Purchasing and supply executives expect manufacturing to continue expanding in 2019, according to a survey by the Institute for Supply Management.
When Meyer and Ida Cohen founded Meyda Tiffany Co. in the early 1970s based on a family hobby of making stained glass windows, it’s doubtful that they ever thought it would evolve into the leading U.S. manufacturer of custom and decorative lighting.
Simulation in manufacturing is becoming much more pervasive. Advanced visualizations are used everywhere, from machining on shop-floor CNCs to offline CAD/CAM programming of NC equipment.
If you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed by the prospect of Industry 4.0, and perhaps a bit sheepish about your lack of progress, you’ve got good company.
With the new ByStar Fiber 12kW, high speeds and a large spectrum of applications are possible. The ByStar Fiber from Bystronic is being enhanced with a 12kW Fiber laser and a newly designed cutting head which enables the “BeamShaper” option, enabling consistent cutting quality on varied material qualities up to 1.125 inches.
Finland-based global welding automation manufacturer Pemamek Oy named Michael Bell director of sales for its North American subsidiary Pemamek LLC. Pemamek provides welding automation technology and integrated manufacturing solutions to a wide range of industries including shipbuilding, heavy fabrication, oil and gas, wind energy, and boiler manufacturing.
As additive manufacturing (AM) moves from prototypes to mass production, manufacturers are setting their sights on the holy grails—the products and processes that will be game-changers. Many game-changers are already in play.
As with any digital transformation process, the devil is in the details, and there are many potential pitfalls that can derail projects.
Road to maturity involves safeguarding supply chains, treating security with the same urgency as safety, for starters.
There is no shortage of competition in a global market. As a manufacturer trying to get ahead of the pack, automation can help with problems like a limited skilled labor force, quality control issues and suboptimal throughput. But the high initial cost and extended implementation time can be deterrents.