More US funds needed to address workforce skills gap August 17, 2017 A strong manufacturing ecosystem that includes manufacturing engineering education is critical to ensuring the future vitality and innovation of manufacturing initiatives in the US. So it was welcome news to learn that the DOD is developing a new manufacturing engineering education (MEE) grant program, authorized by Congress with initial funding of $10 million for fiscal 2017.
Zooming ahead in data-management tool adoption August 15, 2017 Manufacturers of many stripes can save money just by making better use of data emanating from the factory floor. But for those in aerospace and defense—Airbus Helicopters is a prime example—the potential payoffs are legion.
Northrop using AM to efficiently make coldplates, cable clamps, more August 10, 2017 How do manufacturers love additive manufacturing (AM)? Bianca Lankford, a mechanical engineer at Northrop Grumman, can count the ways: antennas, brackets, clamps, coldplates, ducts, plenums and test fixtures.
How to save a cool $100 million. Each year. August 8, 2017 A major aerospace equipment manufacturer struggled to balance supply and demand. The failure resulted in long lead times, high inventory, rising costs and an inability to meet customer demand. The manufacturer risked loss of market share.
How to set off on the smart manufacturing journey August 1, 2017 Conrad Leiva, vice president for product strategy and alliance at iBASEt and chair of the smart manufacturing working group at MESA International, speaks with Smart Manufacturing magazine Editor in Chief Brett Brune.
IoT Tech Accelerates Among Manufacturers: Survey July 25, 2017 Manufacturers are accelerating use of Internet of Things (IoT) technology, according to a survey of 66 companies.
Welcome to the team sport of condition monitoring July 25, 2017 Condition monitoring is exploding. All manufacturers of any type of equipment are putting sensors in their machines,” said Michael Fry, a director with CIMdata.
Use-based maintenance beats alternatives hands down July 18, 2017 Unplanned downtime and production loss due to equipment failure is one of the leading losses for manufacturers. Most shops perform maintenance on a fixed schedule or on failure. This means a machine will be maintained regardless of how often it is used and unexpected breakdowns will stop production.
Five signs companies aren’t fully maximizing AM’s potential July 18, 2017 With additive manufacturing (AM) as an established part of many companies’ product development and manufacturing processes, there has been a greater understanding of the technology’s technical and business advantages. With that, more users are benefitting from lighter and more durable parts, increased design freedom and on-demand part production.
Mazak iSMART Factory Initiative Spreads to Japan Plant July 13, 2017 Mazak Corp. (Florence, KY) continues its steady advance toward the complete factory digitization of all its manufacturing operations with the recent transformation of its Oguchi, Japan, facility into yet another Mazak iSMART Factory.
