Manufacturing Engineering: August 2020
The August 2020 edition of Manufacturing Engineering is available as a digital magazine. Links to individual articles are below.

Print, Cut, or Use the Best of Both?
July 22, 2020
Manufacturing Engineering last covered the pluses and minuses of combining additive and subtractive machining in detail in July 2017.

ERP in the Age of Industry 4.0
July 23, 2020
As with so much else in manufacturing, enterprise resource planning (ERP) software is a byproduct of the Third Industrial Revolution. Where electronics began transforming manual lathes and mills into CNC machine tools some 60 years ago, so too have computers and information technology given us CAD/CAM, ERP, PLM, and so much more.

Gages Step Up the Tech
July 27, 2020
Sophisticated metrology equipment, like coordinate measuring machines (CMMs) and laser scanners, are increasingly seen outside quality labs. “Many companies have cut costs by moving inspection from the lab to the shop floor,” said Matteo Zoin, head of marketing and new market development for Marposs Corp., Auburn Hills, Mich.

Promoting STEM Careers for Women
July 24, 2020
In the United States, females earn 61.3 percent of the four-year college degrees and make up over 50.3 percent of the population, but still lag in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) careers.

Connecting the Dots in Manufacturing
July 28, 2020
Before Industry 4.0, it didn’t matter that the CAM software didn’t talk to the ERP system, or that the CNC machine tools were mute. Islands of information were acceptable back then.

IMTS 2020: A Show in Print
July 29, 2020
The International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS), which would have been held in September in Chicago, has been canceled for the first time since World War II.

COVID-19 Disrupts Planning, Not Advanced Technology
July 29, 2020
The impact of disruptive technology and the benefits of Industry 4.0 digitization of controls, machines and processes have been fully embraced by the metal removal segment of advanced manufacturing.

Machine Tool Processes Depend on Creative Enablers
July 30, 2020
It is fair to say that IMTS, virtual or otherwise, presents the ultimate manufacturing tool box, where shops can find the newest, most innovative and proven devices for holding, moving, cutting, bending and inspecting workpieces.

New Tech Powers Grinding Ops
July 31, 2020
Abrasive machining is a tried-and-true technology for meeting exacting tolerances and producing superior finishes. Manufacturers continue to develop new capabilities.

The Heart of Modern Manufacturing
August 3, 2020
Controls help make modern manufacturing go. Controls help shop floor employees monitor Industry 4.0 technology. Controls also boost productivity on the shop floor. Technology companies are highlighting improvements designed to maintain the forward momentum of advanced technology.

IMTS Reflects Additive Advances
August 4, 2020
Over the past decade, IMTS has been a good indicator of the changing status of additive manufacturing. The show’s floor space devoted to 3D printing expanded from 2014 to 2018, reaching pavilion status at the most recent show. It had been scheduled to grow even more at IMTS 2020 before the show’s cancellation.
Shop Solutions
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Machining & Metal Cutting
Wisconsin Shop Has a Rich History of Evolving to Succeed
July 30, 2020Longevity requires adaptation. Anticipating change and evolving to meet it do not guarantee success. But success over a long enough period is strong evidence that a shop had the foresight to hone vital skills. -
Machining & Metal Cutting
Danish Manufacturer Makes Big Parts with Heavy-Duty Machine Tools
July 31, 2020Danish company HACO A/S invested over $15 million in five Dörries vertical turning lathes (VTLs) from Starrag, Rorschach, Switzerland, which has helped HACO become the leading sub-contractor for large, relatively flat and round components in its Scandinavian location.
Up Front
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Expert Opinion
What’s the Future for Trade Shows?
July 22, 2020Trade shows are a lot of work. If you’re an exhibitor, you have budgeting, travel and logistical headaches. If you’re an attendee, you have travel issues, miles of exhibits to go through, and tasks from your regular job pile up while you’re gone.
SME Speaks
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SME Speaks
Reclaiming Our Freedoms in the COVID-19 Era
July 28, 2020From ideas to concept sketches converted to scaled drawings to parts, I had products from flying jet packs to entire underwater cities all worked out, except just one minor thing…my jigsaw and rasp could not get me past a crude prototype stage.
Advanced Manufacturing Now
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Measurement & Metrology
QA Advances as Gage Management Improves
July 23, 2020Any manufacturer operating under quality management system mandates, such as ISO9001, ISO13485, or AS9100, must at the very least maintain a measurement tool library database. -
Software
Empowered Employees Key to Digital Transformation
July 24, 2020Despite the troubles of 2020 caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, more manufacturing firms are digitally transforming their businesses through pragmatic investments in new technologies.
Research Focus
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Additive Manufacturing & 3D Printing
Forging Solutions for the Future of 3D Printing
July 29, 20203D printing is as much about the software as it is about the unique technology of the printers, and a well-designed platform brings the power of agile software engineering to the world of industrial manufacturing.
Additive Manufacturing Update
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Additive Manufacturing & 3D Printing
Forging Solutions for the Future of 3D Printing
July 29, 20203D printing is as much about the software as it is about the unique technology of the printers, and a well-designed platform brings the power of agile software engineering to the world of industrial manufacturing.
Workforce Pipeline
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Workforce Development
Hands On at University of Dayton
August 3, 2020Why do designers and mechanical engineers need experience operating a manual mill, lathe or surface grinder? A similar question might be asked about CNC machinists: who cares about all that handle cranking and lever turning when practically all machining these days is under computer and servomotor control?
Viewpoints
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Expert Opinion
Shift Happens!
August 4, 2020Last March when the pandemic hit, we had to shift in a lot of different ways, didn’t we? The lessons we learned and the actions we took in our personal and business endeavors during the early weeks of the pandemic may become a permanent pattern in the fabric of our lives.