All Features
(Lauren Neal: New York) -- Programs that encourage female students to study STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) subjects, and hiring initiatives that compel companies to boost their women in the workforce are all well and good. But until businesses do a better job of addressing what…
Mike Figliuolo
Have you ever met someone who was fired from their job? I’ll bet you $50 they said, “Yeah, I never saw it coming.” For some reason, getting canned always comes as a shock to people. They’re clueless as to how bad they’re doing and how close to the door they are.
Makes you wonder: Are you close to…
Ron Soonieus
Driven by geopolitical uncertainty, trade risks, and new technologies such as generative AI, the most profound business transformation in 50 years is underway. Alongside these factors, pressures from regulators and stakeholders are mounting around the reporting, transparency, and accountability of…
Tim Heston
At Metalworks Inc.’s main plant in Lincoln, Nebraska, co-founders Rob Ernesti and Doug Swanson walked past a new punch/laser system being tested, complete with part removal and stacking automation. It’s one piece of a value stream dedicated to a family of parts. They next walked by a row of small…
(Dürr: Southfield, MI) -- A long-established standard in the automotive industry, now in high demand across all industries, is automatic, flexible, and high-quality painting processes.
Dürr is aligning its painting technology with robotics solutions for general industry needs. Dürr and Kawasaki…
(LeakTronics: Agoura Hills, CA) -- LeakTronics, a leading innovator in the field of leak detection technology, has introduced its “LeakStick,” a groundbreaking solution designed to revolutionize the way leaks are detected and resolved. LeakStick represents a significant advancement in leak…
(Testrite Visual: Hackensack, NJ) -- Testrite Visual, manufacturer and innovator of visual display solutions, has announced the launch of its new line of patented steel fold-out merchandisers for point-of-sale marketing.
Brands spend millions of dollars each year on visual displays to showcase…
ISO
Healthcare administrators find themselves at the fore of a demanding and transformative field, where the pursuit of excellence in patient care is nonnegotiable. In a health industry landscape facing evolving regulations, escalating costs, and an increasing emphasis on patient outcomes, the need for…
Anne Trafton
Flat screen TVs that incorporate quantum dots are now commercially available. But it has been more difficult to create arrays of their elongated cousins, quantum rods, for commercial devices. Quantum rods can control both the polarization and color of light to generate 3D images for virtual-reality…
(Flowfinity: Vancouver, BC) -- Flowfinity Inc. has worked closely with engineers specializing in nondestructive testing (NDT) to help them create a unique solution using no-code tools that greatly reduce the time and effort required to collect, format, and report testing data while remaining…
(PartsBadger: Cedarburg, WI) -- PartsBadger, a leading provider of precision machining solutions, announces its latest offering in Swiss CNC machining services to meet the demands of the most intricate and high-precision components.
Swiss CNC machining is a specialized precision manufacturing…
Donald J. Wheeler
In last month’s column, we looked at how process-hyphen-control algorithms work with a process that is subject to occasional upsets. This column will consider how they work with a well-behaved process.
Last month we saw that process adjustments can reduce variation when they are reacting to real…
Julie van der Hoop
We’re all familiar with photos of Ford’s production lines in 1920. But would we recognize them today? As part of a broader trend referred to as “Industry 4.0,” systems in many factories have modernized considerably in recent years. This digitization of the manufacturing sector aims to apply…
(Key Technology: Walla Walla, WA) – Key Technology, a member of the Duravant family of operating companies, has introduced its new vibratory conveying systems designed to feed pick-and-place robots on packaging lines.
Each series of integrated conveyors meters, separates, singulates, and/or aligns…
(CIMdata: Ann Arbor, MI) -- CIMdata Inc., a leading global PLM strategic management consulting and research firm, announced an upcoming free educational webinar, “How Product Manufacturing Information Enables Digital Transformation.” The one-hour webinar will take place on Thursday, Nov. 9, 2023,…
Bryan Christiansen
Deciding whether to repair or replace an asset can be difficult. That’s why maintenance and reliability managers perform an analysis to determine whether it’s more economical to repair a failing asset or replace it with a new one. This process helps minimize total costs while ensuring that your…
Adam Zewe
Imagine grasping a heavy object, like a pipe wrench, with one hand. You would likely grab the wrench using your entire fingers, not just your fingertips. Sensory receptors in your skin, which run along the entire length of each finger, would send information to your brain about the tool you are…
(Mahr: Providence, RI) Mahr Inc., a leading provider of dimensional metrology solutions, has introduced its new MarSurf M 410 portable surface measurement instrument. The MarSurf M 410 uses a skidless probe system designed for both laboratory and production environments that makes recording and…
(Honeywell: Atlanta) -- Honeywell has launched Honeywell Product Quality Review, an innovative software solution for manufacturers of medical products. It’s designed to automate and streamline the annual product quality review (APQR) process, enabling medical organizations to efficiently assess the…
(HEIDENHAIN: Schaumburg, IL) – HEIDENHAIN announces its participation at the SOUTHTEC trade show, scheduled from Oct. 24–26, 2023, at the Greenville Convention Center in Greenville, South Carolina.
SOUTHTEC is recognized as the single best source to discover the next evolution of the manufacturing…
Douglas C. Fair, Scott A. Hindle
Today’s manufacturing systems have become more automated, data-driven, and sophisticated than ever before. Visit any modern shop floor and you’ll find a plethora of IT systems, HMIs, PLC data streams, machine controllers, engineering support, and other digital initiatives, all vying to improve…
Matt Fieldman
When I first started at MAGNET (part of the Ohio MEP) in 2015, I walked into my new office and saw a white paper sitting on my desk. In it, our former board chair Felix Brueck outlined how we could adapt the German apprenticeship model of workforce development to Northeast Ohio and reap real…
John Davis
Over the past decade, one of the biggest advances in enterprise resource planning (ERP) has been the ability to communicate and integrate with machines and external software programs to lower costs and increase efficiency. For example, BOM Compare software can reduce engineering costs and get jobs…
Reece Brown, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
(ORNL: Oak Ridge, TN) -- As current courses through a battery, its materials erode over time. Mechanical influences such as stress and strain affect this trajectory, although their effects on battery efficacy and longevity aren’t fully understood.
A team led by researchers at the U.S. Department…
NIST, Katie Rapp
(NIST: Gaithersburg, MD) -- It’s no longer news that many manufacturers find it difficult to attract and retain enough skilled employees. The nationwide manufacturing talent shortage and skills gap pose complex challenges that threaten individual companies’ bottom lines. In a larger context, these…
