US Cutting Tool Consumption Up 7.4% for First 2 Months of 2018 April 12, 2018 February US cutting tool consumption totaled $190.12 million according to the US Cutting Tool Institute (USCTI) and AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology.
Makino Introduces Continuous Five-Axis Milling for Specialty Dies and Molds September 23, 2017 Attendees at Makino’s 2017 Die/Mold Expo Sept. 13-14 learned how they can boost utilization and quality with high-performance controls as well as how to increase productivity through automation. In addition, they also had an early look at the V80S five-axis VMC that had its world premiere a week later at EMO in Hannover, Germany.
Precision Honing Powers Champion Racing Teams October 13, 2017 In auto racing, small details have a major impact on success—a concept very familiar to performance racing parts provider Oliver Racing Parts (Charlevoix, MI). Oliver produces performance connecting rods for the world’s leading engine builders.
Intelligent Systems at EMO Hannover 2017 October 4, 2017 The EMO Hannover 2017 theme of “Connecting Systems for Intelligent Production” meant that many exhibitors were demonstrating connectivity solutions, data analysis applications and innovative services.
Adding it Up at IMTS 2018 August 8, 2018 Additive manufacturing (AM) pioneer Charles Hull introduced the first commercial 3D printer, the SLA-1, in 1987. Jaws dropped, machinists wondered about their next career, pundits said it spelled the death of traditional manufacturing. None of that happened, thankfully; in fact, some said 3D printing was a bunch of hype, good for little more than investment casting patterns and proof of concept prototypes.
Quality Assurance Passes with Flying Colors at IMTS August 14, 2018 The world of quality measurement devices and software continues to expand, and IMTS years are especially exciting times. If there is a theme in the many offerings—new devices, new software—it might be how quality devices are continuing to burrow their way into the heart of manufacturing on the shop floor.
Optical Metrology in Three Dimensions May 29, 2018 Basic trends in modern manufacturing are driving growth in 3D optical metrology. “One is the highly complex and high-tech material that manufacturers are using today. For example, in the aerospace turbine blade market, they simply cannot touch the part like they used to—the surface finish of the material is too readily affected by any kind of contact metrology."
Driving Toward a New Model for Auto Manufacturing Education at Clemson University May 9, 2018 In today’s rapidly changing manufacturing landscape, Clemson University (Clemson, SC) takes a fresh approach to manufacturing education for the nation’s future automotive engineers.
Thick Plate, Tube and More: Laser Cutting Advice from the Pros September 28, 2018 From cutting various thicknesses of sheet metal and metal plate or different widths of tubing to navigating intricate materials or process issues, some of the laser industry’s leading suppliers have weighed in with tips and insights into their novel solutions.
Lasers Target New Medical Applications November 2, 2017 Lasers — well-established tools in the manufacture of medical devices—are continuing to break ground by producing smaller, more precise and more functional parts thanks to faster pulse speeds at lower cost, new applications and the marriage of laser processing to Swiss-style machining.
