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Manufacturing Engineering: September 2020

The September 2020 edition of Manufacturing Engineering is available as a digital magazine. Links to individual articles are below.
Employees at a Ford plant in Dearborn work on an F-150 pickup after production resumed in May following a shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Auto Industry Gets Back Into Gear Following COVID-19 Shutdown

August 17, 2020
The North American auto industry slammed on the brakes in March because of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). The sector already had been forecast to slow down in 2020, with lower light-vehicle demand. That turned into a sudden stop as the coronavirus spread.
Bill Koenig
By Bill Koenig Senior Editor, SME Media
Induction hardening: OP50 in a complete EMAG line producing rotors for electric motors.

Making Parts for Next-Gen Vehicles

August 18, 2020
Tesla and the march to all-electric cars and trucks may get most of the press. But the reality is that most U.S. automakers need to tackle the twin challenges of building both new components unique to electric vehicles while also building internal combustion engines (ICEs) that are ever-more fuel efficient.
Ed Sinkora
By Ed Sinkora Contributing Editor, SME Media
Shops have become far more interested in robotics since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Making Robots Smarter and Safer

August 19, 2020
COVID-19 has taught manufacturers a valuable lesson: when humans fall ill, machine tools and equipment sit idle. Granted, they already knew it, just as they knew that employees take lunch breaks and vacations, arrive late because their car won’t start, and go work at the shop down the street for fifty cents more an hour.
Kip Hanson
By Kip Hanson Contributing Editor, SME Media
The new-generation CONTURA keeps the old version’s measurement accuracy but adds a wider range of capabilities.

CMMs: More Than Precision

August 20, 2020
The makers of coordinate measuring machines (CMMs) spent a long time in competition to reach the highest levels of repeatable measurement accuracy.
Michael Anderson
By Michael C. Anderson Contributing Lead Editor
Manufacturers of mold bases use jig boring and jig milling machines to finish precision bores that can feature tolerances of less than 5 µm in roundness, perpendicularity, and straightness.

Moldmakers Power Up With Advanced Tech

August 21, 2020
Complex molds containing cores and cavities with fine details and demanding surface finish requirements for injection molding, blow molding, glass molding or blow molding parts require high accuracy for use in automotive, medical, aerospace, or consumer products.
Jim Lorincz
By Jim Lorincz Contributing Editor, SME Media
(Left to right) Julio Vasconcelos, Denny Page and Leandro Pereira, responsible for Sandvik Coromant’s production unit in Mebane, N.C., examining data from machining operations.

The Connected Machine Shop

August 24, 2020
Part 1 of this three-part series on the Connected Machine Shop ran in the July issue of Manufacturing Engineering.
By Richard Boyle Manager of Mebane Production Unit, Sandvik Coromant

Shop Solutions

  • TECHNOLOGIES

    AI Readiness in Manufacturing: Unleashing Hidden Value for C–Suite Innovators

    CADDi January 22, 2026
    For leaders in high–mix, low–volume manufacturing—whether in engineering, procurement, IT or the C–suite—AI is no longer a futuristic concept: It’s a strategic imperative. These businesses must successfully operationalize the use of AI if they want to remain competitive. The linchpin of AI transformation? Unlocking the massive troves of unstructured data buried in legacy systems—handwritten notes, scanned drawings, supplier emails, PDFs and tribal knowledge—that conventional data strategies leave hidden.
  • WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

    Small Manufacturers Can’t Ignore Attrition Risks

    Curtis Forbes, Founder and CEO, MustardHub January 22, 2026
    Ask any small manufacturer what happens if they lose their best machinist. Production stops, customer orders sit waiting and finding someone with the skills to replace them takes weeks—maybe months.
  • NEWS DESK

    Report: Skilled-Labor Shortage Remains Top Challenge for Manufacturers

    Cary Gitter January 22, 2026
    Seventy-nine percent of manufacturing executives say the skilled-labor shortage continues to be their biggest challenge, according to new research from AI data company CADDi.

Up Front

  • TECHNOLOGIES

    AI Readiness in Manufacturing: Unleashing Hidden Value for C–Suite Innovators

    CADDi January 22, 2026
    For leaders in high–mix, low–volume manufacturing—whether in engineering, procurement, IT or the C–suite—AI is no longer a futuristic concept: It’s a strategic imperative. These businesses must successfully operationalize the use of AI if they want to remain competitive. The linchpin of AI transformation? Unlocking the massive troves of unstructured data buried in legacy systems—handwritten notes, scanned drawings, supplier emails, PDFs and tribal knowledge—that conventional data strategies leave hidden.
  • WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

    Small Manufacturers Can’t Ignore Attrition Risks

    Curtis Forbes, Founder and CEO, MustardHub January 22, 2026
    Ask any small manufacturer what happens if they lose their best machinist. Production stops, customer orders sit waiting and finding someone with the skills to replace them takes weeks—maybe months.
  • NEWS DESK

    Report: Skilled-Labor Shortage Remains Top Challenge for Manufacturers

    Cary Gitter January 22, 2026
    Seventy-nine percent of manufacturing executives say the skilled-labor shortage continues to be their biggest challenge, according to new research from AI data company CADDi.

SME Speaks

  • TECHNOLOGIES

    AI Readiness in Manufacturing: Unleashing Hidden Value for C–Suite Innovators

    CADDi January 22, 2026
    For leaders in high–mix, low–volume manufacturing—whether in engineering, procurement, IT or the C–suite—AI is no longer a futuristic concept: It’s a strategic imperative. These businesses must successfully operationalize the use of AI if they want to remain competitive. The linchpin of AI transformation? Unlocking the massive troves of unstructured data buried in legacy systems—handwritten notes, scanned drawings, supplier emails, PDFs and tribal knowledge—that conventional data strategies leave hidden.
  • WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

    Small Manufacturers Can’t Ignore Attrition Risks

    Curtis Forbes, Founder and CEO, MustardHub January 22, 2026
    Ask any small manufacturer what happens if they lose their best machinist. Production stops, customer orders sit waiting and finding someone with the skills to replace them takes weeks—maybe months.
  • NEWS DESK

    Report: Skilled-Labor Shortage Remains Top Challenge for Manufacturers

    Cary Gitter January 22, 2026
    Seventy-nine percent of manufacturing executives say the skilled-labor shortage continues to be their biggest challenge, according to new research from AI data company CADDi.

Advanced Manufacturing Now

  • TECHNOLOGIES

    AI Readiness in Manufacturing: Unleashing Hidden Value for C–Suite Innovators

    CADDi January 22, 2026
    For leaders in high–mix, low–volume manufacturing—whether in engineering, procurement, IT or the C–suite—AI is no longer a futuristic concept: It’s a strategic imperative. These businesses must successfully operationalize the use of AI if they want to remain competitive. The linchpin of AI transformation? Unlocking the massive troves of unstructured data buried in legacy systems—handwritten notes, scanned drawings, supplier emails, PDFs and tribal knowledge—that conventional data strategies leave hidden.
  • WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

    Small Manufacturers Can’t Ignore Attrition Risks

    Curtis Forbes, Founder and CEO, MustardHub January 22, 2026
    Ask any small manufacturer what happens if they lose their best machinist. Production stops, customer orders sit waiting and finding someone with the skills to replace them takes weeks—maybe months.
  • NEWS DESK

    Report: Skilled-Labor Shortage Remains Top Challenge for Manufacturers

    Cary Gitter January 22, 2026
    Seventy-nine percent of manufacturing executives say the skilled-labor shortage continues to be their biggest challenge, according to new research from AI data company CADDi.

Software Update

  • TECHNOLOGIES

    AI Readiness in Manufacturing: Unleashing Hidden Value for C–Suite Innovators

    CADDi January 22, 2026
    For leaders in high–mix, low–volume manufacturing—whether in engineering, procurement, IT or the C–suite—AI is no longer a futuristic concept: It’s a strategic imperative. These businesses must successfully operationalize the use of AI if they want to remain competitive. The linchpin of AI transformation? Unlocking the massive troves of unstructured data buried in legacy systems—handwritten notes, scanned drawings, supplier emails, PDFs and tribal knowledge—that conventional data strategies leave hidden.
  • WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

    Small Manufacturers Can’t Ignore Attrition Risks

    Curtis Forbes, Founder and CEO, MustardHub January 22, 2026
    Ask any small manufacturer what happens if they lose their best machinist. Production stops, customer orders sit waiting and finding someone with the skills to replace them takes weeks—maybe months.
  • NEWS DESK

    Report: Skilled-Labor Shortage Remains Top Challenge for Manufacturers

    Cary Gitter January 22, 2026
    Seventy-nine percent of manufacturing executives say the skilled-labor shortage continues to be their biggest challenge, according to new research from AI data company CADDi.

Viewpoints

  • TECHNOLOGIES

    AI Readiness in Manufacturing: Unleashing Hidden Value for C–Suite Innovators

    CADDi January 22, 2026
    For leaders in high–mix, low–volume manufacturing—whether in engineering, procurement, IT or the C–suite—AI is no longer a futuristic concept: It’s a strategic imperative. These businesses must successfully operationalize the use of AI if they want to remain competitive. The linchpin of AI transformation? Unlocking the massive troves of unstructured data buried in legacy systems—handwritten notes, scanned drawings, supplier emails, PDFs and tribal knowledge—that conventional data strategies leave hidden.
  • WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

    Small Manufacturers Can’t Ignore Attrition Risks

    Curtis Forbes, Founder and CEO, MustardHub January 22, 2026
    Ask any small manufacturer what happens if they lose their best machinist. Production stops, customer orders sit waiting and finding someone with the skills to replace them takes weeks—maybe months.
  • NEWS DESK

    Report: Skilled-Labor Shortage Remains Top Challenge for Manufacturers

    Cary Gitter January 22, 2026
    Seventy-nine percent of manufacturing executives say the skilled-labor shortage continues to be their biggest challenge, according to new research from AI data company CADDi.