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Manufacturing Engineering: September 2018

The September 2018 edition of Manufacturing Engineering is available as a digital magazine. Links to individual articles are below.
Michigan Central Station

Promise and Peril in New Era for Automakers, Suppliers

August 27, 2018
In Detroit’s Corktown neighborhood, there’s a structure that symbolizes both the promise and the peril of a new automotive era—the 105-year-old Michigan Central Station. The train station has been empty and decaying for 30 years.
Bill Koenig
By Bill Koenig Senior Editor, SME Media
Supply and (Uncertain) Demand for Electric Vehicles

Supply and (Uncertain) Demand for Electric Vehicles

August 28, 2018
The hype around electric vehicles and self-driving cars seems to grow louder by the day. The potential environmental and social benefits are trumpeted generally without reservation.
Geoff Giordano
By Geoff Giordano Contributing Editor, SME Media
Collaborative Robots: Hype or Hope?

Collaborative Robots: Hype or Hope?

August 29, 2018
Ask the owner of any machine shop or sheet-metal house to name the biggest obstacle to company growth and you’re likely to receive the same answer—it’s not a lack of working capital that’s slowing them down, nor a shortage of advanced technology, but something far more basic: the need for someone to push a green button or pack boxes. “We can’t find enough people,” you’ll hear.
By SME Staff Report
CAD/CAM Programs Get Parts On, Off Machine Faster, More Efficiently

CAD/CAM Programs Get Parts On, Off Machine Faster, More Efficiently

August 29, 2018
Ask almost any CAD/CAM vendor what they’re focused on and they’ll tell you it’s the same today as it was five years ago, and it’ll be the same in five years: Get the part onto the machine as fast as possible and get it off the machine as fast as possible. Here’s the current state of play in those two main areas.
Ed Sinkora
By Ed Sinkora Contributing Editor, SME Media
Tigo SF

CMMs Grow Their Niche

August 30, 2018
For CMMs, the good times continue to roll. “One of the surprising things that has happened in just the last three to four years is the sheer volume of CMMs that we are shipping,” said Angus Taylor, president of Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence, North America (North Kingstown, RI). “The market seems to be really exploding.”
Bruce Morey
By Bruce Morey Senior Technical Editor, SME Media

Shop Solutions

  • GOVERNMENT AND ECONOMICS

    Job Market Shows Strength in Latest Labor Dept. Report

    Michael McConnell September 4, 2026
    The economy was unexpectedly strong last month, with employers adding 162,000 jobs—far above economists’ forecasts and making observers wonder if the Federal Reserve will soon increase interest rates.
  • IMTS

    Methods Machine Tools

    Staff Writer September 4, 2026
    Methods Machine Tools is a supplier of precision CNC machine tools, automation systems and manufacturing engineering services for North American manufacturers. Founded in 1958, the company provides machining equipment, automation integration, technical support, training and application engineering to help manufacturers improve productivity and precision. Methods serves a range of high-performance manufacturing industries through a network of technical centers across the U.S. and Canada.
  • NEWS DESK

    Trump Administration Mulling Semiconductor Tariffs

    Michael McConnell September 4, 2026
    President Donald Trump is thinking about adding new tariffs to semiconductors, laptops, gaming hardware and data center servers, according to several reports.

Up Front

  • GOVERNMENT AND ECONOMICS

    Job Market Shows Strength in Latest Labor Dept. Report

    Michael McConnell September 4, 2026
    The economy was unexpectedly strong last month, with employers adding 162,000 jobs—far above economists’ forecasts and making observers wonder if the Federal Reserve will soon increase interest rates.
  • IMTS

    Methods Machine Tools

    Staff Writer September 4, 2026
    Methods Machine Tools is a supplier of precision CNC machine tools, automation systems and manufacturing engineering services for North American manufacturers. Founded in 1958, the company provides machining equipment, automation integration, technical support, training and application engineering to help manufacturers improve productivity and precision. Methods serves a range of high-performance manufacturing industries through a network of technical centers across the U.S. and Canada.
  • NEWS DESK

    Trump Administration Mulling Semiconductor Tariffs

    Michael McConnell September 4, 2026
    President Donald Trump is thinking about adding new tariffs to semiconductors, laptops, gaming hardware and data center servers, according to several reports.

Advanced Manufacturing Now

  • GOVERNMENT AND ECONOMICS

    Job Market Shows Strength in Latest Labor Dept. Report

    Michael McConnell September 4, 2026
    The economy was unexpectedly strong last month, with employers adding 162,000 jobs—far above economists’ forecasts and making observers wonder if the Federal Reserve will soon increase interest rates.
  • IMTS

    Methods Machine Tools

    Staff Writer September 4, 2026
    Methods Machine Tools is a supplier of precision CNC machine tools, automation systems and manufacturing engineering services for North American manufacturers. Founded in 1958, the company provides machining equipment, automation integration, technical support, training and application engineering to help manufacturers improve productivity and precision. Methods serves a range of high-performance manufacturing industries through a network of technical centers across the U.S. and Canada.
  • NEWS DESK

    Trump Administration Mulling Semiconductor Tariffs

    Michael McConnell September 4, 2026
    President Donald Trump is thinking about adding new tariffs to semiconductors, laptops, gaming hardware and data center servers, according to several reports.

SME Speaks

  • GOVERNMENT AND ECONOMICS

    Job Market Shows Strength in Latest Labor Dept. Report

    Michael McConnell September 4, 2026
    The economy was unexpectedly strong last month, with employers adding 162,000 jobs—far above economists’ forecasts and making observers wonder if the Federal Reserve will soon increase interest rates.
  • IMTS

    Methods Machine Tools

    Staff Writer September 4, 2026
    Methods Machine Tools is a supplier of precision CNC machine tools, automation systems and manufacturing engineering services for North American manufacturers. Founded in 1958, the company provides machining equipment, automation integration, technical support, training and application engineering to help manufacturers improve productivity and precision. Methods serves a range of high-performance manufacturing industries through a network of technical centers across the U.S. and Canada.
  • NEWS DESK

    Trump Administration Mulling Semiconductor Tariffs

    Michael McConnell September 4, 2026
    President Donald Trump is thinking about adding new tariffs to semiconductors, laptops, gaming hardware and data center servers, according to several reports.

Mfg Intel

  • GOVERNMENT AND ECONOMICS

    Job Market Shows Strength in Latest Labor Dept. Report

    Michael McConnell September 4, 2026
    The economy was unexpectedly strong last month, with employers adding 162,000 jobs—far above economists’ forecasts and making observers wonder if the Federal Reserve will soon increase interest rates.
  • IMTS

    Methods Machine Tools

    Staff Writer September 4, 2026
    Methods Machine Tools is a supplier of precision CNC machine tools, automation systems and manufacturing engineering services for North American manufacturers. Founded in 1958, the company provides machining equipment, automation integration, technical support, training and application engineering to help manufacturers improve productivity and precision. Methods serves a range of high-performance manufacturing industries through a network of technical centers across the U.S. and Canada.
  • NEWS DESK

    Trump Administration Mulling Semiconductor Tariffs

    Michael McConnell September 4, 2026
    President Donald Trump is thinking about adding new tariffs to semiconductors, laptops, gaming hardware and data center servers, according to several reports.

Software Update

  • GOVERNMENT AND ECONOMICS

    Job Market Shows Strength in Latest Labor Dept. Report

    Michael McConnell September 4, 2026
    The economy was unexpectedly strong last month, with employers adding 162,000 jobs—far above economists’ forecasts and making observers wonder if the Federal Reserve will soon increase interest rates.
  • IMTS

    Methods Machine Tools

    Staff Writer September 4, 2026
    Methods Machine Tools is a supplier of precision CNC machine tools, automation systems and manufacturing engineering services for North American manufacturers. Founded in 1958, the company provides machining equipment, automation integration, technical support, training and application engineering to help manufacturers improve productivity and precision. Methods serves a range of high-performance manufacturing industries through a network of technical centers across the U.S. and Canada.
  • NEWS DESK

    Trump Administration Mulling Semiconductor Tariffs

    Michael McConnell September 4, 2026
    President Donald Trump is thinking about adding new tariffs to semiconductors, laptops, gaming hardware and data center servers, according to several reports.

Workforce Pipeline

  • GOVERNMENT AND ECONOMICS

    Job Market Shows Strength in Latest Labor Dept. Report

    Michael McConnell September 4, 2026
    The economy was unexpectedly strong last month, with employers adding 162,000 jobs—far above economists’ forecasts and making observers wonder if the Federal Reserve will soon increase interest rates.
  • IMTS

    Methods Machine Tools

    Staff Writer September 4, 2026
    Methods Machine Tools is a supplier of precision CNC machine tools, automation systems and manufacturing engineering services for North American manufacturers. Founded in 1958, the company provides machining equipment, automation integration, technical support, training and application engineering to help manufacturers improve productivity and precision. Methods serves a range of high-performance manufacturing industries through a network of technical centers across the U.S. and Canada.
  • NEWS DESK

    Trump Administration Mulling Semiconductor Tariffs

    Michael McConnell September 4, 2026
    President Donald Trump is thinking about adding new tariffs to semiconductors, laptops, gaming hardware and data center servers, according to several reports.

Viewpoints

  • GOVERNMENT AND ECONOMICS

    Job Market Shows Strength in Latest Labor Dept. Report

    Michael McConnell September 4, 2026
    The economy was unexpectedly strong last month, with employers adding 162,000 jobs—far above economists’ forecasts and making observers wonder if the Federal Reserve will soon increase interest rates.
  • IMTS

    Methods Machine Tools

    Staff Writer September 4, 2026
    Methods Machine Tools is a supplier of precision CNC machine tools, automation systems and manufacturing engineering services for North American manufacturers. Founded in 1958, the company provides machining equipment, automation integration, technical support, training and application engineering to help manufacturers improve productivity and precision. Methods serves a range of high-performance manufacturing industries through a network of technical centers across the U.S. and Canada.
  • NEWS DESK

    Trump Administration Mulling Semiconductor Tariffs

    Michael McConnell September 4, 2026
    President Donald Trump is thinking about adding new tariffs to semiconductors, laptops, gaming hardware and data center servers, according to several reports.

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