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Manufacturing Engineering: July 2018

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

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30 Under 30: Recognizing the Future Leaders of Manufacturing (Sponsored by Markforged)

July 13, 2018

Manufacturing Engineering’s 2018 Class of 30 Under 30 honorees are in a class all their own. This is the sixth year Manufacturing Engineering is recognizing 30 individuals under the age of 30 that are leading the manufacturing industry into the future.

By Candace Roulo Managing Editor, SME Media

By James D. Sawyer Editor in Chief, SME Media

Thirty Under 30

IIoT: From Catchphrase to Reality

June 27, 2018

There are plenty of manufacturing catchphrases: the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), Industry 4.0 and the Digital Factory. “Sometimes it’s a lot of buzzwords. Sometimes there’s a lot of reality behind it,” said Roger Hart, research and development manager of Siemens (Berlin and Munich, Germany).

By Bill Koenig Senior Editor, SME Media

Sharpening the Point of Attack of Automation on the Shop Floor

June 28, 2018

Flexibility has come to automation, perhaps as never before. And for industries that require precision machining, assembly, and measurement, automation technologies have never been more available.

By Jim Lorincz Contributing Editor, SME Media

Modern CNCs Make Easy Work Out of Tough Stuff

June 27, 2018

It’s the machine tool acronym you never bother to put into words: CNC. And much of the time it’s probably OK to view your “computer numerical control” as a black box doing magic. But if you’re struggling with high-speed machining, need better surface finishes or higher accuracy, have training and retention problems, or want a better handle on your production efficiency, the answer just might be the latest iterations of those three little letters.

By Ed Sinkora Contributing Editor, SME Media

The Multi-Directional Evolution of MES Software

June 27, 2018

Originally developed for tracking and control of shop floor operations in larger manufacturing environments, Manufacturing Execution System (MES) software has evolved into an extensive variety of network configurations.

By ME Staff Report

Cloud-Based IT System Takes Fabricator to the ‘Next Level’

June 29, 2018

Since its founding in 1968, G&W Products (Fairfield, OH) has grown into a diversified global provider of metal stamping and fabrication capabilities. According to Jeff Karan, director of enterprise technologies, “Our three facilities and 160 employees handle orders ranging from 100 to 100,000 pieces and provide customers with assemblies from 1 to 20,000 lb.”

By ME Staff Report

Stamping, Forming & Fabricating

Shop Solutions

Quality/Inspection/Test
3D Metrology Redefines Appliance Maker’s Product Development

June 29, 2018

GE Appliances (GEA) has been designing and manufacturing consumer appliances for over 125 years. The iconic brand, headquartered in Louisville, KY, employs nearly 6000 people, a number that rose to 12,000 employed globally after its acquisition by Haier, making the company part of the largest appliance manufacturer in the world.

By Jim Lorincz - Contributing Editor, SME Media
- Measurement & Metrology
- Quality/Inspection/Test
Second Chance Futures Begin with Training at Pioneer Industries

June 29, 2018

Imagine applying for a job where your past mistakes are overlooked. Where there’s no stigma associated with a criminal record or struggles with drug abuse, and where everyone is given a helping hand on their road to a new life. If you’re applying at Pioneer Industries, a division of the social enterprise Pioneer Human Services (Seattle, WA), you’ve come to the right place.

By Jim Lorincz - Contributing Editor, SME Media
- Aerospace & Defense
Automation
Shop Thrives on Advanced Manufacturing and Machining Technologies

June 29, 2018

DP Tool & Machine Inc. (Avon, NY) is a contract machine shop that benefits from a well-rounded array of advanced machining and manufacturing technologies. These include multitasking and five-axis machines as well as automation and some digital connectivity.

By Jim Lorincz - Contributing Editor, SME Media
- Automation

Up Front

Workforce Development
Celebrating Manufacturing’s Next Generation

July 13, 2018

While attending my 40th Class Reunion at Allegheny College this past May, I got a chance to talk with current undergraduates about their research and study projects. I came away impressed not only with the depth of their understanding, but also with their boundless enthusiasm for learning and achieving. It reminded me, a bit wistfully, of my class when we walked that same campus so many years ago.

By Alan Rooks - Editor in Chief, Manufacturing Engineering
- Thirty Under 30
- Workforce Development

Advanced Manufacturing Now

Expert Opinion
Metrology, Fundamentals and the Future

July 7, 2018

The very nature of manufacturing is changing. Future factories will be highly automated, distributed geographically, yet tied to a central information net, with fewer but highly productive workers. They will produce more, for less, delivering goods efficiently worldwide. As manufacturing changes, so should the methods used to ensure quality products are produced.

By Bruce Morey - Senior Technical Editor, SME Media
- Expert Opinion
Additive Manufacturing & 3D Printing
Silicone vs. Metal Molds in the Medical Industry

July 9, 2018

Some in the medical industry are using silicone rubber molds made with a 3D-printed master pattern for low-to-mid production runs of cast polyurethane device housings.

By Ilene Wolff - Contributing Editor, SME Media

Mfg Intel

Workforce Development
Creating Workforce Opportunity with Manufacturing Skills Training

July 2, 2018

Earn a college degree, move to a major city, and land a white‐collar job in the knowledge economy—that’s the path many millennials have been taught to follow. But that route isn’t always viable. Crushing student loan debt, skyrocketing housing costs, and wage stagnation are making postgrad life unaffordable for many young people.

By Dina Fattom - Workforce Development Specialist, SME
- Workforce Development

Software Update

Controls
Open-Systems Approach to PLM Gives Digital Transformation Advantages

July 2, 2018

Manufacturers face the ongoing challenges of managing exponential product complexity, staying competitive, and avoiding disruption. For many of them that leads to the notion of digital transformation, but they are not always sure how to get started.

By Patrick Waurzyniak - Contributing Editor, SME Media
- Controls

Tech Front

New 2D Hematene Material Shows Promise for Solar Fuel Generation

July 2, 2018

An international team of scientists led by Rice University (Houston) researchers has created a new 2D hematene material, an atomically thin form of the common iron oxide known as hematite, which holds potential for 2D magnetism and efficient light-assisted water splitting.

By Patrick Waurzyniak - Contributing Editor, SME Media

Workforce Pipeline

Workforce Development
Stemming the Tide with Manufacturing Training

July 10, 2018

Sandvik Coromant (Fair Lawn, NJ) once offered a home study course for machinists. It was an orange 13-chapter series where people could study on their own time.

By JoAnn Mitchell - Partner Marketing Specialist, Sandvik Coromant
- Workforce Development

Viewpoints

Expert Opinion
Fine Tune Your ‘Commercial Engine’ to Retain and Attract Customers

July 3, 2018

Attracting new customers requires focusing on the commercial side of the business, a focus that doesn’t come naturally to some otherwise skilled manufacturing leaders.

By Chip Burnham - Co-Founder, Fairmont Concepts
- Expert Opinion

SME Speaks

Workforce Development
Diving Into My Manufacturing Education

July 10, 2018

For the past year, I have had the incredible opportunity to pursue my passion for manufacturing by studying mechanical engineering at Georgia Tech (Atlanta); I would not be where I am today without the help of the SME Education Foundation Family Scholarship. Because of this scholarship and my interactions with SME, I am flourishing as an engineer, leader and student.

By Greg Kurfess - 2017 SME Education Foundation Family Scholarship Winner, SME member since 2017

Medical Special Section

Automation
Medical Machining Shifts Into High Gear—With a Laser Assist

July 5, 2018

Constant refinement of medical machining from tooling design to finished product requires not only the ability to handle a broad range of plastic and metal materials but also to achieve predictable results—particularly in the face of strict regulations.

By Geoff Giordano - Contributing Editor, SME Media
Additive Manufacturing & 3D Printing
Additive Manufacturing Reaches Production Scale for Medical

July 5, 2018

The use of additive manufacturing (AM) in the medical industry is well established in making dental implants, artificial hip joints, and molds for invisible braces.

By Ilene Wolff - Contributing Editor, SME Media
- Additive Manufacturing & 3D Printing
Quality/Inspection/Test
Advances in Medical Metrology

July 10, 2018

Sometimes, too many choices can be a problem. That might be the case today for manufacturers of medical devices, who are facing a host of challenges and opportunities. Devices are small and getting smaller. Their complexity is increasing. End users are demanding tighter tolerances.

By Bruce Morey - Senior Technical Editor, SME Media
Controls
Just What the Doctor Ordered for Business Expansion

July 10, 2018

When making over-the-counter and prescription soft-gel products, the dosage that fills each gel cap must be precise. It follows, then, that the system for metering the amount of formulation demands the same exacting level of precision. Such is the requirement at leading contract manufacturers of nutritional and pharmaceutical soft-gel products. To keep their metering pumps and production equipment accurate and reliable, they look to Progressive Tool & Manufacturing Inc. (Greensboro, NC).

By Ben Mund - Senior Market Analyst, CNC Software Inc.
- Controls
- Medical

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