Manufacturing Engineering editor-in-chief Alan Rooks is retiring.
In a world where machine shops are struggling to stay open and maintain their business and in a day when “going into dad’s business” is not what it once was, Platinum Tooling is an exception to the rule.
The COVID-19 pandemic clearly proved challenging to the manufacturing industry in myriad ways. Now, as nations and industries begin to navigate their way forward as restrictions are lifted, manufacturers have an opportunity to put into practice some lessons learned.
February 2021 U.S. cutting tool consumption totaled $149.5 million, according to the U.S. Cutting Tool Institute (USCTI) and AMT – The Association for Manufacturing Technology. This total, as reported by companies participating in the Cutting Tool Market Report collaboration, was up 3.3 percent from January's $144.8 million and down 17.1 percent when compared with the $180.3 million reported for February 2020.
FANUC and Rockwell Automation formed a coalition to address skills gap issues with work and apprenticeship programs.
Lean manufacturing principles and automation systems can coexist, although many lean purists contend that lean goals conflict with using automation. Smart applications of automation, however, can result in deployment of systems that are both automated and lean, with flexible manufacturing systems that can be easily reconfigured as factory operations change.
Common misperceptions about lean manufacturing and automation systems lead many manufacturing managers to dismiss the use of automation in a lean setting.
Laser scanning offers a controlled process that gives manufacturers the edge when vying for military contracts
Experts weigh in on the impact of robotics on productivity and the people who advance manufacturing.
The longstanding trend toward manufacturing automation has understandably been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic.