Modernizing the smaller shop with the latest digital tools available from enterprise resource planning (ERP) software developers
The energy industry outlook—particularly the fossil fuel industry—on the eve of 2017 is better than it was as the calendar page turned over to 2016. However, the threat of market volatility continues to exist because of politics, policy considerations, continuing (although declining) inventory gluts and the possibility of international turmoil and unexpected refinery outages.
Transforming manufacturing with advanced digital tools is well underway, but manufacturers who haven’t adopted Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) or Industrial 4.0 strategies are best advised to take a long look at the digital future of manufacturing.
As additive manufacturing emerges from a long infancy, the industry is grappling with a key challenge: A file format and design tools from the 20th century are being asked to do 21st century jobs.
Dau Thermal Solutions Inc. (Macedon, NY) was finding that its spindle speeder was definitely not up to speed when it came up against the test results for NSK’s HES510 series electric spindle.
Burrs, sharp edges, and rough surfaces plague even the most precise metal-cutting or forming process. Deburring and finishing can often be treated as the step-child of a manufacturing process, but its importance is growing as tolerances get tighter and precision devices become the norm.
The use of electrical discharge machining, or EDM, is spreading as manufacturers need more precisely cut workpieces, often made from tough to machine materials.
Theory of Constraints practitioners teach habitually via anecdote, to explain this often intimidating, mathematics-based management philosophy. While superior to conventional production and project management practices, simple storytelling is required to increase its business use.
Cutting tool and tooling systems specialist Sandvik Coromant has unveiled its CoroPlus suite of Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) solutions aimed at helping manufacturers prepare for Industry 4.0. The concept is designed specifically to improve the control of productivity and costs through a combination of machine connectivity and CoroPlus – the suite of connectivity solutions from Sandvik Coromant – helps manufacturers prepare for Industry 4.0 access to manufacturing data and expert knowledge.
New ISO safety specification helps automation developers design safer robots for close encounters on the factory floor
