When is it best to make your own components? October 3, 2018 Most manufacturers have relied on third-party vendors to make parts that are then incorporated into the final product. From automakers sourcing stereos and aircraft makers contracting for jet engines to a small bakery ordering plastic bags or a woodshop buying nails, producers of all types have supplemented their internal capabilities through a painstakingly developed supply chain of external vendors.
Additive Hybrid Machine Tool Advancements Springing Up October 16, 2018 The combination of metrology hardware, adaptive CAM software and connectivity to plant-wide systems is making additive hybrid machine tool applications ever more practical on the shop floor.
Will U.S. get serious about leadership in future tech? October 16, 2018 The U.S. needs to build a national infrastructure in engineering and manufacturing R&D that parallels its scientific infrastructure. While it makes all the sense in the world, it is not happening.
Taming the Most Detailed Product Data Imaginable October 9, 2018 Some things are a given today. One is computing is cheap and powerful, and it is getting cheaper and more powerful. Another is the dropping price of industrial sensors. Combine this with easier ways of moving around data from those sensors and you get lots of data: Terabytes of data.
Sensors Help With IT/OT Integration … Outside the Factory October 9, 2018 Smart sensors, already an integral feature of many manufacturing plants that are integrating IT and OT, are now making their way into the supply chain where they monitor reliability and shipping conditions, improve predictive maintenance and make just-in-time delivery (the innovation from the 1980s) easier.
Is Leveraging the IoT Really ‘Smart Manufacturing’? October 29, 2018 Industry 4.0 is often referred to as smart manufacturing, where technology enables interconnectivity for machines and manufacturing software and systems. It also provides “Big Data,” increased visibility and remote access to manufacturing assets.
Using Tech from Crowd-Funded Remote Expert Firm, EDF Saves Big October 22, 2018 A portentous encounter six years ago propelled Expert Teleportation founder to a place where he’s (almost) ready to pursue the remote expert market in the U.S.
New executive director of DMDII plans to ‘take it all to the next level’ September 19, 2018 Chandra Brown, who is set to become the executive director of the Digital Manufacturing and Design Innovation Institute (DMDII) here on Sept. 26, plans to “build on the good work already started there,” she said yesterday.
IMTS 2018 Metalcutting Highlights Showcase Digital Connections September 21, 2018 Metalcutting Exhibitors at IMTS 2018 did not disappoint, nor were they disappointed with results from the largest version of the biennial event in terms of number of exhibitors, attendees and, more important, attendee leads.
Are There REALLY Barriers to Your Digital Transformation? September 7, 2018 SME is publishing a series of Smart Manufacturing Industry Reports, with the third being released at IMTS this month. The reports, available at sme.org/reports, detail the advantages of smart manufacturing, the challenges to implementing digital solutions, and, finally, keys to implementing the technologies and tools.