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Some of the key trends in manufacturing are brought about by convergence of the design and manufacturing industries. With manufacturers under more pressure than ever to deliver better products faster and at lower cost, the need to connect and automate design and manufacturing processes to reduce iterations, errors, and delivery times is becoming critical.

As manufacturing CFOs (chief financial officers) and CPOs (chief procurement officers) are tasked with greater responsibility, there are four major industry themes that are top-of-mind for them. Although cost reductions, increases in efficiency, and visibility into valuable data are still important, there are other strategic challenges that need to be addressed.

How can a 3D printing service bureau become a manufacturer? Ask Corey and Donovan Weber, half-brothers who founded Forecast 3D in 1994. In 2018 their 60,000 ft2 (55,740 m2) manufacturing shop printed about two million parts on 45 industrial additive machines.

We in the U.S. manufacturing industry continually struggle with the skills gap, lack of available workers, image problems, or whatever else you want to call it. We do great work in battling this problem, as documented in the pages of Manufacturing Engineering and other publications, but it’s hard to make progress in this fight.

Three partners contributed their diverse manufacturing and machining experience—and their last initials—to found SPR Machine in Hamilton, Ohio in 2002. The machine shop has grown from a shop floor with 2,500 ft2 (232 m2) to one with 78,000 ft2 (7,246 m2) filled with 14 mills, lathes, and welding and inspection equipment. SPR produces high-quality work from 60″ (1.5 m) down to 0.0005″ (0.013 mm) for customers predominantly in the aerospace and medical industries.

Implementing five-axis machining can be an excellent strategy for efficiently producing accurate, complex parts. However, it takes more than the right machine tool to realize the full potential of a five-axis process. In addition to the right machine, tooling and fixturing options, CAM software must be selected carefully.

For decades, plant personnel have performed insulation resistance tests with handheld megohmmeters to prevent motor failures that lead to costly unplanned shutdowns, failure-to-produce penalties and rewinding repairs. However, these tests only provide a “snapshot” of motor health. In a matter of days, motor windings and cables exposed to moisture, chemicals, contaminants or vibration can be compromised and fail at startup.

Perhaps the most common challenge in automotive machining these days is aluminum. “Even chassis components are transitioning to aluminum due to the higher strength properties achieved by forging aluminum,” explained Jeff Gimino, PCD and CBN product specialist for Walter USA, Waukesha, Wis.

Future challenges in the heavy-duty truck industry require continual evolution of materials and methods to give greater versatility in their manufacturing processes. This is due to advances in technology, the impact of regulations, demand fluctuation and competition, and customer expectations.

Gear maker Osvald Jensen knew it needed to speed up work and improve its performance and productivity by shaving seconds off its run time while ensuring round-the-clock up-time on its machinery.