Modern CNCs Make Easy Work Out of Tough Stuff June 27, 2018 It’s the machine tool acronym you never bother to put into words: CNC. And much of the time it’s probably OK to view your “computer numerical control” as a black box doing magic. But if you’re struggling with high-speed machining, need better surface finishes or higher accuracy, have training and retention problems, or want a better handle on your production efficiency, the answer just might be the latest iterations of those three little letters.
IIoT: From Catchphrase to Reality June 27, 2018 There are plenty of manufacturing catchphrases: the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), Industry 4.0 and the Digital Factory. “Sometimes it’s a lot of buzzwords. Sometimes there’s a lot of reality behind it,” said Roger Hart, research and development manager of Siemens (Berlin and Munich, Germany).
ARM Announces Awardees of First Funding Round June 12, 2018 Pittsburgh, PA – June 12, 2018 — Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing (ARM) is proud to announce the awardees of its first round of project funding to strengthen U.S. manufacturing. Separate from ARM’s first official project call, these projects were selected upon ARM’s inception to begin generating timely impact on the national manufacturing landscape and serve as examples of ARM’s mission.
Report Urges US Investment in Manufacturing June 14, 2018 A new report urges the United States invest in emerging manufacturing technologies, saying the private sector can’t preserve US manufacturing by itself.
Auto to See More Robots June 20, 2018 Automotive is one of the most highly-automated industries in the world, and it has been a leading force in expanding the use of industrial automation for decades. In fact, the first industrial robot in production was a Unimation UNIMATE that GM installed on a die-casting line in New Jersey in 1962.
Newest mobile robots require no factory overhaul August 28, 2018 The latest mobile robots are designed to accomplish tasks in manufacturing plants without requiring major factory modifications. This emerging robot generation also meets workers where they are, functioning more like independent team members as opposed to complicated, difficult-to-use hardware.
Advances in CAD/CAM enable faster, efficient cutting, longer tool life August 28, 2018 Advances in CAD/CAM algorithms have improved tool paths, resulting in more speed and efficiency and less stress on both the tool and the objects being cut. Because these new algorithms help tools cut more efficiently and faster, operators save time and the tools last longer.
Hybrid Machine Tools Offer One-Two Punch August 17, 2018 When additive manufacturing first hit the market, some said it would eventually be the death of traditional, or subtractive, CNC machining. More than 30 years later, new machines are showing additive manufacturing as it really is—a complementary technology.
Skills gap solutions, straight from those on the front lines August 28, 2018 With the September issue, Smart Manufacturing introduces Collective Intelligence, a new initiative under which we gather experts in one room to go deep on one important topic. We focused this first roundtable on the intractable problem of the workforce skills gap.
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.