SkillsUSA: Real-World Experiences Build a Better Workforce March 11, 2019 SkillsUSA wields a large shovel, but we have a big hole to fill. That hole is in the American economy and it is called the skills gap—the widening gap between the jobs available and the skilled workers ready to fill them.
AM, Spare Parts, and the Rise of the Micro Factory March 8, 2019 Manufacturing got smart when companies figured out how to make products in one market and sell them in another. Today, we call this supply chain logistics. But somewhere along the way, the innovation chain connecting supply (manufacturing) and logistics (the supporting infrastructure) started to diverge.
SME Will Introduce iRAMP at RAPID + TCT to Accelerate Adoption of Additive Manufacturing April 10, 2019 After decades of hype and predictions surrounding additive manufacturing (AM), AM is poised to be on the brink of becoming the disruptive technology that many have long expected. Disruptive technologies are often deemed too costly, less capable or too niche to replace incumbent technology. But over time, many of these technologies reach a tipping point and rapidly replace these incumbents.
Wohlers Report 2019 Details of Developments in Additive Manufacturing Worldwide March 28, 2019 Fort Collins, Colo.-based Wohlers Associates announced the publication of “Wohlers Report 2019,” the 24th annual installment of its undisputed, industry-leading report on additive manufacturing (AM) and 3D printing. The worldwide study reports on growth, development, and the future of AM materials, applications, systems, services, design, software, patents, startups, standards, investment, and research.
Racer Revs Up New Shop, Heads Into First Turn March 6, 2019 Metalworking is a great industry that makes a major contribution to the U.S. economy, but it doesn’t typically attract movie idols or sports stars. That changed when NASCAR champion Brad Keselowski joined the ranks of metalworking entrepreneurs.
Securing OT in the Energy and Utilities Sector August 15, 2019 Convergence-enabled cyberattacks—where criminals exploit traditionally isolated operational technology (OT) devices through their new connections to the IT network—may be motivated by the desire to hijack and demand ransom for services, steal trade secrets through industrial or national cyberespionage, or commit cyberterrorism or engage in cyberwarfare.
Software, CNC Interface Gains Push Programming Productivity March 1, 2019 Connected manufacturing and digitization technologies are spurring many of the major innovations in CNC machine controls that help machine shops cut metal and create parts as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Prima Power Announces Official Opening of New Manufacturing Plant in Finland March 28, 2019 Metalworking technology manufacturer Prima Power (Turin, Italy; Arlington Heights, Ill.) announced the opening of a new site in Seinäjoki, Finland. Finn-Power Oy—the company of Prima Industrie Group manufacturing Prima Power turret punch presses, combined machines, and systems—relocated its manufacturing plant and Tech Center previously sited in Kauhava into a new facility in Seinäjoki.
Hurco Introduces New 3D Import with 3D DXF Technology March 18, 2019 Indianapolis-based Hurco introduces the Hurco MAX5 control with the new 3D Import feature that includes 3D DXF technology. This control feature allows the user to simply load the file they receive from their customer directly into the Hurco control.
Digitalization Boosts Auto Parts Cell Production By 20% September 5, 2018 Increases in size and quantity of its orders led Wisconsin-based auto parts manufacturer Felss Rotaform LLC (New Berlin, WI) to expand operations through a new dual-robot machine-tending cell. The company is a supplier of precision parts using its rotary swaging, axial forming and tube end-forming processes.