Manufacturing Engineering: February 2018
The February 2018 edition of Manufacturing Engineering is available as a digital magazine. Links to individual articles are below.

Automated Five-Axis Machining Boosts Productivity
February 1, 2018
Five-axis machine tools represented a major advancement over earlier machines, with greater range of movement and the ability to create more complex shapes.

Solving the Shop-Floor Data Analysis Puzzle
February 2, 2018
As the move toward a more connected manufacturing industry gains momentum and manufacturers start collecting factory-floor data, the need for fast, efficient data analysis becomes ever more critical.

Keeping Vertical Machining Center Spindles Turning for High Productivity
February 1, 2018
New vertical machining strategies and technologies help reduce cycle time, increase metal removal rates, and maintain accuracy. There’s nothing quite like having “smart” vertical machining centers (VMCs) with the latest advanced CNCs.

Swiss Mix: Niche Units Evolve Into Machining Centers
February 2, 2018
B-axis milling … lasers … low-frequency vibration cutting … multiple tools in the cut, on multiple axes … thread whirling … wobble broaching. Who said Swiss-style machining was for millions of simple, round parts? As industry veteran Paul Cassella explained, “Today, Swiss-type machines are more like machining centers and the parts are more prismatic. I’ve seen setups where the only time we rotate the bar stock is during cutoff. Everything else is being machined by milling, cross drilling, or other similar operations.”

Test and Measurement Gear Evolves to Measure AM Parts
February 5, 2018
Additive manufacturing (AM), or 3D printing, is a fast-growing field that offers many advantages over traditional techniques. It can create more complex parts than either machining or casting, can fuse different materials together, and is sometimes less expensive in low-volume or prototype applications.
Shop Solutions
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USA Lugers Speed on Sleds with Custom Machined Parts
February 5, 2018Sleds used in Olympic luge racing may be simple devices, but controlling machining of their half-dozen parts can spell the difference between being a medalist or an also ran. The USA Luge Team relies on the equivalent of a brand new Millmatic III three-axis knee mill equipped with an Acu-Rite MILLPWRG2 controller from Lagun Engineering (Harbor City, CA) to have complete control over machining of its parts. -
Tooling & Workholding
Better Balanced Toolholders Lead to Best Machining Results
February 5, 2018K&G Manufacturing (Faribault, MN) has learned a thing or two about precision machining in the 80 years it has been in business. One lesson the company learned long ago is that balanced toolholders are a key to customer satisfaction and achieving the best possible machining results. -
Tooling & Workholding
Tough Slotting Solution Was Just the Beginning of Savings for Replaceable Tip Cutting Tool
February 5, 2018At Flexco Inc. (Downers Grove, IL), finding a solution to speed up slot-milling with Chip-Surfer replaceable tip solid-carbide cutting tool from Ingersoll Cutting Tools (Rockford, IL) has led to benefits in a host of other operations as well. Flexco, a manufacturer of belt conveyor components, estimates that retooling with Chip-Surfer replaceable solid-carbide tip cutting tools has saved about $200,000 a year overall on slotting operations and the company expects to save as much again on mill-turn operations.
Up Front
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Expert Opinion
Back and Forth to the Future of Manufacturing
February 7, 2018With global operations in power systems; industry and infrastructure; and aircraft, defense and space, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group's footprint includes 83,000 employees, $35 billion in annual revenue, and 300 companies—with 54% of its sales from outside Japan.
Advanced Manufacturing Now
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Automation
Extending the Life of Automation Assets
February 7, 2018If left on their own, material handling assets will slowly degrade and eventually fail, often at the most inopportune moment. But with a little planning, you can not only extend their useful life, you can also optimize performance. -
Tulane Spinoff Enables Smart QA in Polymers
February 7, 2018Fluence Analytics (formerly Advanced Polymer Monitoring Technologies), a manufacturer of smart industrial and laboratory monitoring systems, recently released the third generation of its ACOMP, an automated system that performs continuous, real-time monitoring and characterization of polymers for 3D printing and other uses during manufacturing and post-processing. -
Expert Opinion
‘Monster’ Machine is Next Step in CT Metrology
February 8, 2018Computed tomography scanning (CT) seems like a dream come true for dimensional inspection. It both measures the outside of parts and reveals the hidden, from occlusions to internal cooling channels, without destroying the piece. Evolving from looking at human brains and hearts to measuring the complexities of turbine blades, it is part of the growing complexity of industrial metrology.
SME Speaks
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SME Speaks
Creating An Engaged and Sustainable SME
February 8, 2018It seems like it was yesterday, but the reality is that it has been almost 25 years since I first became an SME student member. Yes, the face of manufacturing has changed quite a bit since then, including SME’s name. In line with those changes, the level of the service, opportunity and impact of SME has grown quite a bit too.
Software Update
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Controls
Streamlining Processes at Small, Medium-Sized Manufacturers with ERP Software
February 8, 2018ECi services a multitude of industries, but we presently have four products that service manufacturing and what FABTECH attendees would be focused on: these include Macola, Max, JobBoss, and M1, which is the product I represent.
Tech Front
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Designing, Building an Engineering Powerhouse
February 9, 2018At the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech; Atlanta), there’s both a whole lot of innovation and some major renovations going on at the university’s George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering.
Mfg Intel
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Expert Opinion
Converging Technologies Help Build Smart Manufacturing
February 7, 2018In millions of homes, these phrases are heard every day: “Alexa, play ‘I Love Rock n’ Roll’, turn on the lights, what’s the weather outside?” The age of the connected home is here. Many of us are already using smart devices for at least one of our legacy home standalone systems, such as our HVAC, lighting, security, entertainment or appliances. And implementation is growing as more retrofit devices are available, like smart plugs, smart switches and video doorbells.
Workforce Pipeline
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US Manufacturing Growing, Transforming
February 7, 2018In the decade since the start of the Great Recession, industrial production (e.g. manufacturing, mining and electricity production) has been a political football for both the left and right.
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