Japanese, German Innovators Broaden Work That Stars ‘Digital Companion’ March 20, 2017 In preparation for mass customization, for starters, Japanese and German tech research officials today committed to expanding their joint work to establish a “social-technical or maybe ‘cyber-social’ environment where ‘digital companions’ and production lines communicate with humans” working in manufacturing, Andreas Dengel said in an interview with Smart Manufacturing magazine here at the CeBIT (Centrum der Büroautomation und Informationstechnologie und Telekommunikation) fair.
Sense and Sensibilities: The Evolution of Automation March 16, 2017 The latest trends in automation are wide-ranging. They include the integration of the cloud, Big Data and the Internet of Things; protecting the software that runs a plant from hackers; manufacturing execution system (MES) apps that can be deployed a la carte; collaborative cobots that can safely do the heavy lifting side-by-side with humans; and robots that can do more than ever before—both on the production line and well away from it.
ERP Software Gives Real-Time Data Access February 6, 2017 Enpress LLC (Eastlake, OH) selected ERP software from Epicor Software (Austin, TX) in March 2014 to gain real-time access to data to improve operational efficiencies internally and communications with its customers.
Raising the Stakes with High-Speed Aerospace CNCs February 6, 2017 In the aerospace world, as in all sectors of manufacturing, the race is on for faster, more automated and connected machining operations. Aerospace builders have steadily pushed for more automotive-like automation over the past several years in order to improve productivity and more effectively handle large order backlogs in commercial aviation.
The Future of Manufacturing – Big or Small? February 1, 2017 Taking stock of a surprising and challenging 2016, a number of trends may point to a future where manufacturing output increases while continuing to decentralize.
Technology: The Job Shop Differentiator January 4, 2017 Contract manufacturers, aka job shops, are the heart and soul of US manufacturing. Their survival and success are imperative.
Advanced Technology Depends on Controls, Design January 6, 2017 Nothing seems so obvious in subtractive machining than that milling and turning processes really are very different: single point vs. multipoint tools; rotating workpiece vs. rotating tool; static tool vs. rotating tool, etc.
The Digitization of Modern Manufacturing January 4, 2017 Today, the ideal factory can achieve levels of self-controlling (and perhaps self-learning) production processes, in which production reacts autonomously to changes or faults and takes appropriate measures.
Genesis Systems Teams with Virtual Reality January 6, 2017 Immersive visualization in the manufacturing world has proven its value time and time again during design reviews, proof-of-concept validation, and customer engagement, decreasing time to market and minimizing risk. Organizations are experiencing faster buying cycles, decreased time-to-market, and minimized risk as they optimize designs in virtual space.
Robotics Can Create Jobs, Says ARM Chief January 20, 2017 Will automation and robotics create jobs or only cut them? Less than a week after the Advanced Robotics Manufacturing (ARM) institute was announced as the fourteenth hub in the network of Manufacturing USA institutes, Reuters News Agency published an article headlined “U.S. investors see more automation, not jobs, under Trump administration.”