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February 2021

The February 2021 edition of Smart Manufacturing is now available as a digital magazine. Links to individual articles are below.
Sudhi Bangalore, CTO for global operations at Stanley Black & Decker.

‘At the cusp of something awesome’

January 19, 2021
Sudhi Bangalore, chief technology officer for global operations at the tool giant Stanley Black & Decker, champions the global movement toward smart manufacturing.
Michael Anderson
By Michael C. Anderson Contributing Lead Editor
CEO Howard Grimes understands that cybersecurity cannot be “an economic black hole” for manufacturers.

Meet CyManII, Uncle Sam’s 2020 nod to the urgency of cybersecurity

January 21, 2021
Mark 2020 as the year the U.S. government chose to stand up a Manufacturing Innovation Institute focused solely on cybersecurity.
Brett Brune
By Brett Brune Editor in Chief, Smart Manufacturing
The STARC elements of Sensors, Thermal control, Actuators, Robotics and Computation being used in a metamorphic cell.

Get ready for metamorphic manufacturing

January 14, 2021
Metamorphic manufacturing, also known as robotic blacksmithing, is poised to bring about faster time to market, less material waste, more available materials, less energy used and more control, proponents said.
By Karen Haywood Queen Contributing Editor, SME Media
David Rampton, VP at the supply-chain management consultancy Aerofied

CMMC: Experts parse DoD’s new cybersecurity rules

January 19, 2021
Current and prospective member companies of the defense industrial base (DIB) have watched with interest as the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) developed its all-encompassing Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) program.
Michael Anderson
By Michael C. Anderson Contributing Lead Editor
Jade Le Maître developed Heasy, a mobile and interactive information kiosk, as CTO of the robotics firm Hease. She is now the emerging technologies leader at CGI.

Twenty women making their mark in robotics & automation

February 3, 2021
If there is a common thread found in the women Smart Manufacturing identified as making their mark in robotics and automation, it is a heightened awareness of the impact humans have on the planet without trying, as well as the positive impact we can have with concerted efforts.
Ilene Wolff
By Ilene Wolff Contributing Editor, SME Media
Leanne Gluck Additive manufacturing business and industry strategy Autodesk

Autodesk goes after the ‘early majority’

January 28, 2021
To cash in on the additive market in the future, the company knows it has work to help customers move beyond the early adopter phase.
Kip Hanson
By Kip Hanson Contributing Editor, SME Media

Upfront

  • SME SPEAKS

    EOS Consultant on Finding Your True North in Manufacturing

    Yash Parikh, PhD, Process Engineering Consultant, EOS; SME Member Since 2021 July 14, 2026
    The first time I held a metal part fresh off a laser powder bed fusion build, I felt the same excitement many young engineers feel when a new technology works as promised. The geometry was there and the build was completed. But I also felt uneasiness.
  • ADDITIVE

    Turning Plastic into 3D-Printed Profits

    Michael McConnell July 14, 2026
    Aaron Osirus noticed a lot of his classmates were always playing with fidget spinners. It gave the 12-year-old an idea: Why not make his own and sell them to other students?
  • NEWS DESK

    Hypertherm Launches Quote Manager for Faster, Accurate Pricing

    PRESS RELEASE: Hypertherm Associates July 14, 2026
    Hypertherm Associates, a U.S.-based leading manufacturer of industrial cutting systems and software, launched Quote Manager, a new optional module for its ProNest nesting software. This web-based application extends precision quoting capabilities across the organization, enabling faster, more confident pricing decisions grounded in real production data.

Field Intelligence

  • SME SPEAKS

    EOS Consultant on Finding Your True North in Manufacturing

    Yash Parikh, PhD, Process Engineering Consultant, EOS; SME Member Since 2021 July 14, 2026
    The first time I held a metal part fresh off a laser powder bed fusion build, I felt the same excitement many young engineers feel when a new technology works as promised. The geometry was there and the build was completed. But I also felt uneasiness.
  • ADDITIVE

    Turning Plastic into 3D-Printed Profits

    Michael McConnell July 14, 2026
    Aaron Osirus noticed a lot of his classmates were always playing with fidget spinners. It gave the 12-year-old an idea: Why not make his own and sell them to other students?
  • NEWS DESK

    Hypertherm Launches Quote Manager for Faster, Accurate Pricing

    PRESS RELEASE: Hypertherm Associates July 14, 2026
    Hypertherm Associates, a U.S.-based leading manufacturer of industrial cutting systems and software, launched Quote Manager, a new optional module for its ProNest nesting software. This web-based application extends precision quoting capabilities across the organization, enabling faster, more confident pricing decisions grounded in real production data.