Bringing Automated Feedback to Machine Tools February 26, 2021 Today’s machine tools create an enormous amount of data. One way of using this information is to implement automated feedback processes that improve machining operations. In this episode, Alan Rooks, Editor in Chief of Manufacturing Engineering magazine, talks with Scott Mahrle, director of business development for Q-DAS and Hexagon Integrated Solutions, and Frank Krazer, system engineer for Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence, about what automated machine tool feedback is and how it impacts the manufacturing process; how automated machine tool feedback can increase the efficiency of both people and equipment; how it can produce costs savings; and how manufacturers can build workers’ confidence in this process.
20 women making their mark in robotics & automation February 1, 2021 Listen to this Smart Manufacturing magazine cover story: Twenty women making their mark in robotics & automation
Autonomous Manufacturing, The Next Level December 4, 2020 In this podcast, Bruce Morey, Senior Technical Editor for Manufacturing Engineering Magazine discusses with Robert Ravensbergen Marketing Director-Omnirobotics how today’s automation technology can make your manufacturing operation autonomous and its benefits to companies with a high mix of products.
Automation Champions Battling Show-Stopping Integration Issue in U.S. October 28, 2020 (Narrated Smart Manufacturing magazine article)
Automation, AI, and Interoperability for More Resilient Manufacturing in a Post-COVID World October 12, 2020 Vecna Robotics’ David Clear and SVT Robotics’ TJ Fanning go into reasons manufacturers might want to consider automation and AI. They also look at how to test assumptions and scale with so many variables changing moment by moment. The adage “change is the only constant” has never been more apropos. So, it’s a great time to hear what separates a complex system from a complex adaptive system.
How Machine Shops Can Benefit from New Automation Technology October 9, 2020 As automation technology becomes more effective, cost effective, and easier to implement, job shops are automating more and more of their processes. In this episode, Alan Rooks, editor in chief of Manufacturing Engineering magazine, talks with Michael Gaunce, group manager, stationary workholding for Schunk Inc., about what a small to medium size job shop should consider when starting and exploration into automation; the particular machines or jobs that are easier to automate over others; why high part quantities are not needed in order to automate a job; what types of skills a shop should look for in employees working with automation; and how to define categories for the different styles of automation used in machine tool tending.
Exactly How to Use Automation to Relieve Pressure September 16, 2020 Catalytic CEO Sean Chou explains the difference between process automation and robotic automation, as well as what it looks like to use automation to augment existing workflows. Importantly, he describes how manufacturers can use automation to do more with less—to lessen supply chain pressures that have grown because of globalization and the Covid-19 crisis. And he details which processes manufacturers can automate to optimize resources and productivity.
In the Thick of the ‘Herculean’ Vaccine Push September 21, 2020 Listen to this Smart Manufacturing magazine cover story: In the thick of the ‘herculean’ vaccine push. Moderna is among the companies able to tackle the most urgent of matters precisely because of their digital strength.
MTConnect Exec: Standards Help See Into Future, Integrate Diverse Equipment July 20, 2020 Russell Waddell, managing director at the MTConnect Institute, dives into why so many standards exist, what manufacturers can gain from a digital factory project, and how they can cut through the hype—to at least achieve shop floor monitoring. MTConnect, a standard with more than 10 years of history, frees up manufacturers to focus on value-add functions instead of normalizing data. And it has been installed on more than 50,000 devices worldwide. Today, the use case is not just what happened or what is happening “what is going to happen: looking at … anything that is forward-looking and anticipating what will happen next.” Perhaps most important, embracing standards allows for quick and easy integration of all types and brands of equipment.
Getting Supply Chain Risk Under Control June 8, 2020 William Crane, CEO of IndustryStar, an on-demand supply chain services and software technology company, dives into what manufacturers concerned about supply chain risk can do to worry less. In his estimation, “on-demand supply chain risk management resources have really been taking off.” It is possible, he said, to build a “supply chain competitive advantage.” Heard of agile supply chain? If not, he explains it.