Change and Continuity in Manufacturing June 1, 2018 On May 9, I took a whirlwind tour of change in manufacturing by visiting several open house events. First up was BIG Kaiser Precision Tooling Inc. in Hoffman Estates, IL, where Matt Tegelman, applications manager and product manager Kaiser, talked about the Industrial Internet of Things.
Siemens Conference Focuses on Teamwork and Digital Twins June 29, 2018 Visitors to the Valley of the Sun were recently treated to a dizzying display of software technology at Arizona’s Phoenix Convention Center. From June 4-7, the Siemens PLM Connection—Americas 2018 user conference hosted thousands of visitors from hundreds of manufacturing companies.
EDM Burns Brighter Than Ever at IMTS 2018 August 8, 2018 Whether your shop produces plastic injection molds, does tool and die work, or wire-cuts precision features on medical and aerospace components, you’ll want to check out the latest and greatest in EDM technology at IMTS 2018. More than two dozen exhibitors will be there, demonstrating larger, faster machine tools along with innovative ways to make them more productive.
U.S. Cutting Tool Consumption Up 10.1% in 2018, Tracks Economy’s Strength July 12, 2018 May U.S. cutting tool consumption totaled $215.13 million, according to the U.S. Cutting Tool Institute (USCTI) and AMT—The Association For Manufacturing Technology.
How Factory Intelligence is Evolving May 11, 2018 Intelligent factories have existed since manufacturing’s historical inception, but intelligence—defined as the acquisition and application of manufacturing knowledge—resided only with the factory’s staff.
New Tool Designs Power Faster-Than-Ever Cutting April 23, 2018 Industry veterans often say the makers of machine tools, cutting tools, CAD/CAM software, and other components push each other in an endless feedback loop to deliver ever faster cutting speeds in ever harder materials. Lately it’s the cutting tool manufacturers who seem to be leading the charge. Let’s see what they’re up to.
Mazak Acquires MegaStir December 3, 2018 Mazak Corporation has announced its acquisition of MegaStir, a supplier of friction stir welding (FSW) tools and technology located in Provo, Utah.
Combined with AI, IoT, Blockchain Can Meet Many Supply Chain Challenges February 12, 2019 Blockchain technology is becoming a key player in modernizing supply chains to enable easy tracking, automate transactions and delivery, and build end-to-end trust, Chandra Narayanaswami, principal research staff member, Member IBM Academy of Technology at IBM Research, told people attending a smart manufacturing session at the MD&M West conference here last week.
High-Torque Retention Knob Gives Job Shop Spindles The Competitive Edge April 25, 2018 Despite the addition of more than 750,000 CNC mills in the past 15 years in the US, CNC machining job shops often hover at the bottom of the totem pole, where there’s little room for error as most bids are won by a 1–2% price variance.
Shrink-Fit Toolholder Offers Consistency When Setting Tools April 23, 2018 Shrink-fit toolholding is a simple concept—an induction coil is adjusted and fits over the top of the toolholder. The induction coil heats the toolholder end of the shrinker, expanding the inside diameter, which opens the engagement bore (IDs of shrink-fit toolholders are smaller than the shank diameter of the cutting tool).