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

Aerospace: Comply or Die
January 28, 2020
Success in aerospace machining requires more than the ability to hold tight tolerances in difficult materials. It also requires the ability to prove that you did so in compliance with a pile of specific guidelines, with reports that likewise must follow a specific format.

3D Printing Cleared for Takeoff
January 29, 2020
Aerospace was an early, and enthusiastic, adopter of additive manufacturing. The technology has been used to make brackets inside of aircraft.

Integrating Metrology into Manufacturing
January 30, 2020
Metrology equipment is showing its usefulness on the shop floor. Lasers and structured-light scanners operate next to assembly jigs and press-brakes.

PLM Takes On Digital Transformation
February 4, 2020
Product lifecycle management (PLM) software helps manufacturers manage, shape, guide, and refine new product developments, speeding up the design and production process.

Boring Tools Get Smart, Go Deep
February 3, 2020
It’s said that holemaking is the most commonly performed of all machining operations. And it stands to reason that most of those holes must be reamed or most likely bored after drilling. For as long as machinists have been boring holes, however, they’ve struggled with a variety of problems.

Hope Meets Workforce Needs at Daley College’s MTEC
January 31, 2020
Machining programs at community colleges can bring to mind images of old, tired equipment, housed in even older, drab facilities. That was the case at Richard J. Daley College, one of the City Colleges of Chicago. But not anymore.
Shop Solutions
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Additive Manufacturing & 3D Printing
Shop Pushes Boundaries, Software for Dynamic Success
February 4, 2020There are plenty of machine shops content to remain a certain size while shying away from change and expansion. However, other shops embrace that challenge with relish. -
Lasers
Advanced Lasers Meet Diverse Needs of Tooling Group
February 5, 2020Advanced 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.
Up Front
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Expert Opinion
What a Magazine Means to Readers: The Sequel
January 28, 2020In my October Up front column, I wrote about an email I had received from Steve Wenning, who was retiring and told me about how much he used Manufacturing Engineering throughout his career. I enjoyed corresponding with Steve, particularly since I don’t often receive direct feedback from readers.
Advanced Manufacturing Now
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Additive Manufacturing & 3D Printing
New Company Advances Sustainability in AM
January 29, 2020Has a new producer of powders for additive manufacturing (AM) done the improbable, not just once but twice? -
Grinding & Deburring
CBN Generating Grinding: An Economic Alternative
January 30, 2020The demand for high-quality gear teeth in areas such as electric mobility comes with great challenges. or example, in many applications generating grinding with corundum is a good solution, but this abrasive also has disadvantages in some applications. Grinding special geometrical modifications could, for example, have a negative effect. -
Additive Manufacturing & 3D Printing
Minimizing Downtime With Additive Manufacturing
February 6, 2020Be it due to a breakage or malfunction of tooling or a part, manufacturers will likely acknowledge that it’s not unusual for one or more production line(s) to be down, waiting for a replacement item at any given time.
SME Speaks
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SME Speaks
Competition Seeks to Improve Manufacturing Practices and Standards Development
January 31, 2020Now in its fourth year, the Reusable Abstractions of Manufacturing Process (RAMP) Competition is the premier venue for researchers to showcase their manufacturing process modeling work, while also engaging in a standards development process.
Additive Manufacturing Update
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Additive Manufacturing & 3D Printing
MakerBot Moves Into Industrial-Grade 3D Printing
February 3, 2020Driven by market changes and feedback from customers, we shifted our focus away from the consumer market toward education and professional segments. We recognized that professionals needed more to meet the advanced needs of rapid prototyping for manufacturing.
Workforce Pipeline
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Expert Opinion
Can Upskilling Help A&D Firms Continue to Thrive?
February 5, 2020The aerospace and defense (A&D) sector is thriving as demand for air travel increases along with growing worldwide defense needs. But to fulfill customer expectations, the sector has to continue to innovate—and innovation requires digital acumen.
Viewpoints
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Expert Opinion
Apprenticeships: They’re Good for Everyone
February 6, 2020According to the U.S. Department of Labor, in FY 2018 more than 238,000 individuals nationwide entered the apprenticeship system and 23,400 more were registered in apprenticeship programs across the nation.