Industry News for 10/2018

Being a data-driven manufacturer is all the rage. Sight Machine engages daily with global manufacturers looking to better use production data to predict machine failure, optimize processes or increase output. Yet many of these manufacturing analytics projects stumble out of the gate. Here’s why.

If you're a manufacturer wanting to take your first steps toward the internet of things and you're overwhelmed by the plethora of vendors and IoT platforms in the IoT space, you're not alone. IoT is still a new space with many moving parts and products. This makes it hard for organizations to know exactly where and how to get started.

As with any industrial equipment, there are certain components of waterjet cutting systems that are expended during operation. These consumables will need regular replacement to keep the machine running efficiently. In an abrasive waterjet, garnet will account for the bulk of consumable expenditure. However, both abrasive and water-only machines contain parts in the pump and cutting head that are constantly exposed to extreme conditions, causing them to eventually wear out. One such part is the waterjet orifice, a small metal disk containing a gem that focuses the waterjet stream.

The challenge racing across businesses today is how to improve, scale and sustain an excellent customer experience (CX). CX is the sum of all the customer’s interactions, good, bad or indifferent, with a company’s products, services and other support services that the customer encounters in their pre-, during and post-purchase activities.

The .45-caliber pistol, aka the M1911A1, is one of the most iconic handguns ever made. Perhaps the rarest of this common breed are those made by Singer Manufacturing Co. Best known for manufacturing sewing machines, Singer produced a handful of .45s on the eve of World War II. The guns were so good that the U.S. military asked the company to build more complicated equipment instead.

CNCMachines.net, an American used CNC machine dealer based in Sanford, Florida, announced it is accepting applications for a newly created $2,000 scholarship. The competitive award is for students enrolled in a CNC machinist, CNC operations, engineering or manufacturing certificate or degree program.

For a long time, not much was known about Savannah Co. The precision machining firm didn’t even have a sign out front. There is one now. Arne King, who purchased Savannah two years ago, is working to enhance its visibility.

Global revenues for linear motion products reached a record high of $7.9 billion in 2017. Revenue growth of 10.2 percent is expected in 2018, primarily due to substantial order backlogs. Growth will then slow to 4.5 percent in 2019. Due to improved global economic conditions and an increase in manufacturing activity, total revenue from linear motion products is forecast to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.6 percent from 2017 to 2022.

Any good machinist knows when to hit the stop button when their operation goes awry. Human senses - touch, see, hear, all come into play when optimizing a machining process. But as the saying goes, we're only human. Manually checking all machines running at all times leaves room for error and is next to impossible. Digital machining gives you a pair of digital eyes and ears providing you with the most accurate data from your machine – so you can know about disruptions before they happen.

Three ways to view the positive impact of a new technology approach that will drive the digital factory of the future … with your machines.

CNC Software Inc. has announced the winners of the 2017-2018 Wildest Parts competition. The company develops the industry leading CAD/CAM software, Mastercam, and holds the Wildest Parts Competition each year to encourage student interest and participation in manufacturing. The competition is open to students at the secondary and postsecondary levels to create parts demonstrating creativity and technical skill using Mastercam.

Xometry, an on-demand manufacturing platform, launched the Xometry Shop Advantage Program, which is exclusive to qualified members of Xometry's manufacturing partner network of over 2,400 small and midsize manufacturers. The program provides Xometry's manufacturing partners with easy access to a portfolio of offers on computer hardware, tooling, raw materials and business services, such as equipment financing.

Where do we come from – what is our destination? This was the question after the first introduction of this new cutting material “polycrystalline diamonds” (PCD) at the Hanover Trade Show in 1973.

Accenture believes that investment in artificial intelligence has the potential to double the annual economic growth rates of major developed economies, such as Germany, and triple Japan’s economic rate by 2035. In the manufacturing industry, Accenture believes that the power of AI technologies will increase profitability by 39 percent, boosting gross value added by almost $4 trillion in 2035.

In addition to TIR (total indicator runout) is the dimension of the grinding wheel side flutter, runout, roundness and tolerance. This is accomplished by truing, dressing, forming and conditioning.

We talk extensively about the “skills gap” facing manufacturing. The problem is this only partially true. Yes, there's a deficit in our skilled trades pipeline, and as employers, educators and communities, we need to rally around the value of skilled trades and support the growth of this critical workforce - starting in junior high and beyond. Yet, there's another gap that mid-market manufacturing is facing - The Strategic Gap - and it has many facets.

Manufacturing is booming. Many say that's great news for the stock market because increased manufacturing activity is evidence of a stronger economy. This seems logical, but does data support such a conclusion? And is it prudent to use manufacturing indicators to time your exposure to stocks?

While this statement may not applicable across the board with machine tool applications, it certainly rings true when used in context with air supply to machine tool spindles. More often than not we have found that poor quality air supply to spindles is a significant factor in premature machine tool spindle failures. Whether it be a dirty (particulate contaminant) in the air supply or more predominantly moisture contaminated air supply. This is a recipe for disaster.

Although automation is occurring in manufacturing, as it is in other sectors of the economy, the evidence does not support the idea that automation was the main cause of the sudden decline in manufacturing employment after 2000. It’s difficult to precisely pin down what was to blame, but a large body of research suggests that economists and pundits are wrong to so quickly dismiss trade and to blame machines.

Texas could be in line to land thousands of additional aerospace-related manufacturing and engineering jobs if companies in the fast-growing sector heed a new ranking of the most competitive places for them to operate. The report by PricewaterhouseCoopers lists Texas behind only Washington state as the top location in the United States for “aerospace manufacturing attractiveness.”