017 • Steve Bruno

Understanding relationship between air pressure and flow

"Pressure" and "flow" are common terms when discussing air compressors, but the relationship between the two is often misunderstood.

Articles • September 25, 2017 • Greg Bartlett

Longtime precision-machining shop adds 3D printing

With its new EOS M 290 additive-manufacturing system, Indiana Technology and Manufacturing Cos. (ITAMCO) now 3D-prints medical devices. After obtaining the system in June, the company started shipping components in August.

News • September 19, 2017

TRUMPF opens smart factory in Chicago

Machine tool manufacturer and Industry 4.0 pioneer TRUMPF has opened a new technology center in Chicago that showcases the interaction between people, machines, storage technology, automation, software and Industry 4.0 solutions. The company calls it "the first smart factory for Industry 4.0 solutions that was designed for digitally connected production processes throughout."

News • August 22, 2017 • Dennis Spaeth

The Automation & Specialization of Manufacturing Jobs in America

The American manufacturing industry is charging ahead. Despite losing five million jobs over the past decade due to automation and offshoring, the American manufacturing industry is now producing up to 12% of the country's gross domestic product. That's the same percentage of product produced in 1960, but with three times the growth in productivity experienced in 1978.

News • August 16, 2017

Manufacturing is dead? Think again. Here are 165 digital roles shaping U.S. manufacturing

UI LABS and ManpowerGroup have released a workforce analysis that identifies 165 data-centric jobs that will define the future of manufacturing in the United States. Descriptions for jobs such as collaborative robotics specialist, manufacturing cybersecurity strategist and enterprise digital ethicist give a window into the advanced skills and knowledge needed to put new technology into practice and remain globally competitive.

News • August 1, 2017

Clemson offers on-the-job training to automotive manufacturers

Fast growth in South Carolina's automotive industry is a driving force behind a new Clemson University program that gives workers an opportunity to stay on the job while learning the skills they need to advance their careers and earn higher pay. Students will have a chance to work in state-of-the art laboratories, participate in large design projects with auto industry clients and learn from top Clemson faculty members.

Articles • July 31, 2017 • Alan Richter

Manufacturing and its myths

Since the time CTE Editor Alan Richter started covering manufacturing for CTE in 2000, industry professionals have frequently informed him that manufacturing jobs typically pay more than most other professions, such as sales and low-level, white-collar jobs. Furthermore, he was told, they provide a multiplier, or ripple, effect—in which one manufacturing job produces numerous other jobs. As he observes in his August 2017 Lead Angle column, Richter questions whether that's still the case.

News • July 21, 2017

SECO partners with Ferris State University for engineering internship program

Seco Tools, LLC has partnered with Ferris State University (FSU) in Big Rapids, Michigan, to offer local area engineering students an opportunity to participate in a multi-year internship program at Seco. The program invites the top three engineering applicants to participate for an initial first year internship. Based on their interest and performance, the students may be asked back for a second year. Graduates of the program will often be offered employment by Seco.

News • June 28, 2017

Boeing, Georgia Tech unveil new research center

Boeing and Georgia Tech formally opened a new advanced development research center designed to solve some of the toughest technical challenges in manufacturing. In the Boeing Manufacturing Development Center, company researchers and Georgia Tech engineering students will work together to implement automation in industrial applications. The center is located in Georgia's Tech new 19,000-sq.-ft. Delta Advanced Manufacturing Pilot Facility.