Industry News

Stellar Industrial Supply Inc., Tacoma, Wash., named partner 3M Co., St. Paul, Minn., the winner of its Documented Cost Savings “Horse Race” Winner of the Year Award for 2017.

I recently spoke with Afzaal Mir, founder and owner of toolmaker FSC Cutting Tools Technology LLC, Greenville, S.C., about his business and life.

The surface treatment global business unit of Ludwigshafen, Germany-based BASF SE's coatings division, operating under the Chemetall brand, was awarded the highest supplier award in the aerospace company Airbus SE, Leiden, Netherlands, Supply Chain & Quality Improvement Program known as SQIP.

Precision Surfacing Solutions, Mount Prospect, Ill., formerly Lapmaster Wolters Group, a supplier of equipment and services for precision lapping, polishing, grinding and honing, acquired Reform Grinding Technology GmbH, a provider of machine tools and systems for high-precision grinding applications.

Ben McGruder was appointed director of customer service and inside sales for Dorner Manufacturing Corp., Hartland, Wis.

Jonathan Saada, aerospace veteran and president and founder of Hi-Speed Corp., a top manufacturer’s representative to the aerospace market, announced his decision to represent high-performance tool manufacturer YG-1. According to Saada, the decision was clear after analyzing the performance, breadth and value of the YG-1 product portfolio.

Without a fully optimized manufacturing process, individual machines and entire manufacturing operations fall short of their full productivity and cost-effectiveness potentials. To avoid this fate, shops should take advantage of engineering and process optimization support services typically offered by those well-equipped and truly capable manufacturing equipment suppliers. Such services can encompass just a few lines of code for a cutting program or a comprehensive, turnkey solution for the development and maintenance of an entire production line.

Verisurf Software Inc., Anaheim, Calif., appointed Pat Bass director of sales for the Americas.

Machine tool builder Fives Machining Systems Inc., Hebron, Ky., acquired Konecranes Machine Tool Service, which has facilities in Erlanger, Ky., and Massillon, Ohio.

Metrology specialist Marposs Corp., Auburn Hills, Mich., appointed Francisco Flores aerospace market development manager, a new position at Marposs.

Bunting Magnetics Co., Newton, Kan., which makes metal detection, material-handling and magnetic separation equipment, appointed Kevin Miller general manager of the company’s primary manufacturing facility in Newton.

To strengthen its customer support in Mexico, Seco Tools LLC, Troy, Mich., opened a facility in Querétaro.

Earlier this week we shared the conclusions of the McKinsey Report, which concluded that it may be possible for U.S. manufacturing to grow by 20 percent and add more than 2 million jobs by 2025. That was the good news. It can only happen, however, if manufacturers embrace Industry 4.0 technology. The Integr8 conference in Detroit showed how to get started.

Combining operations in a single tool is a significant trend sweeping through the metalcutting industry. Combining cutting operations reduces the cost per hole by eliminating tool changes. It improves production efficiency and machine utilization, ultimately increasing manufacturers’ speed to market.

Walter teamed up with machine builder Starrag AG, Rorschacherberg, Switzerland, to take a step into the future. The venue was the fifth annual "Turbine Technology Days." Held at Starrag headquarters in Rorschacherberg, the event attracted over 200 visitors from 19 countries. It focused specifically on ways to make turbine production even more productive and reliable, and beyond that on developments in machining and control technology that are changing both turbine production and manufacturing in general.

Mitchell Metal Products, Merrill, Wis., has received the first National Reshoring Award in recognition of the company’s success bringing manufacturing back to the U.S. The award, given by The Reshoring Initiative and the Precision Metalforming Association (PMA), honors a company that has effectively reshored products, parts or tooling made primarily by metal forming, fabricating or machining.

Engineers at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, tested NASA's first 3-D printed rocket engine prototype part made of two different metal alloys through an innovative advanced manufacturing process. NASA has been making and evaluating durable 3-D printed rocket parts made of one metal, but the technique of 3-D printing with more than one metal is more difficult.

Pratt & Whitney’s new 93,000 square-foot facility adds to an already existing GTF fan blade production line in Lansing. The company's AutoAir facility has had a tenfold ramp-up in the past 20 months, and has increased its workforce from just over 200 to almost 700.

The global metal cutting machine market is expected to reach $9.79 billion by 2025, according to a new report by Grand View Research Inc. Increasing demand from automotive industry has been a key factor driving market growth, globally. In addition, robust growth in various application industries such as electronics, defense, marine, construction and aerospace is also fueling the demand.

Boeing employees and community members this week commemorated the 90,000 square-foot expansion of Boeing Helena to support 777X airplane production. Boeing Helena is set to install new machine tools to fabricate critical titanium parts for the twin-aisle 777X.