Manufacturing Engineering: July 2019
The July 2019 edition of Manufacturing Engineering is available as a digital magazine. Links to individual articles are below.
Meeting Moldmaking Challenges
June 26, 2019
Of all the different manufacturing disciplines, plastic injection moldmaking is perhaps the most challenging. Part accuracies are best measured in microns. Surface finishes often approach optical levels.
By Kip Hanson
Contributing Editor,
SME Media
New Technology Powers Performance at U.S. Mold Shops
June 26, 2019
There’s growing evidence that some of the moldmaking business that fled the U.S. chasing cheaper sources offshore is returning. Moldmakers are not finding enough of a favorable cost differential to offset poor mold performance and the need for rework of faulty molds.
By Jim Lorincz
Contributing Editor,
SME Media
Shop ERP Software Boosts Efficiency
June 26, 2019
Speeding the flow of jobs through the shop, while maintaining top quality, ranks among the hallmarks of any successful manufacturing operation’s goals.
By Patrick Waurzyniak
Contributing Editor,
SME Media
Tool Presetters Take On Industry 4.0
June 28, 2019
For machine shops in a competitive global marketplace, keeping spindles running and making product is the only way to stay in business. Still, adding a new piece of equipment, even with the promise of improving the efficiency of your existing ones, may be a difficult sell to management.
By Bruce Morey
Senior Technical Editor,
SME Media
Shop Solutions
-
Van Dam Custom Boats: CAD/CAM Programs Metal Parts for Custom Wooden Boats
June 28, 2019In the heart of the Great Lakes region, the Van Dam family business is carrying on the timeless tradition of wooden boatbuilding, incorporating the latest techniques for manufacturing attractive and functional metal fixtures and components. -
Peterson Machining: Presetter Adds Precision, Speed to Machine Shop
June 28, 2019Peterson Machining, Boulder, Colo., celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2019. Its success over the years can be attributed in large part to thoughtful, planned capital investments. -
Electronics ManufacturingAnthony Screw Products: Saving $212,000 Per Year with Chip Processing, Fluid Recovery
June 28, 2019Rod Anthony is the president of Anthony Screw Products Ltd., Burlington, Ontario, Canada. He has more than 25 years of experience working in every position in his plant’s manufacturing process.
Up Front
-
Workforce DevelopmentSurprise! Something New in Manufacturing Ed
July 1, 2019I’ve been covering the manufacturing industry as a journalist for more years than I’d like to admit, so when someone tells me about something new in the industry, my usual thought is, “We’ll see.” Of course, there is a lot of new technology and things change in manufacturing, but I can’t usually say “Wow, that really surprised me.”
Advanced Manufacturing Now
-
Smart ManufacturingManufacturing and AI: Promises and Pitfalls
June 30, 2019We all know the buzzwords circulating around digital data and the factory. You have heard them—Industry 4.0, smart factories, data analytics, and artificial intelligence (AI). The question we all have is how will this impact workers in the long term? What do these terms really mean? Nevertheless, both traditional software suppliers and makers of advanced manufacturing equipment are offering digital solutions. -
How the IIoT Can Change Business Models
July 2, 2019When manufacturers envision the future of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) for their own operations, they’re likely to focus on its potential within the walls of their own factories. And they’re not wrong. -
LasersPulsed Laser Deposition for 3D Printed Parts Repair
June 30, 2019Laser welding is a superior technology for repairing defects in tooling, plastic injection molds, stamping dies, blow molds, turbine blades, and nearly any tooling component made of stainless steel, aluminum, copper alloy, cast iron, and all tool steels. -
Tooling & WorkholdingBIG Kaiser’s Staple for Efficient Machining Diets
July 1, 2019BIG Kaiser’s “Breakfast and Learn” event, hosted at its Hoffman Estates, Illinois, headquarters, is by now is an annual event not to be missed for a great breakfast and technical presentations on the latest developments in precision tooling. -
Grinding & DeburringToday’s Grinders Must Do It All for HMLV Production
July 1, 2019When it comes to the production of high-precision parts for industries ranging from aerospace to medical, grinding remains the best, most cost-effective approach to obtaining fine surface finishes and tight tolerances.
SME Speaks
-
SME SpeaksChoosing to be an Engineer
July 1, 2019Today, I am a mechanical engineering student who dreams of working in the aerospace industry. Today, I know where my passion lies, where my future may take me and the kinds of problems I may be solving.
Software Update
-
Simulation, Verification, Optimization Boost Accuracy
July 2, 2019Simulation technology must keep pace with rapid advances in manufacturing so that users can learn to use and protect new equipment. Recent advances in Vericut include support for additive manufacturing and hybrid methods, robotic welding, laser sintering, and grinding while dressing to change the shape of the grinding wheel.
Workforce Pipeline
-
Workforce DevelopmentCharlotte Boosts Worker Skills with Apprenticeships
July 3, 2019The Charlotte, N.C., region has been successful in attracting internationally owned manufacturing concerns. Officials have also used a German-style apprenticeship program as a way to increase worker skill levels.
Viewpoints
-
WorldSkills: Come On, America, Let’s Kick It!
July 3, 2019From August 22–27 in Kazan, Russia, something spectacular will happen relevant to all the talk and angst about the skills gap in manufacturing—the WorldSkills competition.
Medical Special Section
-
Additive Manufacturing & 3D PrintingMedical Drivers
July 3, 2019Well into the 21st century, the medical industry faces a host of intriguing challenges, from aging populations to a growing range of personalized and at-home diagnostic and care devices—all set against a backdrop of increasing digital collection, transfer and storage of sensitive patient data. -
Tooling & WorkholdingHold It, Cut It, Check It
July 3, 2019Innovations in workholding, tooling and measurement for medical manufacturing are helping meet the challenges of medical manufacturing. -
Additive Manufacturing & 3D PrintingMaking Medical Miracles
July 3, 2019Changes in health care are driving more innovative tooling, including new machining strategies and complex cutting tools that help deliver more patient-centered solutions.
Download our mobile app
Requires iOS 8.1 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.