Smart Manufacturing: September 2018
The September 2018 edition of Smart Manufacturing is available as a digital magazine. Links to individual articles are below.

Long Established, AR Making Headway in Design, Production and Maintenance
May 21, 2018
Delta Sigma started thinking about augmented reality (AR) in 2005. By January 2008, the company, which designs and builds custom machinery to automate manufacturing and assembly processes for aircraft production, made its first installation on the F-22 vertical stabilizer.

CEOs: Embrace ‘Remote Experts,’ Sensors, Continuous Training, to Address Skills Gap
July 9, 2018
Tackling the workforce skills gap issue involves dealing with not only experienced employees who have sharp subtractive manufacturing skills but have to be prodded to move into additive manufacturing (AM) but also newbies who still need to hone skills required to harness the promise of emerging technology, Atlas Stamping and Manufacturing CEO Lynda Prigodich-Reed said.

2030
August 28, 2018
SME’s Smart Manufacturing Hub will be part of IMTS this year. Smart Manufacturing asked past Hub speakers to imagine what manufacturing will look like in 2030. Here are their visions:

Diversity that can make your head spin
August 28, 2018
Smart factory systems benefit from improved technologies, as well as proven applications.

Advances in CAD/CAM enable faster, efficient cutting, longer tool life
August 28, 2018
Advances in CAD/CAM algorithms have improved tool paths, resulting in more speed and efficiency and less stress on both the tool and the objects being cut. Because these new algorithms help tools cut more efficiently and faster, operators save time and the tools last longer.

Newest mobile robots require no factory overhaul
August 28, 2018
The latest mobile robots are designed to accomplish tasks in manufacturing plants without requiring major factory modifications. This emerging robot generation also meets workers where they are, functioning more like independent team members as opposed to complicated, difficult-to-use hardware.
Up Front
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Smart Manufacturing
Skills gap solutions, straight from those on the front lines
August 28, 2018With the September issue, Smart Manufacturing introduces Collective Intelligence, a new initiative under which we gather experts in one room to go deep on one important topic. We focused this first roundtable on the intractable problem of the workforce skills gap.
Passport To Innovation
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Smart Manufacturing
Africa as the ‘Next Growth Miracle’
July 3, 2018One of the fastest growing automotive markets in the world is India, and one of the most successful companies there is a company called Maruti Suzuki. Maruti formed a partnership with Suzuki in the 1980s.
Mfg Intel
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Expert Opinion
SME to deliver third digital transformation report at IMTS
September 10, 2018Throughout 2018, SME has published a series of Smart Manufacturing Industry Reports, with the third being released at IMTS this month. The reports, available at sme.org/reports, detail the necessity and advantages of smart manufacturing, the challenges to implementing digital solutions, and, finally, keys to implementing the technologies and tools.
Guest Columns
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Smart Manufacturing
Best to proactively address environmental compliance
August 28, 2018As the momentum to go green continues to build across the globe, the number of environmental regulations for reducing hazardous substances keeps growing. At the same time, more and more customers are now setting their own environmental requirements, adding more complexity to the mix. -
Smart Manufacturing
Calculating true ROI for robotic automation
August 28, 2018When considering a new robotic automation system, one of the biggest concerns can be the weight of the initial costs. While such a large capital expense may be hard to swallow at first, it’s industry-proven that manufacturers see an average ROI of 24 months from robots. -
Expert Opinion
IMTS 2018: A brave new world of manufacturing
August 28, 2018The International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS) is coming to Chicago’s McCormick Place Sept. 10-15. With more than 2,400 exhibitors, more than 100,000 visitors and 1.3 million square feet of space, IMTS is the largest showcase of cutting edge manufacturing technology in the Northern Hemisphere. -
Smart Manufacturing
One singular, sensational product data source
August 28, 2018Just getting familiar with the digital thread? You’ve come to the right place to learn what it is and why you need it for your products. -
Smart Manufacturing
How to get passenger airbag score lines just right
August 28, 2018Automotive manufacturers and their Tier One suppliers spend endless engineering hours developing the PAB (passenger airbag) system, from the airbag and its propellant to the construction of the materials used in the composite instrument panel. -
Smart Manufacturing
Communication tool could lift boats of many AM innovators
August 28, 2018The US Department of Defense (DoD) is keen on exploring the implementation of additive equipment in the battlefield and shipboard for quick-turn part fabrication.
Podcasts For You
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