How Bright is the Future of Automation? April 17, 2020 In the 1955 short story “Autofac,” Philip K. Dick envisioned a world dominated by self-replicating robots that work incessantly, eventually depleting the planet’s resources.
Hitachi Powdered Metals Embraces Robotic Automation, Boosts Volume 400 percent in Tight Labor Market March 30, 2020 Hitachi Powdered Metals (USA) Inc. began a gradual investment in industrial robots at their Greensburg, Ind. plant in 2005, driven by the emergence of a tightening labor market and the opportunity to produce an extremely fragile product.
Deburring in Forming and Fabricating: Part 1 June 18, 2020 Deburring can sometimes be overlooked in production planning, but it is a critical part of forming and fabricating processes. In this podcast, part one of two, Alan Rooks, Editor in Chief of Manufacturing Engineering magazine, talks with Dr. LaRoux Gillespie, a researcher, engineer, manager, consultant, and writer with an extensive knowledge base on deburring and finishing gained from decades of both hands-on manufacturing and academic work. Dr. Gillespie is also a past president of SME. In this episode, the discussion focuses on key issues that create burrs in casting/forging/ molding, blanking and bending operations, and the basics of deburring in three key areas: burr properties, acceptable deburring, and cost effective deburring.