How a Connected Factory Floor can Improve Efficiency and Reduce Downtime February 18, 2020 A fully connected factory floor is the way forward for any manufacturer seeking to fully realize the Industry 4.0 vision.
Advanced Lasers Meet Diverse Needs of Tooling Group February 5, 2020 Advanced laser technology has been instrumental in making the four affiliated companies of the Diversified Tooling Group, Madison Heights, Mich., into a leading supplier of single-source manufacturing solutions to the automotive, heavy truck, defense, industrial equipment, power generation, rail and foundry industries.
A&D companies would do well to pay attention to 5G January 23, 2020 Much has been written about potential applications for 5G. But a less well known application exists in the aerospace and defense industry—that pertains to manufacturing processes.
Contain the Risks of Obsolete Engineering Information December 19, 2019 Engineering information is both pervasive and essential within manufacturing plants. And, it changes constantly as a result of maintenance-related adjustments, alterations in plant processes, or the swap-out of components.
Amada Opens New N.C. Plant; Tech Center to Follow December 11, 2019 Amada America Inc., Buena Park, C.A., a supplier of precision sheet metal production equipment and related systems, has expanded its customer coverage in the Southeast with the opening of a 190,000 ft2 (17,652 m²) manufacturing facility near High Point, N.C.
Data-Driven Manufacturing November 21, 2019 In my capacity as the Chair of the Council of the Manufacturing USA institute directors, I often get asked about trends in U.S. advanced manufacturing.
Contextualized insights gained from data save precious time, material October 16, 2019 Manufacturers who have deployed the digital or smart factory have put down their pencils, found new uses for their clipboards and closed their spreadsheet programs in favor of using real-time data gleaned from condition monitoring of their machinery.
Traditional IT firms, traditional OT firms try newfangled ties October 16, 2019 Information technology and operations technology are unlikely candidates for a successful marriage. But to ensure that manufacturers thrive in the digital age, OT and IT must find ways to work together—or to at least, as on Tinder, swipe right to indicate interest.
Ways to get ready to take part in evolving ecosystems October 16, 2019 I experienced the end of the Third Industrial Revolution as I began my career in manufacturing. Closed government and private networks gave way to an open network called the Internet.
Laser Scanners Demand Attention as Technology Improves October 7, 2019 Metrology-grade laser scanners are expanding their range of applications. New users are finding the main attractions of laser scanners—speed and ease of use. What prevented more widespread use in the past were laser scanners’ perceived tradeoffs. Using one usually meant sacrificing accuracy or working with noisy data.