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Manufacturing Engineering: June 2020

The June 2020 edition of Manufacturing Engineering is available as a digital magazine. Links to individual articles are below.
Absolute Machine Tools can integrate its line of cobots to work alongside an operator or in place of an operator, ensuring production throughput remains constant.

Finding the Sweet Spot in Vertical Machining Centers

May 18, 2020
The 40/20 vertical machining center platform is rightly regarded as the workhorse of job shops. To help their customers deal with increased competitive pressures, machine tool builders are improving on this established 40 × 20" design, relying on advanced spindle technologies, fourth and fifth axis table-on-table configurations and high-speed, high-efficiency machining strategies.
Jim Lorincz
By Jim Lorincz Contributing Editor, SME Media
A Toyoda cylindrical grinder in action shows the importance of coolant.

Grinding Precision and Productivity Reach New Heights

May 20, 2020
Grinding, like all machining processes, is generally thought of as a process of tradeoffs. To gain one attribute, you have to sacrifice another. However, that is not always true.
Ed Sinkora
By Ed Sinkora Contributing Editor, SME Media
Index’s TNL20-11 can be equipped with the company’s iXcenter robotic part handling system for unattended operation.

Multi-Purpose Machine Tool

May 22, 2020
So you’ve heard all sorts of good things about Swiss-style, sliding headstock CNC lathes and have been thinking about investing in one.
Kip Hanson
By Kip Hanson Contributing Editor, SME Media
Axel Wagner of Allied Machine & Engineering using a tool balancing machine.

The Essentials of Tool Balancing

May 25, 2020
Balanced toolholding assemblies, with even weight distribution, operate better. Unbalanced assemblies may experience vibration and shorter tool life, which are amplified by high machining speeds.
Bill Koenig
By Bill Koenig Senior Editor, SME Media
Seco’s Series 520 indexable insert drill.

Toolmakers Respond to New Holemaking Demands

May 27, 2020
One of mankind’s oldest manufacturing methods—making a hole—is now challenged by rapid advances, including new and harder materials, increased part complexity, ever smaller component parts, and the need for shorter cycle times.
By Frank Burke Contributing Writer, SME Media

Shop Solutions

  • NEWS DESK

    Zoox to Bring Its Robotaxis to Phoenix and Dallas

    Rachael Thomas March 11, 2026
    Zoox, Amazon’s autonomous vehicle (AV) company, is expanding its robotaxi services to Arizona and Texas.
  • ADDITIVE

    Thinking Small

    Kip Hanson March 11, 2026
    The electronic connectors inside a smartphone. An optical housing perched on the tip of a surgical endoscope. Microfluidic channels etched into a lab-on-a-chip for biomedical research. All these applications require part features measured not in millimeters, but in microns.
  • ADDITIVE

    Coloring Outside the Cortex: 3D Printing Anatomic Models for Complex Brain Tumor Surgery

    Maggie Lashutka, Biomedical Engineer, Ricoh 3D for Healthcare LLC March 11, 2026
    When you’re a neurosurgeon faced with a complex tumor resection case, the more tools you have at your disposal for pre-surgical planning, the better. Attending neurosurgeon Dr. Marcus Ware, neurosurgery resident Dr. Michelle Miller, Tulane University medical student Smruti Mahapatra and other medical staff at Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans faced a particularly complex brain tumor case that called for thorough planning. Due to the tumor’s left-sided and deep intraventricular location within the brain, multiple attending neurosurgeons with extensive experience in tumor resection looked at the patient’s imaging and suggested different approaches for the case.

Up Front

  • NEWS DESK

    Zoox to Bring Its Robotaxis to Phoenix and Dallas

    Rachael Thomas March 11, 2026
    Zoox, Amazon’s autonomous vehicle (AV) company, is expanding its robotaxi services to Arizona and Texas.
  • ADDITIVE

    Thinking Small

    Kip Hanson March 11, 2026
    The electronic connectors inside a smartphone. An optical housing perched on the tip of a surgical endoscope. Microfluidic channels etched into a lab-on-a-chip for biomedical research. All these applications require part features measured not in millimeters, but in microns.
  • ADDITIVE

    Coloring Outside the Cortex: 3D Printing Anatomic Models for Complex Brain Tumor Surgery

    Maggie Lashutka, Biomedical Engineer, Ricoh 3D for Healthcare LLC March 11, 2026
    When you’re a neurosurgeon faced with a complex tumor resection case, the more tools you have at your disposal for pre-surgical planning, the better. Attending neurosurgeon Dr. Marcus Ware, neurosurgery resident Dr. Michelle Miller, Tulane University medical student Smruti Mahapatra and other medical staff at Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans faced a particularly complex brain tumor case that called for thorough planning. Due to the tumor’s left-sided and deep intraventricular location within the brain, multiple attending neurosurgeons with extensive experience in tumor resection looked at the patient’s imaging and suggested different approaches for the case.

SME Speaks

  • NEWS DESK

    Zoox to Bring Its Robotaxis to Phoenix and Dallas

    Rachael Thomas March 11, 2026
    Zoox, Amazon’s autonomous vehicle (AV) company, is expanding its robotaxi services to Arizona and Texas.
  • ADDITIVE

    Thinking Small

    Kip Hanson March 11, 2026
    The electronic connectors inside a smartphone. An optical housing perched on the tip of a surgical endoscope. Microfluidic channels etched into a lab-on-a-chip for biomedical research. All these applications require part features measured not in millimeters, but in microns.
  • ADDITIVE

    Coloring Outside the Cortex: 3D Printing Anatomic Models for Complex Brain Tumor Surgery

    Maggie Lashutka, Biomedical Engineer, Ricoh 3D for Healthcare LLC March 11, 2026
    When you’re a neurosurgeon faced with a complex tumor resection case, the more tools you have at your disposal for pre-surgical planning, the better. Attending neurosurgeon Dr. Marcus Ware, neurosurgery resident Dr. Michelle Miller, Tulane University medical student Smruti Mahapatra and other medical staff at Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans faced a particularly complex brain tumor case that called for thorough planning. Due to the tumor’s left-sided and deep intraventricular location within the brain, multiple attending neurosurgeons with extensive experience in tumor resection looked at the patient’s imaging and suggested different approaches for the case.

Advanced Manufacturing Now

  • NEWS DESK

    Zoox to Bring Its Robotaxis to Phoenix and Dallas

    Rachael Thomas March 11, 2026
    Zoox, Amazon’s autonomous vehicle (AV) company, is expanding its robotaxi services to Arizona and Texas.
  • ADDITIVE

    Thinking Small

    Kip Hanson March 11, 2026
    The electronic connectors inside a smartphone. An optical housing perched on the tip of a surgical endoscope. Microfluidic channels etched into a lab-on-a-chip for biomedical research. All these applications require part features measured not in millimeters, but in microns.
  • ADDITIVE

    Coloring Outside the Cortex: 3D Printing Anatomic Models for Complex Brain Tumor Surgery

    Maggie Lashutka, Biomedical Engineer, Ricoh 3D for Healthcare LLC March 11, 2026
    When you’re a neurosurgeon faced with a complex tumor resection case, the more tools you have at your disposal for pre-surgical planning, the better. Attending neurosurgeon Dr. Marcus Ware, neurosurgery resident Dr. Michelle Miller, Tulane University medical student Smruti Mahapatra and other medical staff at Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans faced a particularly complex brain tumor case that called for thorough planning. Due to the tumor’s left-sided and deep intraventricular location within the brain, multiple attending neurosurgeons with extensive experience in tumor resection looked at the patient’s imaging and suggested different approaches for the case.

Additive Manufacturing Update

  • NEWS DESK

    Zoox to Bring Its Robotaxis to Phoenix and Dallas

    Rachael Thomas March 11, 2026
    Zoox, Amazon’s autonomous vehicle (AV) company, is expanding its robotaxi services to Arizona and Texas.
  • ADDITIVE

    Thinking Small

    Kip Hanson March 11, 2026
    The electronic connectors inside a smartphone. An optical housing perched on the tip of a surgical endoscope. Microfluidic channels etched into a lab-on-a-chip for biomedical research. All these applications require part features measured not in millimeters, but in microns.
  • ADDITIVE

    Coloring Outside the Cortex: 3D Printing Anatomic Models for Complex Brain Tumor Surgery

    Maggie Lashutka, Biomedical Engineer, Ricoh 3D for Healthcare LLC March 11, 2026
    When you’re a neurosurgeon faced with a complex tumor resection case, the more tools you have at your disposal for pre-surgical planning, the better. Attending neurosurgeon Dr. Marcus Ware, neurosurgery resident Dr. Michelle Miller, Tulane University medical student Smruti Mahapatra and other medical staff at Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans faced a particularly complex brain tumor case that called for thorough planning. Due to the tumor’s left-sided and deep intraventricular location within the brain, multiple attending neurosurgeons with extensive experience in tumor resection looked at the patient’s imaging and suggested different approaches for the case.

Workforce Pipeline

  • NEWS DESK

    Zoox to Bring Its Robotaxis to Phoenix and Dallas

    Rachael Thomas March 11, 2026
    Zoox, Amazon’s autonomous vehicle (AV) company, is expanding its robotaxi services to Arizona and Texas.
  • ADDITIVE

    Thinking Small

    Kip Hanson March 11, 2026
    The electronic connectors inside a smartphone. An optical housing perched on the tip of a surgical endoscope. Microfluidic channels etched into a lab-on-a-chip for biomedical research. All these applications require part features measured not in millimeters, but in microns.
  • ADDITIVE

    Coloring Outside the Cortex: 3D Printing Anatomic Models for Complex Brain Tumor Surgery

    Maggie Lashutka, Biomedical Engineer, Ricoh 3D for Healthcare LLC March 11, 2026
    When you’re a neurosurgeon faced with a complex tumor resection case, the more tools you have at your disposal for pre-surgical planning, the better. Attending neurosurgeon Dr. Marcus Ware, neurosurgery resident Dr. Michelle Miller, Tulane University medical student Smruti Mahapatra and other medical staff at Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans faced a particularly complex brain tumor case that called for thorough planning. Due to the tumor’s left-sided and deep intraventricular location within the brain, multiple attending neurosurgeons with extensive experience in tumor resection looked at the patient’s imaging and suggested different approaches for the case.

Viewpoints

  • NEWS DESK

    Zoox to Bring Its Robotaxis to Phoenix and Dallas

    Rachael Thomas March 11, 2026
    Zoox, Amazon’s autonomous vehicle (AV) company, is expanding its robotaxi services to Arizona and Texas.
  • ADDITIVE

    Thinking Small

    Kip Hanson March 11, 2026
    The electronic connectors inside a smartphone. An optical housing perched on the tip of a surgical endoscope. Microfluidic channels etched into a lab-on-a-chip for biomedical research. All these applications require part features measured not in millimeters, but in microns.
  • ADDITIVE

    Coloring Outside the Cortex: 3D Printing Anatomic Models for Complex Brain Tumor Surgery

    Maggie Lashutka, Biomedical Engineer, Ricoh 3D for Healthcare LLC March 11, 2026
    When you’re a neurosurgeon faced with a complex tumor resection case, the more tools you have at your disposal for pre-surgical planning, the better. Attending neurosurgeon Dr. Marcus Ware, neurosurgery resident Dr. Michelle Miller, Tulane University medical student Smruti Mahapatra and other medical staff at Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans faced a particularly complex brain tumor case that called for thorough planning. Due to the tumor’s left-sided and deep intraventricular location within the brain, multiple attending neurosurgeons with extensive experience in tumor resection looked at the patient’s imaging and suggested different approaches for the case.