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SME
Media
Manufacturing Engineering & Technology Magazine
November 2020
Manufacturing Engineering: November 2020
The November 2020 edition of Manufacturing Engineering is available as a digital magazine. Links to individual articles are below.
View Digital Magazine
New CAD/CAM Options Refine Metalcutting Ops
October 19, 2020
With CAD/CAM software, machine operators and manufacturing engineers are always looking for the latest twists along the route to optimizing their metalcutting performance.
By
Patrick Waurzyniak
Contributing Editor,
SME Media
Software
Gaining Control with MES
October 20, 2020
ERP software developers, resellers, and even consultants might not like to hear this, but no matter how powerful the system, it can still leave a few questions unanswered regarding the shop floor.
By
Kip Hanson
Contributing Editor,
SME Media
Software
Rising to Toolholding Challenges
October 21, 2020
Difficult materials and high-speed machining don’t just present problems for cutting tools. They can also push toolholders to their limits—and beyond. So manufacturers offer a variety of products designed to get the toolholding job done under extreme machining conditions.
By
SME Media Staff
Tooling & Workholding
Thread Mills Take on Tough Materials
October 23, 2020
When it’s time to put threads in parts, particularly those made of difficult-to-machine materials, thread mills are often the right choice. Thread mills cut threads with a cutting head typically smaller than the hole, unlike taps that are sized to match the hole diameter.
By
Geoff Giordano
Contributing Editor,
SME Media
Tooling & Workholding
The Connected Machine Shop
October 30, 2020
In this final installment of the Connected Machine Shop series, we’ll tackle the more technical and implementation-oriented aspects of an Industry 4.0 transformation.
By
Richard Boyle
Manager of Mebane Production Unit,
Sandvik Coromant
Machining & Metal Cutting
Shop Solutions
MANUFACTURING ENGINEERING
The Hidden Friction in Automation Integration
Meaghan Ziemba, Contributing Editor
April 16, 2026
Manufacturers continue to invest in shop-floor automation, but the hardest part of the work rarely starts with choosing a robot, selecting end-of-arm tooling or approving a software platform. Trouble starts when a concept that makes perfect sense in planning is forced to live inside a real factory, where aging equipment, inconsistent inputs, disconnected data, undocumented workarounds and relentless production pressure all shape the outcome. Automation often enters a facility as the answer to a problem, yet implementation has a way of exposing everything that slowed down operations for years.
NEWS DESK
Manufacturing Workers at Higher Risk of Injury
Michael McConnell
April 16, 2026
Manufacturing remains one of the industries where workers—especially new workers—are more likely to suffer on-the-job injuries.
ADDITIVE
Additive Manufacturing as a Strategic Link Between Defense and Energy
Eartha Hopkins, Content Coordinator, America Makes
April 15, 2026
Global supply chains continue to face sustained strain, marked by extended lead times, rising costs and limited flexibility when disruptions occur. In the defense and energy sectors, where reliability and responsiveness are mission critical, these pressures pose serious operational risk. Equipment downtime, delayed repairs and constrained access to replacement parts can quickly ripple into readiness gaps or lost production.
Up Front
MANUFACTURING ENGINEERING
The Hidden Friction in Automation Integration
Meaghan Ziemba, Contributing Editor
April 16, 2026
Manufacturers continue to invest in shop-floor automation, but the hardest part of the work rarely starts with choosing a robot, selecting end-of-arm tooling or approving a software platform. Trouble starts when a concept that makes perfect sense in planning is forced to live inside a real factory, where aging equipment, inconsistent inputs, disconnected data, undocumented workarounds and relentless production pressure all shape the outcome. Automation often enters a facility as the answer to a problem, yet implementation has a way of exposing everything that slowed down operations for years.
NEWS DESK
Manufacturing Workers at Higher Risk of Injury
Michael McConnell
April 16, 2026
Manufacturing remains one of the industries where workers—especially new workers—are more likely to suffer on-the-job injuries.
ADDITIVE
Additive Manufacturing as a Strategic Link Between Defense and Energy
Eartha Hopkins, Content Coordinator, America Makes
April 15, 2026
Global supply chains continue to face sustained strain, marked by extended lead times, rising costs and limited flexibility when disruptions occur. In the defense and energy sectors, where reliability and responsiveness are mission critical, these pressures pose serious operational risk. Equipment downtime, delayed repairs and constrained access to replacement parts can quickly ripple into readiness gaps or lost production.
SME Speaks
MANUFACTURING ENGINEERING
The Hidden Friction in Automation Integration
Meaghan Ziemba, Contributing Editor
April 16, 2026
Manufacturers continue to invest in shop-floor automation, but the hardest part of the work rarely starts with choosing a robot, selecting end-of-arm tooling or approving a software platform. Trouble starts when a concept that makes perfect sense in planning is forced to live inside a real factory, where aging equipment, inconsistent inputs, disconnected data, undocumented workarounds and relentless production pressure all shape the outcome. Automation often enters a facility as the answer to a problem, yet implementation has a way of exposing everything that slowed down operations for years.
NEWS DESK
Manufacturing Workers at Higher Risk of Injury
Michael McConnell
April 16, 2026
Manufacturing remains one of the industries where workers—especially new workers—are more likely to suffer on-the-job injuries.
ADDITIVE
Additive Manufacturing as a Strategic Link Between Defense and Energy
Eartha Hopkins, Content Coordinator, America Makes
April 15, 2026
Global supply chains continue to face sustained strain, marked by extended lead times, rising costs and limited flexibility when disruptions occur. In the defense and energy sectors, where reliability and responsiveness are mission critical, these pressures pose serious operational risk. Equipment downtime, delayed repairs and constrained access to replacement parts can quickly ripple into readiness gaps or lost production.
Advanced Manufacturing Now
MANUFACTURING ENGINEERING
The Hidden Friction in Automation Integration
Meaghan Ziemba, Contributing Editor
April 16, 2026
Manufacturers continue to invest in shop-floor automation, but the hardest part of the work rarely starts with choosing a robot, selecting end-of-arm tooling or approving a software platform. Trouble starts when a concept that makes perfect sense in planning is forced to live inside a real factory, where aging equipment, inconsistent inputs, disconnected data, undocumented workarounds and relentless production pressure all shape the outcome. Automation often enters a facility as the answer to a problem, yet implementation has a way of exposing everything that slowed down operations for years.
NEWS DESK
Manufacturing Workers at Higher Risk of Injury
Michael McConnell
April 16, 2026
Manufacturing remains one of the industries where workers—especially new workers—are more likely to suffer on-the-job injuries.
ADDITIVE
Additive Manufacturing as a Strategic Link Between Defense and Energy
Eartha Hopkins, Content Coordinator, America Makes
April 15, 2026
Global supply chains continue to face sustained strain, marked by extended lead times, rising costs and limited flexibility when disruptions occur. In the defense and energy sectors, where reliability and responsiveness are mission critical, these pressures pose serious operational risk. Equipment downtime, delayed repairs and constrained access to replacement parts can quickly ripple into readiness gaps or lost production.
Software Update
MANUFACTURING ENGINEERING
The Hidden Friction in Automation Integration
Meaghan Ziemba, Contributing Editor
April 16, 2026
Manufacturers continue to invest in shop-floor automation, but the hardest part of the work rarely starts with choosing a robot, selecting end-of-arm tooling or approving a software platform. Trouble starts when a concept that makes perfect sense in planning is forced to live inside a real factory, where aging equipment, inconsistent inputs, disconnected data, undocumented workarounds and relentless production pressure all shape the outcome. Automation often enters a facility as the answer to a problem, yet implementation has a way of exposing everything that slowed down operations for years.
NEWS DESK
Manufacturing Workers at Higher Risk of Injury
Michael McConnell
April 16, 2026
Manufacturing remains one of the industries where workers—especially new workers—are more likely to suffer on-the-job injuries.
ADDITIVE
Additive Manufacturing as a Strategic Link Between Defense and Energy
Eartha Hopkins, Content Coordinator, America Makes
April 15, 2026
Global supply chains continue to face sustained strain, marked by extended lead times, rising costs and limited flexibility when disruptions occur. In the defense and energy sectors, where reliability and responsiveness are mission critical, these pressures pose serious operational risk. Equipment downtime, delayed repairs and constrained access to replacement parts can quickly ripple into readiness gaps or lost production.
Viewpoints
MANUFACTURING ENGINEERING
The Hidden Friction in Automation Integration
Meaghan Ziemba, Contributing Editor
April 16, 2026
Manufacturers continue to invest in shop-floor automation, but the hardest part of the work rarely starts with choosing a robot, selecting end-of-arm tooling or approving a software platform. Trouble starts when a concept that makes perfect sense in planning is forced to live inside a real factory, where aging equipment, inconsistent inputs, disconnected data, undocumented workarounds and relentless production pressure all shape the outcome. Automation often enters a facility as the answer to a problem, yet implementation has a way of exposing everything that slowed down operations for years.
NEWS DESK
Manufacturing Workers at Higher Risk of Injury
Michael McConnell
April 16, 2026
Manufacturing remains one of the industries where workers—especially new workers—are more likely to suffer on-the-job injuries.
ADDITIVE
Additive Manufacturing as a Strategic Link Between Defense and Energy
Eartha Hopkins, Content Coordinator, America Makes
April 15, 2026
Global supply chains continue to face sustained strain, marked by extended lead times, rising costs and limited flexibility when disruptions occur. In the defense and energy sectors, where reliability and responsiveness are mission critical, these pressures pose serious operational risk. Equipment downtime, delayed repairs and constrained access to replacement parts can quickly ripple into readiness gaps or lost production.
Medical Special Section
MANUFACTURING ENGINEERING
The Hidden Friction in Automation Integration
Meaghan Ziemba, Contributing Editor
April 16, 2026
Manufacturers continue to invest in shop-floor automation, but the hardest part of the work rarely starts with choosing a robot, selecting end-of-arm tooling or approving a software platform. Trouble starts when a concept that makes perfect sense in planning is forced to live inside a real factory, where aging equipment, inconsistent inputs, disconnected data, undocumented workarounds and relentless production pressure all shape the outcome. Automation often enters a facility as the answer to a problem, yet implementation has a way of exposing everything that slowed down operations for years.
NEWS DESK
Manufacturing Workers at Higher Risk of Injury
Michael McConnell
April 16, 2026
Manufacturing remains one of the industries where workers—especially new workers—are more likely to suffer on-the-job injuries.
ADDITIVE
Additive Manufacturing as a Strategic Link Between Defense and Energy
Eartha Hopkins, Content Coordinator, America Makes
April 15, 2026
Global supply chains continue to face sustained strain, marked by extended lead times, rising costs and limited flexibility when disruptions occur. In the defense and energy sectors, where reliability and responsiveness are mission critical, these pressures pose serious operational risk. Equipment downtime, delayed repairs and constrained access to replacement parts can quickly ripple into readiness gaps or lost production.