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Manufacturing Engineering: January 2021

The January 2021 edition of Manufacturing Engineering is available as a digital magazine. Links to individual articles are below.
Machine tool builders are making complex five-axis setups easier, such as this one from DMG Mori.

Simplifying and Moving Beyond Five-Axis Machining

December 15, 2020
Five-axis machining, once a novel and somewhat forbidding technology, has become routine in many shops. Meanwhile, some organizations are still hesitant to use it, largely due to programming concerns.
Ed Sinkora
By Ed Sinkora Contributing Editor, SME Media
Machining high-temperature alloys calls for stable and powerful machines like the G420 turn mill.

Cutting Superalloy Challenges Down to Size

December 17, 2020
How people feel about heat-resistant superalloys depends on what they do with them. Those who use parts made of HRSAs are high on the materials because they retain their strength and hardness at high temperatures and also provide excellent corrosion resistance.
By SME Media Staff
Seco MDT Tooling controls chips in cut-off operations through the Jetstream Tooling internal coolant system, which directs coolant to the cutting edge.

Turning Inserts Face New Challenges

December 21, 2020
Originally marketed for their proficiency in heavy metal removal applications while delivering longer tool life and multi-point efficiency, turning inserts have grown more sophisticated in response to advances in materials, machines, methods, and even social factors.
By Frank Burke Contributing Writer, SME Media
This self-centering vise from SMW Autoblok has an extra-large clamping range and is available with basic and premium top-jaw versions.

The Modular Future for Workholding

December 28, 2020
For as long as people have been machining parts, they’ve been devising ever-more ingenious ways to grip them.
Kip Hanson
By Kip Hanson Contributing Editor, SME Media
Zac Findlay, manufacturing engineering manager (left) and Bailey Cupp, senior manufacturing engineer, Armstrong International, with the company’s Tsugami B0326-III Swiss-style CNC lathe.

First Time’s the Charm

January 6, 2021
All shops want to be more productive and reduce downtime. For some, this means an investment in a high-end CNC machine tool. Others give quick-change toolholders a try, or pursue an IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) machining strategy.
Kip Hanson
By Kip Hanson Contributing Editor, SME Media

Shop Solutions

  • SME SPEAKS

    EOS Consultant on Finding Your True North in Manufacturing

    Yash Parikh, PhD, Process Engineering Consultant, EOS; SME Member Since 2021 July 14, 2026
    The first time I held a metal part fresh off a laser powder bed fusion build, I felt the same excitement many young engineers feel when a new technology works as promised. The geometry was there and the build was completed. But I also felt uneasiness.
  • ADDITIVE

    Turning Plastic into 3D-Printed Profits

    Michael McConnell July 14, 2026
    Aaron Osirus noticed a lot of his classmates were always playing with fidget spinners. It gave the 12-year-old an idea: Why not make his own and sell them to other students?
  • NEWS DESK

    Hypertherm Launches Quote Manager for Faster, Accurate Pricing

    PRESS RELEASE: Hypertherm Associates July 14, 2026
    Hypertherm Associates, a U.S.-based leading manufacturer of industrial cutting systems and software, launched Quote Manager, a new optional module for its ProNest nesting software. This web-based application extends precision quoting capabilities across the organization, enabling faster, more confident pricing decisions grounded in real production data.

Up Front

  • SME SPEAKS

    EOS Consultant on Finding Your True North in Manufacturing

    Yash Parikh, PhD, Process Engineering Consultant, EOS; SME Member Since 2021 July 14, 2026
    The first time I held a metal part fresh off a laser powder bed fusion build, I felt the same excitement many young engineers feel when a new technology works as promised. The geometry was there and the build was completed. But I also felt uneasiness.
  • ADDITIVE

    Turning Plastic into 3D-Printed Profits

    Michael McConnell July 14, 2026
    Aaron Osirus noticed a lot of his classmates were always playing with fidget spinners. It gave the 12-year-old an idea: Why not make his own and sell them to other students?
  • NEWS DESK

    Hypertherm Launches Quote Manager for Faster, Accurate Pricing

    PRESS RELEASE: Hypertherm Associates July 14, 2026
    Hypertherm Associates, a U.S.-based leading manufacturer of industrial cutting systems and software, launched Quote Manager, a new optional module for its ProNest nesting software. This web-based application extends precision quoting capabilities across the organization, enabling faster, more confident pricing decisions grounded in real production data.

SME Speaks

  • SME SPEAKS

    EOS Consultant on Finding Your True North in Manufacturing

    Yash Parikh, PhD, Process Engineering Consultant, EOS; SME Member Since 2021 July 14, 2026
    The first time I held a metal part fresh off a laser powder bed fusion build, I felt the same excitement many young engineers feel when a new technology works as promised. The geometry was there and the build was completed. But I also felt uneasiness.
  • ADDITIVE

    Turning Plastic into 3D-Printed Profits

    Michael McConnell July 14, 2026
    Aaron Osirus noticed a lot of his classmates were always playing with fidget spinners. It gave the 12-year-old an idea: Why not make his own and sell them to other students?
  • NEWS DESK

    Hypertherm Launches Quote Manager for Faster, Accurate Pricing

    PRESS RELEASE: Hypertherm Associates July 14, 2026
    Hypertherm Associates, a U.S.-based leading manufacturer of industrial cutting systems and software, launched Quote Manager, a new optional module for its ProNest nesting software. This web-based application extends precision quoting capabilities across the organization, enabling faster, more confident pricing decisions grounded in real production data.

Advanced Manufacturing Now

  • SME SPEAKS

    EOS Consultant on Finding Your True North in Manufacturing

    Yash Parikh, PhD, Process Engineering Consultant, EOS; SME Member Since 2021 July 14, 2026
    The first time I held a metal part fresh off a laser powder bed fusion build, I felt the same excitement many young engineers feel when a new technology works as promised. The geometry was there and the build was completed. But I also felt uneasiness.
  • ADDITIVE

    Turning Plastic into 3D-Printed Profits

    Michael McConnell July 14, 2026
    Aaron Osirus noticed a lot of his classmates were always playing with fidget spinners. It gave the 12-year-old an idea: Why not make his own and sell them to other students?
  • NEWS DESK

    Hypertherm Launches Quote Manager for Faster, Accurate Pricing

    PRESS RELEASE: Hypertherm Associates July 14, 2026
    Hypertherm Associates, a U.S.-based leading manufacturer of industrial cutting systems and software, launched Quote Manager, a new optional module for its ProNest nesting software. This web-based application extends precision quoting capabilities across the organization, enabling faster, more confident pricing decisions grounded in real production data.

Additive Manufacturing Update

  • SME SPEAKS

    EOS Consultant on Finding Your True North in Manufacturing

    Yash Parikh, PhD, Process Engineering Consultant, EOS; SME Member Since 2021 July 14, 2026
    The first time I held a metal part fresh off a laser powder bed fusion build, I felt the same excitement many young engineers feel when a new technology works as promised. The geometry was there and the build was completed. But I also felt uneasiness.
  • ADDITIVE

    Turning Plastic into 3D-Printed Profits

    Michael McConnell July 14, 2026
    Aaron Osirus noticed a lot of his classmates were always playing with fidget spinners. It gave the 12-year-old an idea: Why not make his own and sell them to other students?
  • NEWS DESK

    Hypertherm Launches Quote Manager for Faster, Accurate Pricing

    PRESS RELEASE: Hypertherm Associates July 14, 2026
    Hypertherm Associates, a U.S.-based leading manufacturer of industrial cutting systems and software, launched Quote Manager, a new optional module for its ProNest nesting software. This web-based application extends precision quoting capabilities across the organization, enabling faster, more confident pricing decisions grounded in real production data.

Workforce Pipeline

  • SME SPEAKS

    EOS Consultant on Finding Your True North in Manufacturing

    Yash Parikh, PhD, Process Engineering Consultant, EOS; SME Member Since 2021 July 14, 2026
    The first time I held a metal part fresh off a laser powder bed fusion build, I felt the same excitement many young engineers feel when a new technology works as promised. The geometry was there and the build was completed. But I also felt uneasiness.
  • ADDITIVE

    Turning Plastic into 3D-Printed Profits

    Michael McConnell July 14, 2026
    Aaron Osirus noticed a lot of his classmates were always playing with fidget spinners. It gave the 12-year-old an idea: Why not make his own and sell them to other students?
  • NEWS DESK

    Hypertherm Launches Quote Manager for Faster, Accurate Pricing

    PRESS RELEASE: Hypertherm Associates July 14, 2026
    Hypertherm Associates, a U.S.-based leading manufacturer of industrial cutting systems and software, launched Quote Manager, a new optional module for its ProNest nesting software. This web-based application extends precision quoting capabilities across the organization, enabling faster, more confident pricing decisions grounded in real production data.

Viewpoints

  • SME SPEAKS

    EOS Consultant on Finding Your True North in Manufacturing

    Yash Parikh, PhD, Process Engineering Consultant, EOS; SME Member Since 2021 July 14, 2026
    The first time I held a metal part fresh off a laser powder bed fusion build, I felt the same excitement many young engineers feel when a new technology works as promised. The geometry was there and the build was completed. But I also felt uneasiness.
  • ADDITIVE

    Turning Plastic into 3D-Printed Profits

    Michael McConnell July 14, 2026
    Aaron Osirus noticed a lot of his classmates were always playing with fidget spinners. It gave the 12-year-old an idea: Why not make his own and sell them to other students?
  • NEWS DESK

    Hypertherm Launches Quote Manager for Faster, Accurate Pricing

    PRESS RELEASE: Hypertherm Associates July 14, 2026
    Hypertherm Associates, a U.S.-based leading manufacturer of industrial cutting systems and software, launched Quote Manager, a new optional module for its ProNest nesting software. This web-based application extends precision quoting capabilities across the organization, enabling faster, more confident pricing decisions grounded in real production data.