Industry News

Student apprentices graduating from a new automated equipment program will hold demonstrations in front of high-tech industry representatives in February and March at Oakland Community College and Henry Ford College in Dearborn, Calif.

AMT — The Association for Manufacturing Technology released its December 2016 U.S. Manufacturing Technology Orders Report this week, noting that orders finished 2016 down 4 percent compared to 2015. But the report also holds some good news: month over month data showed December orders up a whopping 20.6 percent compared to November.

Two companies, using different 3D-printing methods, have put titanium components into extreme environments. SLM Solutions recently completed a 12.21" × 8.74" × 8.66" dia. titanium aircraft component using its two-laser selective laser melting process. And Sciaky Inc. has used its Electron Beam Additive Manufacturing (EBAM) technology to produce a titanium Variable Ballast (VB) tank for an autonomous submarine. Now that such critical additive-made titanium parts are out of the lab and in use, these companies and their competitors are working to speed their processes and increase their maximum build sizes.

Two high school students — senior Margaret Schiffer and sophomore Rosie Sirk — traveled to Los Angeles to represent the National Robotics League on behalf of Beaumont School at the SolidWorks World Conference.

Time-tested workholding allows a parts manufacturer to target other areas for improvement, if needed. Husky Corp., for example, needed space-saving hydraulic components when refixturing a dial machine with limited space for fixtures and conducted an extensive search 30 years ago for a solution, said Darrell Vilmer, senior manufacturing engineer – machine/fixture designer for Husky.

In recent years the manufacturing world has seen numerous hybrid additive-subtractive machines. These generally are in the form of a 3D printing head combined with a CNC machining center: the additive is added. But creative additive enthusiast Thomas Sanladerer has come at the idea from the opposite direction: he has started with a 3D printer and transformed it to be able to function as a CNC mill.

A growing global movement toward automation, and it comes at a time in China when demands for fair working conditions and wages have led to increased volatility, resulting in labor strikes in different parts of the country. 

After being packed into 11 crates and travelling from Neuhausen, Germany to Baltimore by boat, and onto its final destination by truck back in December, a 20-foot-long, 135,000 lb. industrial machine from Zimmermann was moved into place over the course of several hours at the Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology.

Epicor Software VP of Portfolio Marketing - Manufacturing Terri Hiskey shared insights on how she believes ERP software will evolve in response to manufacturing trends such as the Internet of Things and increased use of robotics and automation. Artificial intelligence and advanced analytics will transform ERP, she writes at ETCIO.com's Tech Talk blog: "The smart factory and Industry 4.0 will give ERP systems a new lease of life, making the ERP systems of yesterday unrecognizable."

Metal additive manufacturing has yet to fully break into mainstream manufacturing operations. While the market is growing significantly, it’s still rare to find metal 3D-printing capabilities outside large corporations or advanced research institutions. It’s particularly rare to find the capability married with advanced multiple-axis CNC machining capabilities. Imperial Machine & Tool Co., Columbia, N.J., is an advanced manufacturing company that has done just that.

One of the activities CTE Editor Alan Richter enjoys most about his job is touring production facilities. The visits give him a chance to see how parts and products are made while meeting face-to-face with talented metalworking professionals.

Sweden-based information technologies provider Hexagon AB has announced an agreement to acquire MSC Software Corp., the Newport Beach, Calif. based provider of computer-aided engineering solutions such as simulation software. The agreed-upon purchase price is $834 million. The acquisition is subject to clearance and standard regulatory filings and is expected to be complete in April of 2017.

The January 2017 Manufacturing ISM Report On Business, a national report that reflects the state of manufacturing throughout the United States, showed increased economic activity in manufacturing in the month of January, with overall economic growth for the 92nd consecutive month. 

The Robotic Industries Association has announced that in 2016 the North American robotics market broke all-time records for orders and shipments. During the year, 34,606 robots valued at approximately $1.9 billion were ordered in North America, representing growth of 10 percent in units over 2015.

Livonia-based Michigan Metrology will host a short course on surface metrology and tribology on May 9-10. Dr. Don Cohen, an expert on surface roughness and its effects, will lead the course. Topics to be covered include instruments for measuring texture, surface texture parameters, wear, friction, sealing, data analysis and more. The workshop is designed for scientists, engineers and technicians.

Ohio is soon to benefit from new job-creating investments by a number of major manufacturers. The Dayton Business Journal reports that companies including General Motors, Navistar International and Whirlpool have announced projects that will add to the 885,539 manufacturing jobs the Buckeye State currently boasts.

Running a small to medium-sized machine shop business presents many challenges. Alliance Broach & Tool, East China, Mich., has been in the business of building its operations and client base for more than 35 years; the company knows about some of these challenges. In spite of a tough economic climate, however, Alliance continues to significantly grow. After nearly 40 years, that is an impressive accomplishment.

President Trump has signed an executive order that formally ends U.S. participation in the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the 12-nation trade agreement negotiated by former President Obama but never ratified by the U.S. Congress.

Chicago-based Digital Manufacturing and Design Institute has opened enrollment for the first three of a planned 10 online "101"-style courses on manufacturing and design technology. Developed in partnership with the University at Buffalo and coordinated by The Center for Industrial Effectiveness for the Coursera online learning platform, Digital Manufacturing and Design Technology launches on Jan. 30.

Researchers at Missouri University of Science and Technology are helping manufacturers eliminate flaws introduced during the machining of large, costly components. In the February 2017 issue of the Journal of Manufacturing Science and Engineering, the Missouri S&T researchers describe their approach and explain how it can improve the accuracy of the 5-axis machine tools used to make large parts.