Manufacturing Engineering: December 2019
The December 2019 edition of Manufacturing Engineering is available as a digital magazine. Links to individual articles are below.
Time to Prepare, Not Panic, in 2020
November 26, 2019
Expect at least two recessions, or downturns in GDP growth, in the next few years. That is the prediction of Brian Beaulieu, CEO and chief economist for ITR Economics.
Purchasing Cutting Tools in the Digital Age
November 27, 2019
You don’t have to spend too much time looking to be overwhelmed with useful information from distributors and cutting tool manufacturers about solutions that yield lowest cost per part, per hole, or per tool.
By Jim Lorincz
Contributing Editor,
SME Media
Machine Tool Buying in the Internet Age
December 2, 2019
Much about the process of buying machine tools has changed over the last decade. And much hasn’t.
By Ed Sinkora
Contributing Editor,
SME Media
Sizing Up Deburring Operations
December 3, 2019
It’s a sad fact of practically all metal removal operations that, no matter how sharp the tool or free-machining the material, there are going to be burrs, hanging chads, ragged corners, and other edge quality issues that must be dealt with before calling the workpiece complete.
Shop Solutions
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Machining & Metal CuttingShop Uses Toolpath Simulation to Find and Eliminate Potential Machining Errors
December 5, 2019Midway between Houston and Austin sits Brenham, Texas, home to Blue Bell ice cream and the world’s largest BBQ pit. Within this smallish town you’ll find a not-so-small contract manufacturer, MIC Group LLC. -
Product Design & Engineering
MTU Aero Automates Turbine Blade Production
December 6, 2019Today’s aircraft propulsion systems are wonders of technology. Aircraft industry suppliers are modernizing production technology to meet the challenge of rapidly growing demand for global air travel.
Upfront
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Smart Manufacturing
Industry 4.0 is Big and Confusing, So Start Small
December 4, 2019Back in the early days of the Internet, when new sites were popping up selling everything from office supplies to dog food, I told a friend that I would never shop on the Internet. Too sketchy and unsafe. Well, some of it is still sketchy and unsafe, but I shop online—like billions of other people.
Advanced Manufacturing Now
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Additive Manufacturing & 3D Printing
Producers Focus On Innovative 3D Resins
November 26, 2019Two new production resins are available for 3D printing: one from 3D Systems is a thermoset that thinks it’s a thermoplastic and another from Carbon is a hybrid that’s 30 percent biomaterial, the company’s first resin with a reduced carbon footprint. -
Plant Engineering & Maintenance
The Light and Dark of Manufacturing
November 27, 2019As I walked through the DMG Mori factory in Davis, Calif., during the company’s Manufacturing Days event in October, there was something noticeably different about it compared to other factories I’ve visited: it was brightly lit and quiet. -
Materials
Superhard Materials Help Futureproof Automotive
December 3, 2019With younger generations migrating to cities and embracing digital lives, living habits are changing dramatically and ideas are spreading faster than ever. For the auto industry, these include ideas like the concept of shared transportation that will disrupt the automotive landscape. -
Additive Manufacturing & 3D Printing
3D Printing Delivers Washout Tooling for Composites
December 4, 2019With today’s focus on lightweighting, hollow parts made from composite materials—such as ducting, fuel tanks, mandrels, and rocket shrouds—are in higher demand than ever before.
SME Speaks
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Manufacturing Management
NAMRC 47: Innovations in Manufacturing Research
December 5, 2019The North American manufacturing Research Institution of SME (NAMRI | SME) held its 47th annual conference on manufacturing research (NAMRC 47) in Erie, Pa., from June 10-14.
Workforce Pipeline
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Workforce Development
Workforce Helps Aerospace Take Flight in N.C.
December 6, 2019Thanks to millions in investment and new tailored workforce training for Gen Z and above, aerospace manufacturing is reaching new heights in Guilford County, N.C. Home to 200 aerospace companies and 400 suppliers, North Carolina has the second-fastest growing aerospace business cluster in the country.
Viewpoints
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Expert Opinion
Lessons Learned from Metalcutting Can Guide AM
December 9, 2019Additive manufacturing (AM) once was called “rapid prototyping.” Its earliest forms made prototype parts—and nothing else. However, manufacturers were intrigued by the prospect of using it to make cost-effective metal parts in production. That day is here.
