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SME Media Manufacturing Engineering Magazine December 2020

Manufacturing Engineering: December 2020

The December 2020 edition of Manufacturing Engineering is available as a digital magazine. Links to individual articles are below.
View Digital Magazine
The combination of Iscar’s new chipformers and the benefits of the positive geometry allow for superior chip control when using the CXMG inserts, according to the company.

Machining Low- and Medium-Carbon Steel Alloys

November 13, 2020
Low-carbon and medium-carbon steels form the backbone of virtually every shop’s operations in their general engineering applications and fabricated parts.
Jim Lorincz
By Jim Lorincz Contributing Editor, SME Media
Ford Motor Co.’s Dearborn Truck plant reopened in May after a COVID-19 shutdown.

Manufacturing (Mostly) Bounces Back After COVID-19

November 17, 2020
Going into this year, economic improvement was forecast for manufacturing after a sluggish second half of 2019. Things weren’t expected to boom, but a solid economic year was supposed to be in the offing.
Bill Koenig
By Bill Koenig Senior Editor, SME Media
In keeping with its mission in standards, the National Institute of Standards and Technology offers test models for software vendors and manufacturers to test their ability to import STEP models.

Reduce Cost, Increase Speed with Model-Based Definition

November 19, 2020
Manufacturers need to create more production setups as batch sizes get smaller. Skilled labor continues to be hard to hire and keep. Higher levels of automation are needed, not just in material handling but also in fabricating, machining, assembly, and inspection.
Bruce Morey
By Bruce Morey Senior Technical Editor, SME Media
The Diamond Burnish Face Mill Tool from Cogsdill Tool Products operates much like a face mill, but is designed to burnish flat surfaces down to single-digit Ra finishes.

Helping Your Parts Shine On

November 24, 2020
The deburring and finishing of machined and fabricated parts is a necessary but often disregarded step in the manufacturing process.
Kip Hanson
By Kip Hanson Contributing Editor, SME Media

Shop Solutions

Up Front

  • Alan Rooks
    Expert Opinion

    Manufacturing Embraces Hybrid ‘Reality’

    November 12, 2020
    The virtual world has been encroaching on the “real” world for years, and this year’s COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of virtual reality in our private and working lives.
    By Alan Rooks - Editor in Chief, Manufacturing Engineering

SME Speaks

  • Pictured is a custom cloth heating jacket with a temperature-controller designed for a vacuum chamber.
    SME Speaks

    Electrical Heating in Vacuum Applications

    November 20, 2020
    Applying electrical heat to materials under vacuum can be an important manufacturing process to ensure product quality when drying, high-purity processing or when other vacuum-type heating is required.
    By Edye S. Buchanan, CMfgT - Sales Strategist, BriskHeat Corp., SME Member Since 1987

Advanced Manufacturing Now

  • With its internal tension-compression mechanism, the DeBurr-Z deburrs both sides of a workpiece and internal hole intersections, even where surface heights vary.
    Tooling & Workholding

    Expanding Beyond Legacy Tapping Products

    November 16, 2020
    Now on its third generation of family ownership, Tapmatic Corp. of Post Falls, Idaho, continues to thrive, and surprise.
    By Kip Hanson - Contributing Editor, SME Media
  • Michael Bell Director of Sales, Americas Pemamek LLC
    Welding & Cutting

    Adaptive Welding Key to Power Generation

    November 18, 2020
    While water and fire tube boiler power plants may be considered archaic, they now power much of North America and will for some time, even as newer, cleaner, greener tech transitions into the mainstream and becomes practical.
    By Michael Bell - Director of Sales, Pemamek North America

Additive Manufacturing Update

  • This engine combustor from Sierra Turbines previously required 61 discrete components to manufacture, but thanks to SupportFree technology, can now be 3D-printed in a single operation.
    Additive Manufacturing & 3D Printing

    Metal AM: Challenging the Paradigm

    November 23, 2020
    The industry standard for 3D printing metal surfaces [without supports] is 45o, as measured from the horizontal plane. That’s what most printers are capable of achieving without supports.
    By Will Hasting - Director of Aviation and Power Turbine Solutions, Velo3D

Workforce Pipeline

Viewpoints

  • Dan Janka President Mazak Corp.
    Expert Opinion

    Time to Invest for the Manufacturing Upswing

    December 3, 2020
    While most companies tend to postpone or cancel investments in challenging business environments, others view them as ideal times to invest in improved business processes, facilities, human resources, and technology.
    By Dan Janka - President and CEO, Mazak Corp.

Energy Special Section

  • This Danobat machine spins the assembled rotor and measures the blade tips in their working position while grinding to ensure a perfect match with the compressor casing.
    Machining & Metal Cutting

    Power Parts

    December 2, 2020
    Need a little good news? America’s seemingly insatiable need for electricity is producing strong demand for the components that go into power generation equipment.
    By Ed Sinkora - Contributing Editor, SME Media