Industry News for 12/2018

When machining for precision, there’s no such thing as planning too much. There are many important aspects to account for, from bit tapers to material burrs to caliper readings. Even what direction you attach your material to the stage can matter. Here are some quick tips to keep in mind as you plan your next machining project.

The operations manager at the largest nail manufacturer in the United States, Mid Continent Steel and Wire Inc., says his company has fought hard to survive in the face of unfair foreign competition over the past 12 years. The business planned for further growth and was on a great path until the Trump administration levied steel and aluminum tariffs, which took effect in June.

The General Aviation Manufacturers Association expresses optimism about the industry’s prospects for 2019. Also, increased third-quarter 2018 aircraft delivery figures were seen across all aircraft segments.

If not for a high school technical program that introduced Matt Schauer to the manufacturing industry, the 25-year-old might have never ended up at Fredon Corp., operating a machine as big as a room in a house.

Inevitably, disagreements arise in the manufacturing industry, whether involving applications, performance, specification compliance, intellectual property ownership or any of a number of other subjects. What has not kept up with technological change is the sophistication of dispute resolution. That is a particularly serious problem for manufacturers because the increasing complexity of manufacturing technology often makes disputes more complex, even arcane, than disputes of the past.

In the United States, the universal complaint about recruitment for manufacturing jobs is that there aren’t enough qualified candidates for all the positions that people are working feverishly to fill. So why are recruiters hobbling their own efforts by purposely limiting the candidate pools they’ll even consider?

The Oregon Manufacturing Innovation Center (OMIC) R&D facility is the only one of its king in the United States. It's mission is to “Develop and apply advanced metals manufacturing technologies and processes for industrial competitive advantage and academic growth, while inspiring and educating the next generation’s manufacturing workforce.”

No matter how well your manufacturing business performs, it can always perform better. If you want to keep up with emerging trends, such as shop floor automation, additive manufacturing and the industrial internet of things, you’ll need to make a quantum leap with your manufacturing technology. The surest route is to embrace connected manufacturing.

Digital manufacturing as a service now delivers big manufacturing advantages regardless of customer size. The freshly leveled playing field is great news for upstart and small businesses no longer priced out by the costs of equipping, maintaining, operating, staffing and upgrading complex production lines.

MachineMetrics, which equips factories with the digital tools needed to increase productivity and win more business, announced Dec. 11 it has raised $11.3 million in Series A financing.

Founded in 1952, New Jersey-based Glebar has designed and manufactured grinding machines for many different types of metal and other components, ranging from 60- to 80-HRC stainless parts to 0.002"-dia. titanium parts. For one application, an OEM of machine tooling equipment wished to increase output for steel tap blanks used to drill threaded holes as used in the machining and tooling industry.

Between 1974 and 1976, polycrystalline cutting materials, such as PCD and PCBN, could show their potential for the first time. As a result of the hardness of diamond, combined with the sharpness for machining tasks, the superiority of PCD was displayed early on when turning, milling and drilling.

Throughout 2018, a Florida-based used CNC machine dealer has been putting its money where its mouth is to support the longevity of the American manufacturing industry – this time with introduction of Veteran to Machinist – a scholarship program exclusively for veterans. CNCMachines.net announced it will award three $1,000 scholarships to veterans who want to pursue careers as machinists.