Price Downturn Leads Shale Producers to Greater Efficiency November 15, 2018 After petroleum prices collapsed in the mid-2010s, shale oil and gas producers responded to the down-swing by borrowing techniques and technology from the energy sector’s offshore well operations, manufacturing, and even the medical industry to increase efficiency.
READY TO SHARE: MetraLabs Robots Poised to Grease the Skids for Automotive Suppliers in an AI World November 27, 2018 Cofounder Johannes Trabert, who lives a poetic life in the Thuringian Forest, says the future will be focused on ‘the clever share of work’ between humans and robots.
Testing the Metal November 27, 2018 Materials science has opened new possibilities for designers of cars, planes and other products. Metal alloys are now as precisely engineered as they are machined. The result is longer lasting, stronger parts. But with a wider selection of materials comes risk—how can you be sure that one piece of gray metal stock is different than another? Careful warehousing procedures and paperwork only go so far.
Bridge Tool & Die: CNC Turns ‘Feel’ Into High-Precision Carbide Grinding November 28, 2018 Glenn Bridgman describes the difference between his shop’s manual grinders and its newest state-of-the-art CNC ID/OD grinder, a Studer CT960 OD/ID from United Grinding (Miamisburg, OH), as “feel vs. facts.” Bridgman, president of Bridge Tool & Die (Buckley, MI), believes that manual grinding is a somewhat personal operation.
How Bright is the Future of Automation? April 17, 2020 In the 1955 short story “Autofac,” Philip K. Dick envisioned a world dominated by self-replicating robots that work incessantly, eventually depleting the planet’s resources.
ISM Survey Shows How COVID-19 Effects Worsened on Business April 14, 2020 A survey by the Institute for Supply Management indicates the supply chain impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) worsened over March.
Hitachi Powdered Metals Embraces Robotic Automation, Boosts Volume 400 percent in Tight Labor Market March 30, 2020 Hitachi Powdered Metals (USA) Inc. began a gradual investment in industrial robots at their Greensburg, Ind. plant in 2005, driven by the emergence of a tightening labor market and the opportunity to produce an extremely fragile product.
Passing of GE’s Welch May Be a Cautionary Tale March 4, 2020 When former General Electric Co. chief Jack Welch died this week at 84, it was as if a legend had departed. He was the CEO who had transformed an aging industrial concern into a vibrant giant. But it's also a cautionary tale.
Manufacturing in the Middle of COVID-19 Pandemic March 18, 2020 Manufacturing has been in the middle of the outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19) from the start. The impact is expanding as the virus spreads.
VoltAero’s Cassio Aircraft Flight Testing Underway with Safran’s ENGINeUSTM Electric Motors March 18, 2020 VoltAero has begun flight testing of its new family of Cassio e-aircraft using Safran Electrical & Power’s ENGINeUSTM smart electric motors.