Industry News for 08/2016

“The 30-foot-by-35-foot pit in a concrete floor is empty, shiny and immaculate as it awaits the arrival of a massive machine for use by Connecticut manufacturers to cut, shape and do a range of other tasks with composite materials,” writes Stephen Singer in the Hartford Courant. “At the Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology in East Hartford, the large rectangular hole resembling a swimming pool and reaching a depth of 4 ft. in parts will be filled later this year by the 130,000-lb, high-speed industrial machine [that] will be used to shape, cut, grind and otherwise fashion aerospace and other industry components made of composites.”

"With rising salaries, labor unrest, environmental devastation and intellectual property theft, China is no longer an attractive place for Western companies to move their manufacturing," writes Vivek Wadhwa. "Technology has also eliminated the labor cost advantage. [China] built its dominance in manufacturing by offering massive subsidies, cheap labor, and lax regulations. With technologies such as robotics and 3D printing, it has no edge."

At GreenBiz, Mark Johnson, director of the Department of Energy's Advanced Manufacturing Office, describes the importance of manufacturing innovation to the burgeoning U.S. clean-energy industry.

Los Angeles Times reports: Factories south of the border are fueled by American goods and services—creating a silver lining for at least some workers in the U.S.

Small businesses that use data to help make decisions are more strongly growing revenue as compared to their counterparts who use data on a limited basis, according to new research from Exact and Pb7 Research. The findings show that businesses across the U.S. and Europe who lean on data insights reported revenue growth of 21 percent in the last financial year, as compared to 9 percent for businesses reporting limited use of data.

5ME recently acquired 51 patents in four patent families from Creare, an innovator in cryogenic systems and fluid dynamics. The acquisition gives 5ME control of the intellectual property related to cryogenic machining – specifically, the process of transmitting liquid nitrogen at -321° F through the spindle/turret and tool body, directly to a cutting tool’s edge.

The Make & Elevate Manufacturing Leadership Series will take place September 12-14 to coincide with IMTS (International Manufacturing & Technology Show). The series offers two components: the three-day “Mastermind Forum” and a “One-Day to Elevate Workshop,” both designed to help manufacturing leaders take their businesses to the next level.

It is a reminder of the race between the hare and the hedgehog: Materials are becoming stronger, tougher, more resistant. But the manufacturers of precision tools manage time and again, often in collaboration with research institutes, to also efficiently machine the most demanding materials after a relatively short time. In this interview Professor Dr.-Ing. Dirk Biermann, Director of the Institute of Machining Technology (ISF) at the Technical University of Dortmund, explains the current developments and challenges surrounding the tool.

PTC announced that Fastems, a Finnish manufacturer of factory automation systems with North American headquarters in West Chester, Ohio, will integrate PTC ThingWorx technology into its flexible manufacturing systems. The new technology will facilitate remote systems monitoring and condition-based maintenance. These new service options will enable its customers to increase system uptime and production capacity.

SLM Solutions played its part helping athletes strive for gold at the Rio Olympics by providing selective laser melting metal additive manufacturing technology to help bicyclists improve their equipment. SLM Solutions customer Erpro & Sprint is a leading company in the field of digital manufacturing in France, offering a range of 3D printing services at its facility just north of Paris.

At Forbes, commentary by Adam Smith Institute Fellow Tim Worstall: "There seems to be some idea that making things in huge sheds is a well paid occupation – it isn’t. Or that making things is hugely profitable for a company – it isn’t. And if it isn’t either of those things then nor is it hugely important to an economy."

With a high-precision machining center placed in the Institute for Machine Tools and Production Processes, researchers are entering into a new dimension in micromanufacturing.

With demand for machine tools still weak in China and a drop-off in Japan, capital investment is losing momentum worldwide, according to a Nikkei Asian Review report.

Klarm specializes in creating precision machining parts, prototypes and components.

Rodney Brooks, founder of Rethink Robotics, introduced the concept of cost-effective and collaborative robotics in manufacturing. He explains why he believes robots like Rethink’s Baxter and Sawyer won’t endanger jobs.

UNITED GRINDING conducted a groundbreaking ceremony August 9 for its new North American headquarters to be built in Miamisburg, Ohio. With the new facility, the grinding machine builder says it will further strengthen its customer service and support, and boost its operational agility for even faster response to ever changing customer needs.

More than 2,000 companies will be exhibiting manufacturing solutions at IMTS 2016.

As involving as IMTS is, you’re bound to have some free time while in Chicago, which you can spend either appreciating the city’s archiitecture or finding the nearest place to order a delicious deep-dish pizza or other culinary treat

Multiple-axis machining offers many benefits to parts manufacturers that can correctly harness and implement the capabilities of this technology. Ultimately, it is an effective step towards factory automation, offering the opportunity to condense multiple machine operations into one, saving takt time, total production time, production cost and improving tolerances.

A 57-year-old maintenance worker was crushed fatally by a 4,000 pound machine part while performing maintenance inside of a sand core machine at a Warrensburg, Mont. aluminum foundry.