Author: Debbie Holton, Director of Events and Industry Strategy, SME
Date: 5/13/2013
As the plane touched down in Beijing, I didn’t know what to expect. I had traveled internationally for business many times but never to Asia or specifically China. I was excited to embark on a new adventure, but a little nervous about being in a country where I was obviously a stranger and couldn’t speak a word of the language.I was fortunate to have been invited by AMT – The Association for Manufacturing Technology – to visit CIMT 13 – the China International Machine Tool Show as their guest in the USA pavilion.
Full Article Author: Editor in Chief Sarah A. Webster
Date: 5/1/2013
Compact Power Services is remanufacturing old Bullard VTLs, turning the hulks into “Elec-trols,” modern, efficient powerhouses
Full Article Author: Senior Editor Jim Lorincz
Date: 5/1/2013
Choices lead to machining solutions for most small complex parts
Full Article Author: PRESS RELEASE
Date: 4/12/2013
The National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining and the MTConnect Institute announced the start of the first phase of the MTConnect Challenge: Creating Manufacturing Intelligence, a U.S. Department of Defense - Defense-Wide Manufacturing Science and Technology (DMS&T) ManTech sponsored competition that seeks to engage and stimulate development of advanced manufacturing intelligence applications that utilize the MTConnect standard.
Full Article Author: Senior Editor Jim Lorincz
Date: 4/1/2013
Design advances combine speed, power and innovative software-controlled functions.
Full Article Author: Senior Editor Patrick Waurzyniak
Date: 4/1/2013
With new mill/turn-capable CNCs and improved software, the latest machine controls boost manufacturing efficiency
Full Article Author: Senior Editor Patrick Waurzyniak
Date: 3/1/2013
With thousands of fastener locations that need to be drilled and filled to complete a plane, drilling and fastening remain the largest areas of opportunity for automated robotics applications in aerospace. New developments are also making robots more attractive than ever in the aerospace and defense space—especially improved rigidity and accuracy in the robots themselves. There are other benefits, too.
Full Article Author: Senior Editor Jim Lorincz
Date: 3/1/2013
There’s nothing like a healthy commercial aviation industry to spur capital investment, expand one of the most successful US export product categories and challenge engine designers to increase fuel efficiency and reduce air-polluting carbon emissions. Recent studies indicate that profitability of the airlines (in years when there is any) can be traced to controlling fuel costs in a wildly fluctuating oil market.
Full Article Author: Contributing Editor Bruce Morey
Date: 2/1/2013
Extracting oil and gas in the deep ocean requires heavy-duty expertise. But the tight skilled labor market is forcing more efficient use of capital equipment through single setup and automation
Full Article Author: Press Release from Hyundai Wia America
Date: 1/9/2013
Hyundai WIA America Corp. (HWA) today announced a Technology Parternership with Michael Waltrip Racing (MWR), a leading NASCAR Team with three full-time Sprint Cup Teams. The Technology Partnership provides MWR with the exclusive use of two state-of-the-art Hyundai WIA vertical machining centers, to machine critical components on their stock cars, in an effort to provide a competitive edge.
Full Article Author: Senior Editor James D. Sawyer
Date: 12/12/2012
The Pittsburgh region is once again a hotbed of energy production and manufacturing -- thanks to the Marcellus Shale and fracking.
Full Article Author: PRESS RELEASE
Date: 12/6/2012
FANUC Corporation, the world's most diversified manufacturer of CNC systems, robots and machine tools, has again recently been named a top innovator by Forbes and Thomson Reuters in 2012
Full Article Author: Senior Editor Jim Lorincz
Date: 12/1/2012
In 2005 connector manufacturing wasn’t what it had been. In a flurry of outsourcing, US shops were steadily losing business to China and India, and economy-wide financial turbulence lay just around the corner. Rather than wallow in the impending doom and gloom, Senga Engineering (Santa Ana, CA) had another plan.
Full Article Author: Edited by Senior Editor Jim Lorincz
Date: 12/1/2012
Mikelson Machine Shop Inc. (South El Monte, CA) is a 100% aerospace contract manufacturer that continually looks for ways to improve production of its highly complex manifolds, valve blocks, and other hydraulic aircraft components.
Full Article Author: Michael Freimann, Mastercam University, Certification Coordinator, CNC Software Inc.
Date: 12/1/2012
Today, with orders on the rise, manufacturers are looking toward multiaxis CNC machines like never before to get more done with less. Good for us. Technology could allow North America to be the global manufacturing powerhouse it once was. This, however, leads us to a burning question: "Who is going to do all of this sophisticated CNC programming?"
Full Article Author: Garrett Reim, Sales Support Coordinator, Southwestern Industries, Inc.
Date: 12/1/2012
November marked the one year anniversary of the opening of Wentworth Institute of Technology’s new $3 million Manufacturing Center in Boston, and the school’s engineering faculty said they are seeing the fruits of their labor.
Full Article Author: Edited by Sarah A. Webster
Editor in Chief
Date: 11/12/2012
Hwacheon on Nov 1 marked its 60th anniversary with the Grand Opening of its Technology Center and an Open House. More than 2000 people attended the 3-day event where the company had on display its range of CNC machine tools from vertical turning centers to drill and tap machines, horizontal lathes to mold and die machining centers.
Full Article Author: Senior Editor Jim Lorincz
Date: 11/8/2012
Ribbon cutting for Mori Seiki’s new 200,000 ft2 manufacturing factory in Davis, CA, was hailed as a victory for the region, state, and US manufacturing. The highly automated factory which includes an additional 20,000 ft2 for offices is located directly adjacent to Mori Seiki’s Digital Technology Laboratory (DTL), which provides design analysis of and virtual modeling and software for the company’s products. -
Full Article Author: Jack Clark and David A. Davidson
Date: 11/8/2012
Mass media finishing techniques can be used to improve part performance and service life.
Full Article Author: Senior Editor Jim Lorincz
Date: 10/1/2012
The growing popularity of five-axis machining shouldn’t be a surprise. Manufacturers are becoming increasingly aware of the advantages of 3+2 positional or simultaneous five-axis machining of complex small and large parts.
Full Article Author: Senior Editor Patrick Waurzyniak
Date: 10/1/2012
Better coolant and chip management leads to more productive plants, higher quality parts. Filtration machine builders are improving their offerings with mobile units and machines that clean better and more efficiently.
Full Article Author: Senior Editor Jim Lorincz
Date: 10/1/2012
Innovative tooling technologies lead to improved productivity
Full Article Author: Nicky Borcea
President
Sohner Plastics
Ann Arbor, MI
Date: 10/1/2012
Dunnage used to ship and process automotive parts on the shop floor is a key component in the overall manufacturing process, yet it is often overlooked when companies are working to make lines lean and green. Today, it is important that manufacturers know that most dunnage used to transport parts from start to finish can be reused for the lifetime of production.
Full Article Author: Edited by Senior Editor Jim Lorincz
Date: 10/1/2012
From CAM to precision gears to five-axis solutions: Case studies that help solve problems on the shop floor.
Full Article Author: Steve Bond, National Sales Manager, RoboDrill, RoboCut and EDM Products, Methods Machine Tools, Inc.
Date: 9/28/2012
Manufacturers, regardless of the products they produce, realize that to be successful in a global market, reducing costs and waste throughout their organization is critical. Amid recession, employers were faced with downsizing in an effort to maintain the bottom line and many turned to LEAN practices to help them survive.
Full Article Author: John MacGregor, President, AA-EDM
Date: 9/1/2012
There are different forms of electric discharge machining (EDM), but all basically work in the same manner. EDM works by eroding material in the path of electrical discharges that form "a conduction channel" between an electrode tool and a workpiece.
Full Article Author: Senior Editor Patrick Waurzyniak
Date: 9/1/2012
As the automotive industry’s reawakening continues, less-expensive high-payload robots are gaining traction over more conventional fixed tooling among automakers focused on cutting costs while improving manufacturing productivity and processes.
Full Article Author: Senior Editor James Sawyer
Date: 8/1/2012
During the last five years, the gear manufacturing industry could be likened to the cars so many of its products find their way into: either they’re cruising along in Drive, or they’re idling in Neutral. What state gear generation finds itself in at a given time can be attributed in large part to the condition automaking is in, although a number of other industries have an impact as well.
Full Article Author: Senior Editor Patrick Waurzyniak
Date: 8/1/2012
Bringing together many of the key players in industrial automation, the inaugural Industrial Automation North America (IANA) pavilion is an international trade fair for process, production and industrial building automation that debuts at IMTS this year.
Full Article Author: Senior Editor James D. Sawyer
Date: 7/1/2012
The Great Recession was not kind to manufacturing, but the industry has bounced back in fine fashion. It grew a phenomenal 91% from 2009 to 2010 and an impressive 66% from 2010 to 2011. Thus far this year manufacturing has grown 20%—beating forecasts.
Full Article Author: Edited by Senior Editor Jim Lorincz
Date: 7/1/2012
For many industries, composites are the material of choice for achieving lightweight, fuel-efficient and strong designs. The challenge going forward for engineers is to take full advantage of the properties of composites by using advanced analysis tools to predict margins of safety, performance, cost, and design for manufacturability.
Full Article Author: Edited by Senior Editor Patrick Waurzyniak
Date: 7/1/2012
With continued rising labor and other manufacturing costs for overseas imports from China and other countries, "near-shoring" increasingly is being viewed as an opportunity to better serve US demand, according to a recent report by AlixPartners LLP (New York), a global business advisory firm.
Full Article Author: Contributing Editor Bruce Morey
Date: 7/1/2012
The challenges to manufacturing as it evolves into the 21st century are now familiar, and impact how metrology must contribute. Manufacturers face uncertain production volumes with roller-coaster demand, shorter production runs and faster product development cycles. Automation, while alluring as a way to reduce cost, needs to adjust.
Full Article Author: Senior Editor Jim Lorincz
Date: 7/1/2012
There’s a lot of agreement that finding the right technology solution involves more than just selecting the right horizontal, vertical, universal, five-axis, high-speed, or multitasking machining center. Obviously, choices are made based on the job at hand. Best cost per piece, however, means very different things in a mold shop or a production facility, a job shop or an aerospace OEM.
Full Article Author: Senior Editor Patrick Waurzyniak
Date: 6/1/2012
Staying competitive in today’s manufacturing world means cutting parts at optimal efficiencies. With the latest CNC gear, machinists optimize cutting speeds while getting extremely high-quality finishes due to improved machine control hardware and more sophisticated software functionality.
Full Article Author: Senior Editor Jim Lorincz
Date: 6/1/2012
Machine tool builders have adopted advanced designs and used computer-aided modeling to develop machine technology that meets requirements of manufacturers from one-off applications to production runs in the thousands or many times greater. The challenges they face are complicated by customer requirements to meet higher degrees of accuracy, increased throughput, improved reliability, and safety and lower cost.
Full Article Author: Doug Hixon, Robotic Laser Welding & Cutting Specialist, ABB Robotics
Date: 6/1/2012
The longer term challenges facing the automobile industry are as complex as they are interrelated: Design cars that people want. Increase customer satisfaction. Reduce capital costs. Improve passenger safety. Increase fuel efficiency. And, of course, do all of this while sustaining a business model with a reasonable profit margin.
Full Article
Author: Edited by Senior Editor Jim Lorincz
Date: 5/1/2012
Repetitive multiaxis manufacturing of complex parts poses a special challenge to CAM software manufacturers. Examples include Swiss-machined medical components, cylinder-head ports, and multiblade parts used widely in aerospace, energy conversion, and other fluid movement applications. When considering the possible alternative approaches, Mastercam’s multidiscipline teams at CNC Software Inc. (Tolland, CT) came to the conclusion that the CAM software should be simple yet highly intelligent.
Full Article Author: Edited by Senior Editor Patrick Waurzyniak
Date: 5/1/2012
Erosion in American manufacturing has been far more dramatic than commonly thought, with sharp declines in both employment and output, according to a new study released by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF; Washington, DC).
Full Article Author: Ki Hyo Park, President, Hyundai WIA Machine America Corp.
Date: 5/1/2012
The earliest multitasking mill/turn, turn/mill machine tools began showing up on the floors of job shops and industrial-scale production facilities in the early to mid 1980s. These were the result of the demand to do more with less—more operations, less setup and operator involvement.An important driver in today’s multitasking environment are smaller lot sizes. The days of doing million-part production runs are few and far between.
Full Article Author: Senior Editor Jim Lorincz
Date: 5/1/2012
If it uses grit and takes off material, we’re probably in it," says Harlen Gibbs, operations manager, Minnesota Grinding (Crystal, MN), and he means that quite literally. If you add the word "true" to Gibbs’ characterization, you would be describing the precision machining possible with the latest advances in grinding technology.
Full Article Author: Edited by Senior Editor Jim Lorincz
Date: 5/1/2012
Parts used in the oil drilling business for the Oil Patch are tough and large with hardness of Rc 36–40 with diameters to 40" (1016 mm), lengths to 220" (5.6 m), and weighing up to 2 t. They require equally tough, rigid, highly flexible machine tools to deal with them. Some shops with the right tools thrive on the challenge of machining these workpieces.
Full Article Author: Edited by Senior Editor Jim Lorincz
Date: 4/1/2012
Rigid rotary tables are well known for their ability to reduce cost and increase accuracy. When added to a three-axis machining center, rotary tables add a fourth or fifth axis, making the machine an affordable alternative to a full five-axis machining center. Of course, while adding axes may improve productivity, use of less rigid rotary tables can hinder speed and accuracy.
Full Article Author: R. Charles Ireland, PhD, PE, Principal Engineer, CTLGroup
Date: 4/1/2012
Structural elements supporting hanging conveyor systems are rarely designed for a rational consideration of metal fatigue. Consequently, conveyor support systems may provide adequate performance for years and then experience chronic failures resulting in costly downtime. However, with proper attention to fabrication and connection details, these elements can be designed or upgraded to durably resist cyclic loading problems that can lead to costly interruptions in production.
Full Article Author: Senior Editor Jim Lorincz
Date: 3/1/2012
When Rob Simmons, owner of Machine Specialties Inc. (MSI; Whitsett, NC), listened to a seminar speaker in 2005 discussing the looming economic downturn, he raised his hand to comment. "I’m not going to participate in that," he stated. And he didn’t.
Full Article Author: Contributing Editor Bruce Morey
Date: 3/1/2012
The pressures on today’s aircraft engine manufacturers are both familiar and intense—deliver engines with more power that use less fuel, last longer, and cost less. In response, aircraft engines are incorporating some new twists in their designs as well as using ever-tighter tolerances and lighter materials.
Full Article Author: Senior Editor Patrick Waurzyniak
Date: 3/1/2012
Automation development in the aerospace industry has quickened its pace, with the aviation and defense industries attempting to further automate manufacturing processes to meet growing OEM order backlogs and critical aerospace-defense program deadlines. As aero/defense builders seek to speed up manufacturing processes, many companies continue to borrow ideas from the more highly automated automotive industry.
Full Article Author: Senior Editor Jim Lorincz
Date: 3/1/2012
Machining Aerospace Materials: Shops grow with the latest technology about the properties and machining characteristics of the newest toughest metals and carbon-fiber reinforced plastics.
Full Article Author: Senior Editor Patrick Waurzyniak
Date: 2/1/2012
Speeding up programming tasks on CAD/CAM software ranks at the top of machine shops’ requirements when faced with making quality parts on a deadline. The more efficient a shop’s toolpaths are, the less chance that any programming problems result in wasting very expensive machine time on the shop floor.
Full Article
Author: Contributing Editor Bruce Morey
Date: 2/1/2012
While the overall economy might still be on shaky ground, the oil patch has recovered remarkably in just the last two years. There are over 2500 rotary rigs now active in North America compared to under 1000 in December 2009, according to the December 2011 Baker Hughes Rig Count report, a barometer of the drilling industry.
Full Article Author: Edited by Senior Editor Jim Lorincz
Date: 2/1/2012
Laitram Machine Shop Inc. is a producer of machined components for Intralox, a major developer and manufacturer of industrial conveyor systems and for Laitram Machinery, a manufacturer of automated shrimp-processing equipment. The challenge is always to produce parts in the shortest possible time to the highest standards while reducing the cost to machine the parts.
Full Article Author: Contributing Editor Bruce Morey
Date: 1/1/2012
Ever tighter part tolerances and the need to make parts ‘right the first time’ are prompting more offerings in metrology devices for use directly on or near CNC machine tools. At the same time, increasing use of four and five-axis machines presents its own challenges in calibrating machine tools.
Full Article Author: John Bradford, Micromachining Team Leader, Makino Inc.
Date: 1/1/2012
Micromachining has gained a lot of attention over the last several years, representing an area of growth particularly for North American manufacturers. While some more simplistic applications have been sent overseas, the micromanufacturing industry faces a greater level of complexity that many companies are unwilling to outsource.
Full Article Author: Senior Editor Patrick Waurzyniak
Date: 1/1/2012
Going green makes sense, if the price is right. While the interest from manufacturers in using more environmentally safe, health-conscious "green" coolants and lubricants remains high, many shops may be put off by the initially higher price tags of the coolant technology, despite potential health benefits for workers and cost savings, such as extending tool life.
Full Article Author: Senior Editor Jim Lorincz
Date: 7/1/2010
Technology advances in machining centers—horizontal, vertical, and universal—have been coming fast and furious. Controls, cutting tools, and automating equipment have extended the reach of machining centers whether for one-off contract manufacturers or for production-oriented OEMs. Transitioning from the not-so-hot industry to the hot industry (and back again, if necessary) requires technology designed to meet the challenge.
Full Article Author: Senior Editor Jim Lorincz
Date: 6/1/2010
Buying a stand-alone machining center is one thing. Buying one without the prospect of enjoying the flexibility that automation can bring to low-volume, high-mix production, especially at the job shop level, is quite another. Single stand-alone machines, from this point of view, can be viewed as a dead end when it comes to meeting competitive requirements for increased throughput of high-value, complex parts of the highest quality produced with minimum setup and handling.
Full Article Author: Senior Editor Jim Lorincz
Date: 5/1/2010
Last year's surge in medical machining and firearms manufacturing could well be joined or even eclipsed by this years' reemergence of production for applications in the automotive, aerospace, electronics, and hydraulics industries, generating increased interest in Swiss-style machining. This isn't news. But what may be surprising is that the venerable, tried and true Swiss automatic CNC lathe coninues to evolve, adding bells and whistles where needed, or conversely stripping one—like a guide bushing—away to maximize its efficiency in machining parts complete.
Full Article Author: Senior Editor Patrick Waurzyniak
Date: 12/1/2009
When buying new automation gear, manufacturers must carefully consider many criteria. Key factors in making any new purchases can include product reliability, ease of use, or new technology, as well as automation supplier experience and support capabilities. Other aspects to consider include energy efficiencies, safety features, and the overall cost of ownership on new purchases. Product reliability should be first on any buyer's list, notes Dick Johnson, senior account manager, distribution, Fanuc Robotics America Inc. (Rochester Hills, MI).
Full Article Author: Senior Editor Patrick Waurzyniak
Date: 11/1/2009
Robotic machining technology has advanced to where it poses a serious alternative to metalcutting applications on more traditional machining centers. With the latest robotics equipment and related software, automation suppliers and robotic system integrators are gaining some traction using robots in many material-removal applications previously done only with machine tools.
Full Article Author: Senior Editor Jim Lorincz
Date: 8/1/2009
It is reported that, not too long ago, before the current precipitous decline in machine-tool shipments, the number of 30-taper machines that were being manufactured and sold in Japan had surpassed the numbers of 40-taper and 50-taper machining centers.
Full Article Author: John Burg, President, Ellison Technologies Automation
Date: 7/1/2009
If you're not yet a cheerleader for lean principles in manufacturing and automation, perhaps you should be. There are a number of important reasons why lean makes sense (and cents), but the most important is that it might just save your job and allow your company to keep manufacturing in the US.
Full Article Author: Senior Editor Jim Lorincz
Date: 5/1/2009
Multitasking technology offers the ability to tailor production of parts machined complete in one chucking to better match manufacturer's shipping, and therefore, cash flow. "Instead of shipping all the parts at the end of the month, Done In One allows shops to make partial shipments at the end of every week, to manage their cash flow," says Chuck Birkle, vice president, Mazak Corp. (Florence, KY).
Full Article Author: Moise Cummings and Michael Mariani, IQL Inc.
Date: 3/1/2009
What is machine tool metrology? A practical definition of machine tool metrology is the process of gaining insight into a machine's accuracy via measurement. The accuracy of a machine tool is a direct result of how true each individual axis moves, as well as the relationships between the axes. Those knowledgeable in the field focus on "Volumetric Positioning Performance", which provides insight into overall machine capability.
Full Article Author: Senior Editor Patrick Waurzyniak
Date: 2/1/2009
Lean manufacturing principles and automation systems can coexist, although many lean purists contend that lean goals conflict with using automation. Smart applications of automation, however, can result in deployment of systems that are both automated and lean, with flexible manufacturing systems that can be easily reconfigured as factory operations change.
Full Article Author: Editor Brian J. Hogan
Date: 12/1/2008
The chip conveyor on your machining center or stamping press has just given up the ghost. So where do you go from here? Do you contact the company that built your machining center or press system and buy a replacement, or do you get adventurous and find out who builds the best, to get a worry-free replacement?
Full Article Author: Senior Editor Robert B. Aronson
Date: 12/1/2008
Is your machine tool too dumb to upgrade?
Full Article Author: Kevin Summers and Randy Stevens
Date: 12/1/2008
How can you justify the decision to automate the welding process?
Full Article Author: Senior Editor Jim Lorincz
Date: 11/1/2008
In manufacturing plants in the not-too-distant future, flat-screen monitors, called dashboards, will display manufacturing performance data gleaned from every discrete data-generating/collecting digital device plantwide in real time. The monitors resemble the dashboards of today's digitally enabled vehicles, and deliver the same feeling of control. Information, after all, is power.
Full Article Author: Senior Editor Jim Lorincz
Date: 10/1/2008
Manufacturers of every stripe—not just the large high-production shops, but contract manufacturers, including the so-called "mom and pop" shops—are benefiting from automation of their horizontal turning operations. "Ten years ago, it was the high-production manufacturers who were adopting automation. For the last several years, even the mom and pop shops in the US are looking to automation as a way to compete in a global manufacturing environment," says Jeff Thomason, operations manager-turnkey, Hardinge Inc. (Elmira, NY).
Full Article Author: Sabry Shaaban and Sarah Hudson
Date: 9/1/2008
Improvement of production line performance involves careful organization on the shop floor
Full Article Author: Senior Editor Patrick Waurzyniak
Date: 9/1/2008
The latest automation solutions stress flexible equipment to help cut automotive costs, speed development
Full Article Author: Senior Editor Robert B. Aronson
Date: 8/1/2008
Automation adds flexibility to EDM
Full Article Author: Rick Harris and Chris Harris, Harris Lean Systems Inc.
Date: 8/1/2008
Automation that enhances flow is lean; automation that reduces uptime and extends changeover is not lean
Full Article Author: Senior Editor Jim Lorincz
Date: 6/1/2008
Pooling works for single or multiple machines
Full Article Author: Senior Editor Jim Lorincz
Date: 4/1/2008
Every cycle produces a part machined complete
Full Article Author: Senior Editor Robert B. Aronson
Date: 3/1/2008
For many manufacturers, leasing is a good idea.
Full Article Author: Contributing Editor Bruce Morey
Date: 3/1/2008
Successful high-speed machining requires attention to the cutting tool, spindle, and machine dynamics
Full Article Author: Yon San Martín, Marta Giménez, & Vincent Nabat
Date: 3/1/2008
Parallel kinematic architecture continues to be studied and implemented, and may soon find a place on a shop floor near you
Full Article Author: Senior Editor Patrick Waurzyniak
Date: 1/1/2008
Specialization among automation systems integrators helps manufacturers find expertise for tuning complex manufacturing processes on the shop floor. With the right systems integrator, manufacturers can find the proper mix of automation equipment, software, and know-how to get the job done.
Full Article Author: Senior Editor Jim Lorincz
Date: 12/1/2007
Calculate the value added to processes
Full Article Author: Olaf Tessarzyk, President, Index Corp.
Date: 12/1/2007
Analyze cost factors and match CNC technology to manufacturing needs
Full Article Author: Senior Editor Patrick Waurzyniak
Date: 11/1/2007
Latest robotic 3-D vision and other automation advances help spur manufacturing productivity
Full Article Author: Contributing Editor Bruce Morey
Date: 11/1/2007
Building on their ability to polish, deburr, and deflash, articulated arm robots are starting to perform some tasks now reserved for conventional machine tools
Full Article Author: Senior Editor Jim Lorincz
Date: 10/1/2007
Technology focuses on least-cost production
Full Article Author: Contributing Editor Michael Tolinski
Date: 10/1/2007
Systems for supplying minimum quantities of cutting fluid are slipping into shops that use traditional flood-cooling—though slowly
Full Article Author: Contributing Editor Bruce Morey
Date: 10/1/2007
Articulated-arm robots, introduced to the automotive industry decades ago, are finding niches in aerospace
Full Article Author: Contributing Editor Michael Tolinski
Date: 9/1/2007
With flexible mounting and greater reach, tending robots do more in less floor space
Full Article Author: Senior Editor Jim Lorincz
Date: 8/1/2007
Today's coolant-management technologies can clean up your processes
Full Article Author: Contributing Editor James R. Koelsch
Date: 8/1/2007
Today's technology comes in simple, affordable packages
Full Article Author: Senior Editor Jim Lorincz
Date: 7/1/2007
Designs adapt to diverse machining needs
Full Article Author: Senior Editor Patrick Waurzyniak
Date: 7/1/2007
With the right automation, lean systems can improve manufacturing processes and boost productivity
Full Article Author: Senior Editor Jim Lorincz
Date: 6/1/2007
Users benefit from a wide range of value choices
Full Article Author: Ron Quaile, Vice President, MAG Powertrain
Date: 5/1/2007
Calculating total life-cycle costs of automated production equipment such as automotive component manufacturing systems isn't straightforward
Full Article Author: John H. Olsen and Carl C. Olsen, OMAX Corp.
Date: 3/1/2007
Proper selection and application of software to waterjet operations can enhance workpiece accuracy
Full Article Author: Senior Editor Jim Lorincz
Date: 2/1/2007
You don't have to be an expert in international affairs or even the global energy industry to know that there are powerful forces at work pressuring every facet of the efforts now underway to find, develop, and produce energy resources. Every day, news headlines trumpet the global dependence of the industrialized world on imported oil from some of the most troubled and troublesome parts of the world.
Full Article Author: Craig McQueen, Application Team Leader, Makino Inc.
Date: 1/1/2007
It can be done, but there's more involved than buying a new spindle
Full Article Author: Senior Editor Patrick Waurzyniak
Date: 5/1/2006
Manufacturers turning more to automation integrators for turnkey system designs
Full Article Author: Senior Editor Michael C. Anderson
Date: 4/1/2006
A combination of evolutionary development and new concepts makes vertical turning the technology of choice in many applications
Full Article Author: Contributing Editor James R. Koelsch
Date: 3/1/2006
Tools and technique double productivity in titanium and high-temperature alloys
Full Article Author: Jay Snider, Richard Guiler, and Glenn Sheffler
Date: 3/1/2006
Proper selection of machining strategies canspeed production and reduce shop-floor costs
Full Article Author: Contributing Editor James R. Koelsch
Date: 3/1/2006
Cutting is fast, even if spindle speeds are not super high
Full Article Author: Senior Editor Jim Lorincz
Date: 2/1/2006
Done-in-one setup makes parts better
Full Article Author: Christopher A. Bailey, General Manager, The Lincoln Electric Co.
Date: 1/1/2006
Digital communications allow connectivity between a system's components to make welding automation less complex and costly
Full Article Author: Senior Editor Patrick Waurzyniak
Date: 1/1/2006
With the latest robotics, software, and automation gear, manufacturers can optimize productivity
Full Article Author: Senior Editor Patrick Waurzyniak
New and improved choices for robotic vision, grippers, automotive spot welding and many other applications wowed visitors at the ABB Robotics Technology Day held Thursday at ABB Robotics’ (Auburn Hills, MI) North American 55,000-sq.-ft. headquarters and training facility. The event showcased new or updated solutions for robotic automation as well as in-depth technical seminars on robotic technologies from ABB Robotics.
Full Article