April 2021 U.S. cutting tool consumption totaled $170 million. This total was down 4.3 percent from March's $177.6 million but up 26.3 percent when compared with the $134.6 million reported for April 2020.
February 2021 U.S. cutting tool consumption totaled $149.5 million, according to the U.S. Cutting Tool Institute (USCTI) and AMT – The Association for Manufacturing Technology. This total, as reported by companies participating in the Cutting Tool Market Report collaboration, was up 3.3 percent from January's $144.8 million and down 17.1 percent when compared with the $180.3 million reported for February 2020.
Selecting the best type of cutting tool for holemaking jobs is not always clear. It is best to have a drill that caters to the workpiece material, produces the specs required, and provides the most profit for the job at hand. Considering the variety of jobs and parts manufactured in machine shops, there is no “one-drill-fits-all.”
New wire EDM models offer improved accuracy, faster cycle times and better finishes. They’re also getting easier to use. Makers of EDMs have stepped up their offerings, improving accuracy, speeding cycle times and producing better finishes.
Prima Power Laserdyne recently presented a Zeiss high-resolution microscope to the welding program leaders of Anoka Technical College as the college expands its robotic and laser welding program.
March 2021 U.S. cutting tool consumption totaled $177.6 million, up 18.8 percent from February's $149.5 million and down 2.6 percent when compared with the $182.3 million reported for March 2020.
New features mean more choices in cutting with inserts
Group14 Technologies, a global provider of silicon-carbon composite materials for lithium-ion markets, announced the launch of its first commercial-scale 27,000-square foot U.S. manufacturing factory.
On paper, it should have been smooth sailing. When Fairbanks Morse installed a robotic welding cell at its Beloit, Wis. headquarters, the goal was to increase output of the massive marine propulsion systems they manufacture.
SMW-Electronics, a unit of SMW-Autoblok, has broken ground on a new 11,000 ft2 two-story facility in Meckenbeuren, Germany.
