January 2014
Slowing global growth, domestic fiscal uncertainties, higher taxes, and other persistent headwinds in the economy have spurred weaknesses in the manufacturing sector. However, with the recent uptick in activity, Dr. Chad Moutray of NAM explains why there is reason to be positive about the outlook for an ongoing manufacturing renaissance in the U.S..
Manufacturing continues to call on high schools to offer more skills training and increase their emphasis on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. But the coming generations we are trying to attract into our world need more than this. They need to understand why the companies that will value their backgrounds will also nourish their lives and their souls.
The bard thought not much, but “CNC Machinist” has never meant more than it does today. Once relegated to an overhead expense, Randy Pearson of Siemens Industry explains why training is now absolutely vital to your success, both in the classroom and in the shop.
As the relationship between oems and contract manufacturers evolves and the rising cost of healthcare in the U.S. makes it increasingly difficult to be competitive, Burke Doar of TRUMPF explains why it is necessary more than ever for fabricators to invest in flexible solutions that can process a wider variety of high precision parts efficiently and reliably.
Slowing global growth, domestic fiscal uncertainties, higher taxes, and other persistent headwinds in the economy have spurred weaknesses in the manufacturing sector. However, with the recent uptick in activity, Dr. Chad Moutray of NAM explains why there is reason to be positive about the outlook for an ongoing manufacturing renaissance in the U.S..
Manufacturing continues to call on high schools to offer more skills training and increase their emphasis on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. But the coming generations we are trying to attract into our world need more than this. They need to understand why the companies that will value their backgrounds will also nourish their lives and their souls.
As the relationship between oems and contract manufacturers evolves and the rising cost of healthcare in the U.S. makes it increasingly difficult to be competitive, Burke Doar of TRUMPF explains why it is necessary more than ever for fabricators to invest in flexible solutions that can process a wider variety of high precision parts efficiently and reliably.
Here are some of the new systems and equipment available to fabricators looking to become more competitive by lowering their part prices, improving their part quality and reducing their delivery times.
By using revolutionary CNC metalforming technology from Siemens Industry, MJC Engineering built a multi-axis rotary forging machine for advanced research in aerospace that can save up to 90 percent material in comparison to conventional machining from a solid blank.
When should you use a ruby orifice or diamond orifice with your waterjet? Though either can be used, the answer depends upon the environment the machine is working in, along with a number of other considerations.
Suddenly, the range of applications where CO2 lasers had an advantage is significantly smaller. For the first time, an all-purpose solid-state 2D laser cutting machine can cut all the standard types and thicknesses of materials at excellent quality without downtime – one of several groundbreaking technologies that will change the way shops choose to invest.
FMC Technologies boosted their subsea tree system building productivity with a new process that uses all-electric Unison tube bending machines from Horn Machine Tool to drastically reduce the batch fabrication cycle times of uniquely shaped tubes made for each tree from very expensive alloys, such as Super-Duplex and Inconel 625.
As business increases throughout this sector, it’s not about speed or piecemeal production any longer. Scott Walker of Mitsui Seiki explains why it’s really about transitioning into automated “flow” environments that integrate specific machine tools for specific applications to achieve accurate, consistently good end products.
As the reach and complexity of automated processes expands, about 30 million ‘baby boomers’ are expected to retire from the workforce by 2020. Rajas Sukthankar of Siemens Industry explores how this will lead to much more automation in the manufacturing sector.
Here are some of the latest machine tools that can help shops transition into an automated “flow” environment.
The bard thought not much, but “CNC Machinist” has never meant more than it does today. Once relegated to an overhead expense, Randy Pearson of Siemens Industry explains why training is now absolutely vital to your success, both in the classroom and in the shop.
As automation and technology advance to make shops more competitive, they also make a higher skilled workforce more critical than ever before. With opportunities rising in the energy, power generation and infrastructure markets, Mark Elender of ESAB examines why the ongoing challenge is to find adequately trained workers that can get the job done.
Here are some of the automation, training systems and consumables available to shops looking to increase the skills and capabilities of their welders.
It is not accurate to assume in all cases that an increase in weld penetration directly correlates to an increase in weld strength. Here’s why.
Provide high guiding accuracy for both linear and rotary movements with zero backlash and low friction for stick-slip-free movement
DayLube high performance nano-ceramic grease from Dayton Progress maintains its original viscosity and adhesion even after 100,000 production strokes – significantly extending service intervals for all types of production equipment.
For shops that have operated the same way for 50 years and don’t really know where to start a predictive maintenance program or where to focus PDM for competitive advantages in the future, Tom Hoenig of GTI Spindle Technology shares some critical insights into starting up and sustaining an effective system using the latest technology and devices.
Once seemingly insignificant peripherals are becoming the important difference in competing on a large scale as smart hybrid machines marry technologies once found on very different types of tools. Milton Guerry of Schunk examines how this race to the future stimulates concentration on machine accessories to match the machine technology and create a wide range of ‘add on investments’ from automation, to advanced tooling to quick change workholding.
Jack Burley of BIG Kaiser explains why tooling strategies should focus on ways to reduce downtime during production due to process variables, such as time to compensate for insert wear on a boring bar or changing a perishable tool such as a drill. Offline tool presetting and zero point clamping systems are a natural part of the methodoogy for keeping spindles rotating and machine tables moving as much as possible.
To remain relevant in an increasingly competitive marketplace, Chris Weiler of Weiler Corporation manufacturers and their suppliers must be more agile in their customer implementation to ensure not only the delivery of the right products and solutions at the right time, but also the technical expertise and application knowledge to choose and apply those solutions quickly and collaboratively.
Here are some of the latest tooling and workholding solutions that increase flexibility, extend tool life, reduce setup times and lower operating expenses.
As metrology becomes more sophisticated, shops continually try to measure things faster, do more things on the production floor and less in the lab. This need for speed is increasing opportunities for optical measurement technology across a broad spectrum of market sectors and applications.
Here are some of the latest metrology solutions that can help shops measure more varieties of parts faster, with higher precision and with deeper data analysis for process management.
