All shops want to be more productive and reduce downtime. For some, this means an investment in a high-end CNC machine tool. Others give quick-change toolholders a try, or pursue an IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) machining strategy.
LIFT recently expanded the focus of its desire to “create innovations faster, better and cheaper” to the materials, processes and systems involved in moving innovations from concept to commercialization.
Metamorphic manufacturing, also known as robotic blacksmithing, is poised to bring about faster time to market, less material waste, more available materials, less energy used and more control, proponents said.
Current and prospective member companies of the defense industrial base (DIB) have watched with interest as the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) developed its all-encompassing Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) program.
The COVID-19 black swan event disrupted the global economy and forced companies to rapidly rethink their processes, operations and supply networks.
Smart manufacturing is now being rapidly adopted by a much wider range of business sectors.
Are you ready for metamorphic manufacturing, what some call the third wave of the industry’s digitization? If not, take in Contributing Editor Karen Haywood Queen’s expertly reported story.
Driven spindles are the technical core of a machine tool, supplying the power to turn the cutting tools that shape our products and our world. Attaching one to a five-axis movement creates an advanced CNC machine.
The three-axis vertical machining center (VMC) has long been the go-to machine tool for many small to medium-sized shops. Their use is well-understood. Compared to more complex machinery, it’s easier to find operators for three-axis machines.
Horizontal machine tools (HMCs) have typically been used for longer run production jobs. But as lot sizes decrease, machine builders and their partners have introduced new technologies that speed setups and generally make HMCs nimbler. So much so that one should probably rethink the role HMCs serve.