Industrial robots are becoming easier to program, more versatile, more cost-effective, more accurate and more mobile. These changes are lowering barriers to entry, shortening return on investment and making robots a more practical investment.
Cutting tool and tooling system specialist Sandvik Coromant is adding round geometry (-RM) inserts to its program of CoroCut® QD parting-off and grooving tools.
The second level of machining automation is here. It may not be at every shop or factory yet, but it’s coming.
With an influx of investment in digital factories, the playing field is changing and the ROI for digitizing production is becoming ever more apparent. However, restraints, such as company size and a disconnect between IT and OT, means the road to a successful digital transformation is one very few will be able to do alone.
For years, companies have struggled to understand how additive manufacturing (AM) can add value to their businesses. This makes sense because for a long time, additive tech didn’t meet the threshold for producing industrial-grade parts.
August 2019 U.S. cutting tool consumption totaled $205.1 million according to the U.S. Cutting Tool Institute (USCTI) and AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology.
Cloud technology presents manufacturers with opportunities to improve the flexibility, scalability and efficiency of their operations. Realizing these benefits will require more than simply doing a one-to-one transfer of current technology to cloud-based servers.
Kennametal Inc., Pittsburgh, has formed a 3D printing materials and production business unit, Kennametal Additive Manufacturing, as part of its Infrastructure segment.
MC Machinery Systems, Inc. and ADIRA, a Portuguese manufacturer, part of SONAE CAPITAL portfolio, have formed a sales and service partnership to deliver quality press brakes throughout North America from 100 through 2000+ ton capacity machines.
Manufacturers of products as diverse as die and mold, aerospace and medical devices are gaining advantage with improved wire and sinker electrical discharge machines (EDM).