Industry News

Haas Automation, Inc., is pleased to announce the installation of the 200,000th Haas CNC machine – another major milestone in the company’s history as a machine tool builder.

There are no collaborative robots, only robots with collaborative applications. That’s according to Simon Whitton, regional division manager of North America for KUKA Robotics Corp., Shelby Township, Michigan.

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.

Robots and the programming they rely on have certainly made huge leaps in recent years. But manufacturers have little use for jumping or cuddling machines. They need performers that can do specific production jobs. Do robots fit the bill? Will they replace all our manufacturing employees?

For its new “Manufacturing Perception Report,” Thomas surveyed more than 1,000 participants from across the U.S. to examine their awareness and views about the manufacturing industry. When respondents were asked about which industries automation will have the biggest impact on, the New York-headquartered information, data and analysis provider reported that manufacturing took the lead at 34 percent, followed by transportation (15 percent), retail (11 percent) and fast food (10 percent).

LINCOLNSHIRE, Ill., [August 28, 2018] – Toyota Racing Development (TRD), U.S.A. has named GF Machining Solutions, a provider of machine tools, automation solutions and services to manufacturers of precision components, as an Official Technical Partner.

HARTLAND, Wis., (August 27, 2018) — Anthony Sherrill has been named Regional Manager covering Texas and Louisiana for Dorner.

The Jacksonville Jaguars introduced FANUC America as a partner of the team and welcomed five new robots to TIAA Bank Field and the Jaguars family of game day staff this past Sunday during the team’s victory over the New England Patriots.

SUWANEE, Ga., August 20, 2018 — RÖHM Products of America Inc., has announced that it has acquired Master WorkHolding Inc.

Tolland, CT – CNC Software, Inc., the developers of Mastercam, announced that Stas Mylek has been promoted from Senior Product Marketing Specialist to Partnership Program Manager.

Sudbury, MA, U.S.A. (August 6, 2018) – Methods Machine Tools, Inc., a North American supplier of leading-edge precision machine tools and automation, has announced that Matthew Sheehan has joined the company as its Director of Financial Services.

TOKYO, August 6, 2018 – Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (TOKYO: 6503) announced the acquisition of ASTES4 SA (ASTES4), a company based in Switzerland that is engaged in development, production and sales of patented automated sorting solutions for sheet metal laser processing machines, on August 3.

HARTLAND, Wis., (July 17, 2018) — Scott Kelley has been appointed Vice President – Sales of U.S. Operations for Dorner.

Regardless of which area of the world you’re in, lack of labor is a pervasive problem that has the potential to cripple the global economy. Fortunately, automation in many forms can help bridge the gap and fill holes on the factory floor, doing jobs that humans just don’t want—and can afford to turn down.

When I’m visiting CNC operations around the country, shop managers often start our conversations like this, “Labor is killing us. We can’t find enough good operators and we’re losing some of our experienced operators to competitors. What are my options?” The manager often goes on to describe operational issues related to labor that are typical in high-mix CNC manufacturing. This article describes automation options for CNC shops, specifically focusing on those processing parts in CNC milling machines with batch sizes between 10 and 1,000 pieces.

JETCAM International s.a.r.l. and Mitsubishi Electric Corporation today announced a partnership by signing the Developer Agreement of “LA-Module” with subsidiary company Mitsubishi Electric Mechatronics Software Corporation whereby JETCAM will develop enhanced support for Mitsubishi’s range of CNC laser machines.

Sudbury, MA, U.S.A. (June 22, 2018) – Methods Machine Tools, Inc., a supplier of precision machine tools and automation, has announced two key management appointments.

Tooling Tech Group, Macomb, Michigan, acquired Die Cad Group, Grand Rapids, Michigan, a global engineering company specializing in tooling design and simulation for the metalworking industry.

Gehring LP, Farmington Hills, Michigan, and copperING Group are uniting their global product portfolios, establishing themselves as a supplier for production systems in both conventional and electrical powertrain segments.

GF Machining Solutions LLC, Lincolnshire, Illinois, named Applied Machine Solutions Inc. its exclusive distributor and representative in Georgia and Alabama as of June 1, expanding Applied Machine Solutions’ current territory of Florida.