Industries Still Struggle With Automation, Consulting Company Says October 11, 2018 Various industries are still struggling with automation despite long-standing efforts, consulting McKinsey & Co. said in a report.
Walking the Talk at IMTS 2018 October 10, 2018 I just returned from IMTS in Chicago and my first thought was, “where will I be able to rack up all those bonus steps I got last week?” On the easiest day, I walked 7.9 miles, and I topped 10 miles on two other days. It’s easy to understand why.
EDMs Take a Big Step Up To Unattended Eroding September 27, 2018 For the most part, EDMing is an unattended, or at least lightly-attended process. Unlike CNC lathes and machining centers, where a broken cutter during the night can make for a truly bad morning, sinking a mold cavity or cutting a trim die requires little in the way of babysitting—why wouldn’t you let the machine run on its own after everyone’s gone home for the day?
Universal Robots Sells 25,000th Cobot, Launches Next Evolution September 11, 2018 Universal Robots (UR, Odense, Denmark) was one of the pioneers of today’s modern field of collaborative robots (cobots) with the launch of the UR5 robot in 2008, however the company didn’t rest on its laurels at IMTS 2018 in Chicago.
CIMdata Report: Mastercam Retains No. 1 Ranking for CAM Software September 7, 2018 According to CIMdata’s latest report, Mastercam is the No. 1 CAM software used worldwide. CIMdata also ranked Mastercam’s global support network as the largest in the field of CAM.
Digitalization Boosts Auto Parts Cell Production By 20% September 5, 2018 Increases in size and quantity of its orders led Wisconsin-based auto parts manufacturer Felss Rotaform LLC (New Berlin, WI) to expand operations through a new dual-robot machine-tending cell. The company is a supplier of precision parts using its rotary swaging, axial forming and tube end-forming processes.
Software, Quality Inspection Deliver Auto Parts Safety September 4, 2018 Although drivers may not know it, cable connections for the airbags and seatbelt buckle systems in their vehicle simply would not work without components manufactured by ODW-Elektrik. A development partner and supplier for high-quality cabling, solenoids and mechatronic systems used in vehicles around the world, ODW-Elektrik supplies most of its products to Bosch, Autoliv, Brose, VW, and ZF.
Cobot Fuels Plastics Manufacturer’s Growth September 4, 2018 Step inside Pride Solutions LLC’s bustling shop floor in Hutchinson, MN, and you’ll see a shiny new CNC lathe turning out tube after tube of aluminum. While Pride’s machinists do more important things, a Universal Robot model UR10 collaborative robot (cobot) does the grunt work, loading and unloading the machine to keep up with high-volume orders.
CMMs Grow Their Niche August 30, 2018 For CMMs, the good times continue to roll. “One of the surprising things that has happened in just the last three to four years is the sheer volume of CMMs that we are shipping,” said Angus Taylor, president of Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence, North America (North Kingstown, RI). “The market seems to be really exploding.”
CAD/CAM Programs Get Parts On, Off Machine Faster, More Efficiently August 29, 2018 Ask almost any CAD/CAM vendor what they’re focused on and they’ll tell you it’s the same today as it was five years ago, and it’ll be the same in five years: Get the part onto the machine as fast as possible and get it off the machine as fast as possible. Here’s the current state of play in those two main areas.