Advanced Manufacturing Now

In quality control operations, technicians may need to see right through the part. That's when X-ray CT technology becomes a highly effective choice. In this episode, Alan Rooks, Editor in Chief of Manufacturing Engineering magazine, talks with Andrew Ramsey, X-ray CT Consultant for Nikon Metrology, about key features and capabilities that X-ray CT technology offers for additive manufacturing (AM); challenges in AM where X-ray CT can provide a solution; the different types of measurements that can be done with X-ray CT; and how to ensure the accuracy of these measurements.

In this podcast, Bruce Morey, Senior Technical Editor for Manufacturing Engineering Magazine discusses why manufacturers should seriously consider electric presses and actuation systems in lieu of hydraulic or pneumatic ones. Discussion is with Stephanie Price, Senior Application Engineer-Promess.

With IoT and Industry 4.0 being the omnipresent new paradigm in manufacturing, increasing the speed, amount, and accuracy of data generation is a critical necessity. Solutions the integrate metrology data should dramatically increase productivity, reduce errors, provide full documentation and automate the acquisition process. Bruce Morey, Senior Technical Editor for Manufacturing Engineering Magazine discusses all this with Jeff Wilkinson. He is the Director of Research & Development at The L. S. Starrett Co. Click here to learn more.

How to step on the gas with regard to the long-planned digital transformation in manufacturing? Jaci Sager, VC Portfolio Manager at Caterpillar, and Paul Boris, Chief Revenue Officer at Praemo, have some answers. For teams that are seeing success, is it the technology they chose? Is it the leaders tasked with facilitating it? Or is it some combination of both? The answer might seem obvious, but the path is not.

In this podcast, Bruce Morey, Senior Technical Editor for Manufacturing Engineering Magazine discusses how new internet tools can help you with maintaining your manufacturing equipment with Sam Wright. He is a Director of Business Development at The UP! App. Click here to learn more.

Sharing design files is a critical part of manufacturing operations, but typical file-sharing operations can create challenges for the people involved. In this episode, Alan Rooks, Editor in Chief of Manufacturing Engineering magazine talks with Jim Zwica, Director of Manufacturing Solutions for Vertex, about the purpose of sharing files in manufacturing; the primary challenges and problems it causes; and new alternatives to file sharing that may be a better option for many companies.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a major challenge for the manufacturing industry and its professional associations. In this episode, Alan Rooks, editor in chief of Manufacturing Engineering magazine and Brett Brune, editor in chief of Smart Manufacturing magazine, talk with Bob Willig, who joined SME as CEO on January 1 as executive director and CEO. Among other topics, Willig comments on why he joined SME; what the industry should expect out of SME post-pandemic; the outlook for manufacturing; areas of opportunity for SME; aspects of smart manufacturing that interest him; and how manufacturers in general and SME in particular can target the workforce skills gap.

Jeff Huerta, Senior VP for Sales at Vecna Robotics, speaks on how successful companies are advancing their operations with fully autonomous material handling equipment, and how some facilities are achieving very quick ROI. He also describes the differences between an AMR and an AGV, and addresses the topic of safety. Lastly, he prescribes ways to get started with this equipment, including what upfront costs companies should be prepared for.

Today's machine tools create an enormous amount of data. One way of using this information is to implement automated feedback processes that improve machining operations. In this episode, Alan Rooks, Editor in Chief of Manufacturing Engineering magazine, talks with Scott Mahrle, director of business development for Q-DAS and Hexagon Integrated Solutions, and Frank Krazer, system engineer for Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence, about what automated machine tool feedback is and how it impacts the manufacturing process; how automated machine tool feedback can increase the efficiency of both people and equipment; how it can produce costs savings; and how manufacturers can build workers' confidence in this process.

John Keogh, LIFT's engineering director, shares all the things the institute and its additive manufacturing partners are doing to develop methods and techniques to better understand the materials and their dimensions – in real time - as they undergo the additive process.

There is not a lot that all manufacturers of every type and size have in common, but all struggle with same challenge—the skills gap and a changing workforce. John Hindman, Director, Learning and Performance Improvement at Tooling U-SME, sits down with Chris Mahar, Associate Editor, to talk about how manufacturers can benefit from today's multigenerational workforce. Hear John talk about best practices for training millennials and Gen Z workers to become high performers, and other workforce tips and tricks.

In this podcast, Bruce Morey, Senior Technical Editor for Manufacturing Engineering Magazine discusses collaborative robots, or cobots, with Steve Apel. He is a Regional Automation Manager for Acieta. In this role, he helps solve customer challenges through the adoption of new robotic automation technologies.

Italy has long been a key provider of manufacturing technology to the U.S. market. In this podcast, Alan Rooks, Editor in Chief of Manufacturing Engineering magazine, talks with Bart Pascoli, Project Coordinator for Machines Italia–and Marco Saladini, Trade Commissioner-Chicago for the Italian Trade Agency about Machines Italia and its role in the North American manufacturing industry; the results of a recent Machines Italia awareness survey of 500 purchasers of Italian machinery in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada; key highlights from the digital version of Machines Italia magazine, volume 13, which is focused on Next Generation Manufacturing; and where to find more information about Machines Italia and its offerings to the manufacturing industry.

As the world recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, trades shows are once again on the horizon around the globe. In this podcast, Alan Rooks, Editor in Chief of Manufacturing Engineering magazine, interviews Bart Pascoli, Project Coordinator for Machines Italia, and Marco Saladini, Trade Commissioner-Chicago of the Italian Trade Agency, about the plans being made for EMO Milan 2021, one of the largest machine tool exhibitions in the world, which is scheduled for Oct. 4-9, 2021; what is coming up 2021 in terms of North American digital and physical trade events that Machines Italia will be involved in; and other events, including a webinar with the ME Editorial Board focused on the results from a survey on manufacturing trends in the post COVID landscape and testimonials from Italian machinery suppliers.

Listen to this Smart Manufacturing magazine cover story: Twenty women making their mark in robotics & automation

EnvisionTEC CEO Al Siblani—whose firm is being purchased by Desktop Metal—discusses photopolymers' move from prototyping to production. He gets into how he sees the sale will impact his company, as well as Desktop Metal and the 3D printing market in general. For the uninitiated, he also patiently explains how the 3d printing of polymers has progressed over the years. Last but not least, he details EnvisionTEC's plans for growth—and asserts that the cost of 3D printing has reached a point where it is disrupting plastics.

Cybersecurity is growing more critical every year. Much of the focus has been on protecting information technology (IT) assets, and operational technology security can be been overlooked. In this episode, Alan Rooks, Editor in Chief of Manufacturing Engineering magazine, talks with Michael Rothschild, Senior Director of Marketing for Tenable about what has changed to cause operational technology security to gain a high profile; how OT environments are different from, and similar to IT; what types of attacks are impacting OT environments; what can happen if an OT attack is successful; common methods for detecting OT based attacks; and how proactive security is a powerful strategy for OT security.

In this podcast, Bruce Morey, Senior Technical Editor for Manufacturing Engineering Magazine discusses with Dan Doiron, Milling Product Manager, EMUGE how to extend tool path distance during pre-finishing and finishing operations in five-axis machining with EMUGE's circle segment cutters. Learn more.

In this podcast, Bruce Morey, Senior Technical Editor for Manufacturing Engineering Magazine discusses with Jennifer Taylor, Vice President of Business Development, Central Florida Development Council (CFDC) the opportunities for companies who want to establish manufacturing centers in Central Florida.

Additive manufacturing, or 3D printing, has been a game changer in how products are designed, produced and manufactured. But 3D printed parts don't just come out of the machine ready to use, sometimes intensive manual post-processing is required. Jeff Mize, CEO of PostProcess Technologies, sits down with Chris Mahar, Associate Editor, to discuss their automated post-processing technology and how fully digitalized additive manufacturing is further benefiting the industry.

Some machining applications need more torque than others, and gear head spindles can provide it. In this episode, Alan Rooks, Editor in Chief of Manufacturing Engineering magazine, talks with Nick St. Cyr, Product Manager for Methods Machine Tools about gear head spindle and why machine shops may need them; the different styles of gear head spindles; the principal applications that require gear head Spindles; the main benefits of a gear head spindle; the programming challenges when using a gear head spindle; and the other features of the machine need to be taken into consideration for a machine with a gear head spindle.

In this podcast, Bruce Morey, Senior Technical Editor for Manufacturing Engineering Magazine discusses with Lisa Ryan, Chief Appreciation Strategist for Grategy why engaging and recognizing employees is so important and the right way to go about doing it. With approximately 10,000 baby boomers retiring every day, it's more important than ever to attract the best employees you can hire while dealing with an ever-shrinking talent pool. Although the past decade has focused on Millennials, Gen Z has arrived, and they are "wired" completely different than their Millennial counterparts. In this session, you'll learn the characteristics of your newest employees and how to acclimate your company and your leadership for their arrival.

Welding has been around for millennia, but today's technology doesn't often benefit from the information- and feedback-rich technologies that its machining cousin does. Christopher Ripley, Director of Business Development, and Eduardo Almeida, Director of Engineering, Innovation and R&D for BrandTech®, sit down with Chris Mahar, Associate Editor, to talk about the company's BrandTech® Precision Welding system and how its computer-controlled system differs from traditional stud welding.

Manufacturing cost accounting can be a challenge even for seasoned financial accountants. In this podcast, Alan Rooks, Editor in Chief of Manufacturing Engineering magazine, talks with David Lechleitner, Senior Consultant for Ultra Consultants, about how manufacturers can understand how to more accurately cost jobs; the costing options available in most ERP solutions; and how to effectively utilize them to identify "winners" from "losers."

In this podcast, Bruce Morey, Senior Technical Editor for Manufacturing Engineering Magazine discusses with Robert Ravensbergen Marketing Director-Omnirobotics how today's automation technology can make your manufacturing operation autonomous and its benefits to companies with a high mix of products.

The ARM Institute umbrella created "the perfect ecosystem to collaborate and remove barriers," says Juan Aparicio of Siemens Technology. His company recently acted with unusual speed – and in concert with Maxim BioMedical, Siemens Healthineers, Henderson Sewing Machine Co., Yaskawa America, HomTex and FedEx – to help protect Americans dealing with COVID-19 using robotic and flexible automation technology. Several projects, with Siemens Technology as lead, are currently ongoing and will contribute to fight the pandemic at different fronts: having faster tests, higher levels of mask automation and more autonomous disinfecting capabilities. They also greatly shrank the time it takes to write proposals and get contracts inked.

When it comes to addressing the skills gap and enabling a more productive workforce, manufacturers need to take a look at all the tools at their disposal. In this episode, Alan Rooks, Editor in Chief of Manufacturing Engineering magazine, talks with Scott Goforth, Product Marketing Manager for Gorbel Inc. about the skills gap and how companies can deal with the challenges it poses; strategies for companies seeking to lower costs and increase customer service levels; how manufacturers can acquire custom solutions to enhance the effectiveness of their operations; and how the manufacturing landscape has changed in the COVID era.

Lean is a way of life for many manufacturers and an opportunity for those who haven't yet started their lean journey. But identifying who in your organization should lead the charge isn't always clear. Process improvement and manufacturing strategy specialist Jeff Sipes, Owner and Principal, Back2Basics LLC, sits down with Chris Mahar, Associate Editor, to shine a spotlight on the lean leaders you can find within your own organization. From identification to development, Jeff details the role of lean leaders within an organization—from senior executives to the front-line.

In this podcast, Bruce Morey, Senior Technical Editor for Manufacturing Engineering Magazine discusses with Kevin Rohrbach, Head of North America for Zehnder Clean Air Solutions strategies to manage welding smoke and fumes in your manufacturing facility, and how this helps your bottom line.

In this podcast, Bruce Morey, Senior Technical Editor for Manufacturing Engineering Magazine discusses with Glenn Nausley, President of Promess, how technological advances in making standard equipment can lower manufacturing costs.

Manufacturing is growing in the U.S., but there are not enough skilled workers to fill all of the available jobs. In this episode, Alan Rooks, Editor in Chief of Manufacturing Engineering magazine, talks with Joe Mazzeo, Owner of Integrated Lean & Quality Solutions, about why is not having enough skilled trades in manufacturing is a major problem; the consequences of this problem; how the U.S. got into the position of not having enough young people going into skilled trades; and what can and is being done to get more young people interested in and pursuing careers in the skilled trades.

(Narrated Smart Manufacturing magazine article)

In this podcast, Bruce Morey, Senior Technical Editor for Manufacturing Engineering Magazine discusses with Carl Dekker President of Met-L-Flo, Inc. on how to embrace Additive Manufacturing. This will cover the costs of equipment, personnel, and incidentals. Also discussed will be the design considerations that make AM excel.

As digital capabilities grow, industrial transformation is taking place throughout the world. What does this mean for manufacturers? In this episode, Alan Rooks, Editor in Chief of Manufacturing Engineering magazine, talks with Emmanuel Leroy, executive vice president of Industry Solutions for ESI Group, in charge of industry strategy, go-to-market and performance, about the transformation taking place in manufacturing due to advanced simulation capabilities; how the auto industry is using simulation technology to transform its design/build strategies; and where smart manufacturing is headed in the next three to five years.

In this podcast, Bruce Morey, Senior Technical Editor for Manufacturing Engineering Magazine discusses digital transformation with Jason Ray Co-Founder & CEO of Paperless Parts. The future of your business is more reliant on strategic initiatives centered on digitizing even the most common manufacturing processes like quoting, shop floor execution, and manufacturing management. As digital technologies become more prevalent, having a digital strategy and action plan allows you to reach your customers more effectively.

IIoT expert Steve Jones who will speak Oct. 29 at "The Best of SMX" (smxevent.com), describes in detail the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), as well as AI/machine learning and other promising technology for manufacturing's future. Like with many things in life, it is important to set goals first, the Steelcase executive says. Not sure where to begin with IIoT? Never fear: Jones has the answer.

In this podcast, Bruce Morey, Senior Technical Editor for Manufacturing Engineering Magazine discusses with Jerry Foster of Plex the issues and concerns around artificial intelligence and manufacturing, and perhaps more importantly, how business leaders could manage culture change and adoption of new technologies.

Vecna Robotics' David Clear and SVT Robotics' TJ Fanning go into reasons manufacturers might want to consider automation and AI. They also look at how to test assumptions and scale with so many variables changing moment by moment. The adage "change is the only constant" has never been more apropos. So, it's a great time to hear what separates a complex system from a complex adaptive system.

As automation technology becomes more effective, cost effective, and easier to implement, job shops are automating more and more of their processes. In this episode, Alan Rooks, editor in chief of Manufacturing Engineering magazine, talks with Michael Gaunce, group manager, stationary workholding for Schunk Inc., about what a small to medium size job shop should consider when starting and exploration into automation; the particular machines or jobs that are easier to automate over others; why high part quantities are not needed in order to automate a job; what types of skills a shop should look for in employees working with automation; and how to define categories for the different styles of automation used in machine tool tending.

Quality is an issue for every manufacturer. It can rob profits, reduce productivity and damage relationships with customers. To tackle this issue, Mark Netzel, Vice President of Quality at Die-Matic Corporation, talks with Chris Mahar, Associate Editor, about how creating effective problem solving doesn't need to be complex. Manufacturers of all types and sizes can improve their products and profits through a process-based problem-solving program based on individual needs and resources.

In this Podcast, Bruce Morey, Senior Technical Editor for Manufacturing Engineering Magazine discusses up-front purchase price as compared to total cost of ownership (TCO) with John Krause, Applications Engineer with Promess, Inc. Manufacturers should be aware of how the total spend for equipment, when spread out over a few years of operation, may be higher for equipment that costs less to purchase up-front.

Cloud computing has become more prevalent in our daily lives and the ability to access the internet nearly anywhere at any time has allowed for manufacturers to become more able to view real-time shop data across all departments. In this podcast, Bruce Morey, Senior Technical Editor for Manufacturing Engineering magazine discusses using cloud-based business systems with Kevin Must, Marketing Manager for Lantek Inc.

Listen to this Smart Manufacturing magazine cover story: In the thick of the 'herculean' vaccine push. Moderna is among the companies able to tackle the most urgent of matters precisely because of their digital strength.

Listen to this Smart Manufacturing magazine article: Pandemic makes case for more automation, robotics. Outbreak poised to prompt changes in the way manufacturers use automation.

Catalytic CEO Sean Chou explains the difference between process automation and robotic automation, as well as what it looks like to use automation to augment existing workflows. Importantly, he describes how manufacturers can use automation to do more with less—to lessen supply chain pressures that have grown because of globalization and the Covid-19 crisis. And he details which processes manufacturers can automate to optimize resources and productivity.

Robotics have come a long way since the first industrial robot was installed at General Motors. Denise Ebenhoech, Regional Head of Advanced Robotics Applications at KUKA Robotics, sits down with Chris Mahar, Associate Editor, to discuss recent developments within mobile robots. From cleans rooms to job shops to moving entire airplane assemblies, autonomous mobile robots are helping manufacturers succeed in today's advanced manufacturing landscape.

John Deere's Eric Johnson discusses the company's additive manufacturing journey—with an eye toward helping small and medium businesses get going in AM. Learn about the early days of getting one of the first AM parts, as well as unrealistic expectations of the technology and how John Deere is creating value with the technology today. Finally, Johnson provides tips on unlocking the value of AM for your business in five key applications.

Joe LaRussa, director of seat industrial engineering at Brose North America, takes on one of the most challenging topics in manufacturing today: Nurturing, recruiting and retaining talent that will help advance the industry's digital transformation.

Grinding is a vital process for manufacturing and finishing precision parts, but some manufacturers overlook some of the key ways they can improve the grinding process. In this episode, Alan Rooks, editor in chief of Manufacturing Engineering magazine, talks with Doug Henke, technical specialist for DCM Tech, serving the South & Southeastern United States and Mexico, about the main reasons a manufacturer should take the time to optimize their grinding processes; the root causes of some common grinding problems; high level optimization tips for grinding operators; and how selecting the proper abrasive can be a difficult task but is essential.

Bruce Morey, Senior Technical Editor for Manufacturing Engineering Magazine in this podcast engages in a wide ranging discussion on Digital Twin technology with Ron Beck, Marketing Strategy Director for Aspen Technology, Inc.