Lightweighting’s New Phase September 3, 2019 Earlier this decade, the auto industry moved to lighten cars and trucks. It was supposed to be a competition between steel, long the dominant vehicle material, and aluminum. The latter got a boost when Ford Motor Co., Dearborn, Mich., bet big on aluminum, making aluminum bodies for its F-150 and Super Duty pickups.
Putting Machinery on a Strong Fitness Plan Starts with Real-Time Monitoring August 16, 2019 Having a plan for maintaining and improving the performance and reliability of every machine on a shop floor is vital to manufacturing operations. Reliable machines make short-notice production runs possible. And the more flexible manufacturers are, the more new customers they’ll attract.
Open Mind Looks Back At 25 Years, and to the Future August 15, 2019 Twenty years ago, Open Mind first introduced CAM software capabilities to address five-axis machining in the mold and die industry and other general applications. Since that time five-axis technology has grown disproportionately larger when compared to the increase in overall manufacturing growth.
Robot Company Creates Industry 4.0-Friendly Software August 2, 2019 FANUC has made real one of the promises of Industry 4.0, that of predictive maintenance for factory equipment, with its Zero Down Time IoT solution. ZDT can be applied to any of FANUC’s robotic arms and their peripherals.
Shops Continue to Rethink Brass and HSM August 14, 2019 The Copper Development Association (CDA) is eager to help shops discover and tap into the high-speed machining advantages of brass. The substantial benefits of doing so have an increasing number of shops rethinking their part materials and, when possible, converting those parts to brass.
Adapting Metal Cutting to Higher Power, Higher-Speed Lasers October 25, 2019 Using lasers to cut metal, especially sheet metal or tubes, continues to show its value. The market is becoming dominated by the newer solid-state fiber laser over its CO2 gas rival. Fiber’s advantages in ease of operation, packaging and efficiency are clear.
New System Improves Fiber Laser Welding of Aerospace and Defense Assemblies October 30, 2019 Fiber laser welding is all about control of the process, according to Kurt Magedanz, laser process engineer at Ace Precision Machining Corp., Oconomowoc, Wis. With its new Laserdyne 430 systems, Ace Precision has made huge strides with weld quality while reducing operator intervention in the process.
FANUC America Opens New Michigan Facility October 23, 2019 FANUC is expanding its presence and capabilities near its North American headquarters campus.
TDM Systems to Feature Tool Data Management Solutions at AeroDef 2019 April 1, 2019 Tool data management solutions provider TDM Systems (Schaumburg, Ill.) will showcase a variety of its tool data management software and digital solutions and offer insights into its several new initiatives in smart manufacturing in booth 1444 at AeroDef 2019, April 29-May 2, 2019, in Long Beach, Calif.
Welding Automation Manufacturer Pemamek Oy Names Michael Bell Director of Sales for Pemamek LLC April 30, 2019 Finland-based global welding automation manufacturer Pemamek Oy named Michael Bell director of sales for its North American subsidiary Pemamek LLC. Pemamek provides welding automation technology and integrated manufacturing solutions to a wide range of industries including shipbuilding, heavy fabrication, oil and gas, wind energy, and boiler manufacturing.