Industry News for 10/2019

In 2017, AccuRounds began talks with MachineMetrics and installed their machine monitoring system on 10 CNC machines in January 2018. Within a year, they had connected 23 machines and were driving process improvements and greater collaboration between engineers and machinists. Because of AccuRounds’ history of building a strong culture from the front office to the shop floor, the team worked to deliberately manage the tensions that came to the surface during their first few months after installation.

The success of modern product development and manufacturing efforts depends increasingly on being able to iterate quickly, test innovative ideas and shorten time to market. Products must be designed, materials evaluated, prototypes tested and parts manufactured faster than ever. With access to the right technology, agile teams can quickly go from design to production, using less resources and meeting customer demand. A comprehensive rapid prototyping and manufacturing strategy offers an obvious advantage to businesses looking to keep their products and services competitive.

In the 2019 Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence, three $100,000 first-place prizes were awarded to Cesar Gutierrez, a manufacturing teacher from Tucson, Arizona, Wendy Schepman, a landscape operations teacher from Stuart, Florida, and Brent Trankler, a welding teacher from Sikeston, Missouri, with the prize winnings shared between the individual teacher or team and their high school skilled trades program.

Airbnb came along and offered travelers the opportunity to get lower prices and better service, along with better proximity to where they wanted to be, from less established service providers, including private homes. Now, by leveraging the idle 3D-printing capacity of small manufacturers, Techniplas Prime has started to do the same for automotive companies looking for the best solutions for their manufacturing services needs.

The cumulative stress of President Donald Trump’s escalating trade war is leading to if not an irreparable breach between the U.S. and China, then certainly a significant fraying. Trade talks notwithstanding, the rising cost of the tariffs is already inducing some U.S. manufacturers to exit China. But in most instances, they are not returning to home shores.

When Suttner adopted a growth strategy 15 years ago, the company decided to significantly increase the manufacturing depth. Priority was to be focused on parts with complex designs and high added value. The executive management brought Arno Werkzeuge on board as their partner and facilitator to also increase productivity. This success story has brought about manufacturing competences and products that were inconceivable in the past. At the same time, it is an effective solution to the lack of skilled workers.

Manufacturers face continual pressure to expand margins and be more profitable. Smart manufacturing can bring real bottom-line value to a business, helping it do more with less.

In 2017, Tulip raised $13 million with help from New Enterprise Associates Inc., Pitango Venture Capital and a handful of investors who already were onboard for the seed round. Now the Somerville, Massachusetts, startup is back with a round of financing that’s three times that. Toolmaker DMG Mori has joined the ranks, along with Vertex Ventures.

The global market for gear measuring machines is poised to grow at a noteworthy rate by the end of the forecast period. In terms of value, the global gear measuring machines market is expected to reach ~ US$ 538 Mn by the end of 2029. In terms of revenue, the global market for gear measuring machines is foreseen to expand at a CAGR of ~3% throughout the forecast period, as revealed in the research.

Computer numerical control machining is an exercise where software controls how machinery moves as it produces an object. For example, when you want an automotive device from Geomiq.com, written codes are fed into the system whereby the machine runs as instructed. Consequently, your automotive item will be ready without the intervention of humans because the program runs independently.

Since 1992, RobotWorx has been refurbishing industrial robots, restoring the workhorses of manufacturing environments to like-new condition. Robots are commodities today, performing everything from welding tasks to handling intrinsic materials in solar panel clean room environments. For RobotWorx, opportunity beckons when companies upgrade their plants, close their facilities, or when old robots are replaced. Regardless of their condition, RobotWorx gives used robots new life.

CNC machining is a common industrial process with specific design features that work best. Learn the ins and outs of CNC design in this detailed guide.

Machining a part requires knowing the correct speeds and feeds for a cutting tool and material — a skill that can take years to master. What if a resource existed that made it possible for anyone to run a CNC machine and successfully cut a range of materials, from plastic and stainless steel to titanium? What if the same resource could help seasoned machinists learn how to optimize a new cutting tool or a new material?

NVision Inc., in cooperation with the Nasher Sculpture Center in Dallas, is making it possible for those with vision-impairment to interactively engage with some of the great works by modern sculptors. NVision, a leader in 3D noncontact optical scanning/measurement for more than 29 years, recently scanned several sculptures by Auguste Rodin (perhaps best-known for his sculpture, The Thinker) and Julio González for the Nasher. The scanning data was used to 3D-print to-scale replicas of the sculptures for a tactile educational experience for the blind and visually impaired.

The National Institute for Metalworking Skills (NIMS) and the Oregon Manufacturing Innovation Center – Research & Development (OMIC R&D) have united to define a set of Metrology standards and to develop a metrology certification process. Metrology, the study of measurement, has far-reaching applications in the manufacturing industry. The ability to compare and verify a physical part against its CAD model is in high demand, and that demand is predicted to increase.

At first blush, hardness and toughness may seem like interchangeable concepts, but they actually exist at opposite ends of a continuum that defines indexable and solid tool performance, particularly when it comes to carbide inserts. Harder inserts offer greater wear resistance for superior performance and tool life in hot cutting environments, while tough inserts can handle greater impacts and stressors for the highest feed and depth of cut. For any given application, there is an optimal balance of hardness and toughness – and toolmakers have worked diligently to establish metallurgic principles to offer a range of tools that can meet the diverse needs of manufacturers.

Manufacturing is transitioning from a linear supply chain world to a much more adaptable internet of goods. Just as the internet is built on the TCP/IP stack, the internet of goods will be built on a new manufacturing stack that goes beyond the factory floor.

Our discourse on the manufacturing renaissance is marked by a failure to take hysteresis into account. First, I will select representative voices from the discourse. Then I will present a bracing article from IndustryWeek. I’ll conclude by merely alluding to remedies.