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SME Media Smart Manufacturing Magazine June 2020

June 2020

The June 2020 edition of Smart Manufacturing is now available as a digital magazine. Links to individual articles are below.
View Digital Magazine
Comau’s MATE, an acronym for Muscular Aiding Tech Exoskeleton, transfers about 30 percent of the muscular burden from the shoulders to the pelvis.

For older workers, wearables are where it's at

May 13, 2020
When the ergonomics team at General Motors decided to field test wearables to augment their plant workers’ physical abilities, they partnered with body mechanics experts who collect data in a scientific way—and talked with users.
Ilene Wolff
By Ilene Wolff Contributing Editor, SME Media
Andrew Scheuermann giving a presentation in Beijing as part of a 2018 tour introducing U.S. tech firms to Chinese manufacturers. The tour was sponsored by Legend Star, the financial side of Lenovo.

Crossing the digital divide key to improving labor productivity

May 18, 2020
Inside an electronics factory in China as late as early 2019, workers and smart machines were building circuit boards with chips in a multi-step process using a variety of machines from different vendors.
By Karen Haywood Queen Contributing Editor, SME Media
20 Most influential professors

The 20 most influential professors in smart manufacturing

May 13, 2020
Innovation in smart manufacturing can come in a flash from a lightbulb moment, but those instances are few. More often than not, breakthroughs in technology, such as bioprinting, blockchain, cloud-based manufacturing and real-time production control, happen after years of careful study accompanied by painstaking, methodical work done sometimes in academic settings.
Ilene Wolff
By Ilene Wolff Contributing Editor, SME Media
Sander Rotmensen, head of product management for industrial wireless communication at Siemens, taking part in a 5G panel discussion at Hannover Messe last year.

For manufacturers and 5G, it’s still ‘early days’

May 14, 2020
Although the first iteration of 5G technology has offered limited use cases in manufacturing, the next two generations, now expected to be available in the fall of this year and then the fall of next year because of COVID-19-related delays, will help factory owners achieve greater digital transformation of their factories.
By Karen Haywood Queen Contributing Editor, SME Media
An explosion on May 22, 1919, at the Douglas Starch Works plant in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, killed 43 workers and injured 30 others. MākuSafe CEO Gabe Glynn’s great grandfather survived—by a stroke of luck.

One man's war on disaster

May 12, 2020
Factory safety is not a theoretical issue for Gabe Glynn, CEO of the wearable tech firm MākuSafe.
Brett Brune
By Brett Brune Editor in Chief, Smart Manufacturing
MxD CEO Chandra Brown, right, and Carolyn Lee of The Manufacturing Institute speak at a February event hosted at MxD.

MxD succeeds in encouraging firms of all sizes, schools to mix well

May 26, 2020
The figurative skull and crossbones marking the tech-demo and -validation period commonly called the “valley of death” are in the rearview mirror, MxD CEO Chandra Brown asserts.
Brett Brune
By Brett Brune Editor in Chief, Smart Manufacturing

Upfront

  • Why the Right Conveyance System Matters
    MANUFACTURING ENGINEERING

    Why the Right Conveyance System Matters

    Bill LeAnna, Sales Product Manager, TS Conveyors, Bosch Rexroth Corp. January 17, 2026
    Conveyors have long been the backbone of assembly lines. Every workpiece, from a small component to a larger assembly, relies on consistent movement between stations.
  • N.C. State Awarded Department of Defense-Funded METAL Hub
    PRESS RELEASES

    N.C. State Awarded Department of Defense-Funded METAL Hub

    PRESS RELEASE: North Carolina State University January 16, 2026
    North Carolina State University is proud to announce a new partnership with Metallurgical Engineering Trades Apprenticeship & Learning (METAL) to enhance and scale up industry-driven training opportunities for current and prospective metalworking and manufacturing professionals. Led by IACMI – The Composites Institute, with funding from the Department of Defense’s Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment Program, METAL strengthens and diversifies the U.S. metal manufacturing workforce, focusing on casting, forging and plate rolling.
  • Automation Alley Kicks Off 2026 Integr8 Roundtable Series Next Month
    PRESS RELEASES

    Automation Alley Kicks Off 2026 Integr8 Roundtable Series Next Month

    PRESS RELEASE: Automation Alley January 16, 2026
    Automation Alley, Michigan’s Digital Transformation Insight Center, announced its 2026 Integr8 Series featuring six thought-provoking roundtables focused on the technologies, strategies and global forces shaping the future of digital transformation.

AM Update

  • Why the Right Conveyance System Matters
    MANUFACTURING ENGINEERING

    Why the Right Conveyance System Matters

    Bill LeAnna, Sales Product Manager, TS Conveyors, Bosch Rexroth Corp. January 17, 2026
    Conveyors have long been the backbone of assembly lines. Every workpiece, from a small component to a larger assembly, relies on consistent movement between stations.
  • N.C. State Awarded Department of Defense-Funded METAL Hub
    PRESS RELEASES

    N.C. State Awarded Department of Defense-Funded METAL Hub

    PRESS RELEASE: North Carolina State University January 16, 2026
    North Carolina State University is proud to announce a new partnership with Metallurgical Engineering Trades Apprenticeship & Learning (METAL) to enhance and scale up industry-driven training opportunities for current and prospective metalworking and manufacturing professionals. Led by IACMI – The Composites Institute, with funding from the Department of Defense’s Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment Program, METAL strengthens and diversifies the U.S. metal manufacturing workforce, focusing on casting, forging and plate rolling.
  • Automation Alley Kicks Off 2026 Integr8 Roundtable Series Next Month
    PRESS RELEASES

    Automation Alley Kicks Off 2026 Integr8 Roundtable Series Next Month

    PRESS RELEASE: Automation Alley January 16, 2026
    Automation Alley, Michigan’s Digital Transformation Insight Center, announced its 2026 Integr8 Series featuring six thought-provoking roundtables focused on the technologies, strategies and global forces shaping the future of digital transformation.

Passport to Innovation

  • Why the Right Conveyance System Matters
    MANUFACTURING ENGINEERING

    Why the Right Conveyance System Matters

    Bill LeAnna, Sales Product Manager, TS Conveyors, Bosch Rexroth Corp. January 17, 2026
    Conveyors have long been the backbone of assembly lines. Every workpiece, from a small component to a larger assembly, relies on consistent movement between stations.
  • N.C. State Awarded Department of Defense-Funded METAL Hub
    PRESS RELEASES

    N.C. State Awarded Department of Defense-Funded METAL Hub

    PRESS RELEASE: North Carolina State University January 16, 2026
    North Carolina State University is proud to announce a new partnership with Metallurgical Engineering Trades Apprenticeship & Learning (METAL) to enhance and scale up industry-driven training opportunities for current and prospective metalworking and manufacturing professionals. Led by IACMI – The Composites Institute, with funding from the Department of Defense’s Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment Program, METAL strengthens and diversifies the U.S. metal manufacturing workforce, focusing on casting, forging and plate rolling.
  • Automation Alley Kicks Off 2026 Integr8 Roundtable Series Next Month
    PRESS RELEASES

    Automation Alley Kicks Off 2026 Integr8 Roundtable Series Next Month

    PRESS RELEASE: Automation Alley January 16, 2026
    Automation Alley, Michigan’s Digital Transformation Insight Center, announced its 2026 Integr8 Series featuring six thought-provoking roundtables focused on the technologies, strategies and global forces shaping the future of digital transformation.

Field Intelligence

  • Why the Right Conveyance System Matters
    MANUFACTURING ENGINEERING

    Why the Right Conveyance System Matters

    Bill LeAnna, Sales Product Manager, TS Conveyors, Bosch Rexroth Corp. January 17, 2026
    Conveyors have long been the backbone of assembly lines. Every workpiece, from a small component to a larger assembly, relies on consistent movement between stations.
  • N.C. State Awarded Department of Defense-Funded METAL Hub
    PRESS RELEASES

    N.C. State Awarded Department of Defense-Funded METAL Hub

    PRESS RELEASE: North Carolina State University January 16, 2026
    North Carolina State University is proud to announce a new partnership with Metallurgical Engineering Trades Apprenticeship & Learning (METAL) to enhance and scale up industry-driven training opportunities for current and prospective metalworking and manufacturing professionals. Led by IACMI – The Composites Institute, with funding from the Department of Defense’s Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment Program, METAL strengthens and diversifies the U.S. metal manufacturing workforce, focusing on casting, forging and plate rolling.
  • Automation Alley Kicks Off 2026 Integr8 Roundtable Series Next Month
    PRESS RELEASES

    Automation Alley Kicks Off 2026 Integr8 Roundtable Series Next Month

    PRESS RELEASE: Automation Alley January 16, 2026
    Automation Alley, Michigan’s Digital Transformation Insight Center, announced its 2026 Integr8 Series featuring six thought-provoking roundtables focused on the technologies, strategies and global forces shaping the future of digital transformation.