Manufacturing Engineering: February 2019
The February 2019 edition of Manufacturing Engineering is available as a digital magazine. Links to individual articles are below.
New Approaches to Making Parts for the Oil Patch
January 28, 2019
Rod Zimmerman of cutting tool manufacturer Iscar Metals lives in a pleasant green zone in a Fort Worth suburb. Yet within a half mile of his home, an oil company has sunk a vertical hole 7,500′ (2,286 m) deep, from which it has splayed nine lateral lines, each going about half a mile.
By Ed Sinkora
Contributing Editor,
SME Media
Large-Part Machining Tests Horizontal Machine Tool Capabilities
January 29, 2019
Horizontal machining centers (HMCs) are versatile four-axis and, increasingly, five-axis machine platforms that maximize processing of multi-sided large parts by minimizing part handling.
By Jim Lorincz
Contributing Editor,
SME Media
Swiss Machining Made Simpler
January 30, 2019
Swiss-style machine tools can be a good choice for making complex parts. On the downside, however, Swiss machining itself has a reputation of being complex—and, therefore, more difficult to master than standard machining.
Walk-Up Metrology Takes a Step Up
January 31, 2019
Suppliers of metrology equipment are working towards making measurements easier, allowing greater use throughout the manufacturing process.
By Bruce Morey
Senior Technical Editor,
SME Media
Learn By Doing: Cal Poly Integrates Compact Waterjet into Engineering
February 4, 2019
California Polytechnic State University’s (Cal Poly) Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering (IME) Department is ensuring its students are prepared for the future of fabrication by integrating abrasive waterjet into its curriculum.
AM Is Changing The Factory Game
February 4, 2019
Additive manufacturing (AM) is being used to fabricate parts for applications as varied as aircraft and auto production, dental restoration, medical implants and more.
Shop Solutions
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Achates Power: Custom Machining Center, CAD/CAM Toolpaths Help Create ‘Green’ Engine
February 5, 2019If Achates Power, based in San Diego, is ahead of its time now, it was completely revolutionary when it was founded in 2004 by Dr. James U. Lemke, former physics professor and founder of Spin Physics Inc. -
Tooling & WorkholdingEWW Enterprise Inc.: Shop Finds Speed, Accuracy in Workholding
February 7, 2019Two of the essential characteristics of any successful machine shop are speed and accuracy, but depending on the application, they can be relative terms. -
Taylor Machine Works Inc.: Welding Guns, Consumables Reduce Downtime
February 8, 2019Over the past 90 years, Taylor Machine Works Inc., Louisville, Miss., has built a reputation by engineering and producing exactly what its customers need.
Up Front
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Manufacturers Adapt to Fracking With Digital Tools, Advanced Machining Techniques
February 6, 2019The U.S. oil and gas industry has been completely transformed by fracking. Once an experimental sideline to traditional drilling, in 2016 hydraulically fractured horizontal wells totaled 69% of all oil and natural gas wells drilled in the U.S. and 83% of the total linear footage drilled. Fracking has only grown since then.
Advanced Manufacturing Now
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AutomationCan Wearable Robotics Shrink the Worker Shortage?
February 5, 2019With a shortage of young workers willing and able to do today’s factory jobs, manufacturers are taking steps to retain the older workforce already punching in. -
AutomationTurning Traditional Automation On Its Head
February 7, 2019Manufacturing automation is trickling down from the massive automotive assembly lines toward the “mom and pop” machine shop. As you take your first look at automation, consider the benefits of and barriers to this technology. -
Advancing Next-Generation Battery Evaluation
February 7, 2019Next-generation lithium-ion batteries are poised to have great impact on power storage and improved performance in several industries, from mobile phones to automotive to satellites.
Viewpoints
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Workforce DevelopmentHow to Use Reverse Mentoring at Your Company
February 8, 2019The typical executive didn’t get to a leadership position on their own; most have benefited from mentoring relationships as they climbed the career ladder.
SME Speaks
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SME SpeaksReaching, Attracting and Engaging Rising Talent
February 11, 2019The growing skills gap is causing trepidation among manufacturers and the lack of millennials building careers within the industry is part of the concern.
Workforce Pipeline
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Workforce DevelopmentEducation and Workforce Alignment, the Utah Way
February 8, 2019In 2015, Utah announced a program that would have a lasting impact on the state by bringing industry and education together in a new way.
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