Advanced Manufacturing Now

Daniel Cortez, North American applications manager at MC Machinery, gives the low down on what challenges modern manufacturers are facing in today's market. He also opines on emerging trends that can help manage the challenges. Additionally, he explains the concept of manufacturing velocity, as well as why head technology is so important in fiber technology.

Cobots, like other robot equipment, started in material handling applications. However, this year, Universal Robots is introducing welding applications and other heavy duty metal fabrication. This podcast interviewed onsite at FABTECH Universal Robots' senior manager of application development, Joe Campbell. Universal Robots was one of the first companies to offer collaborative robots and built a business around partnering with third party developers of end-effectors and end-use. Joe will explain how cobot technology has evolved to the point of safely offering a cost-effective solution for welding, working with end-effectors offered by third party developers

Keeping stamping equipment operating at peak efficiency is vital for fabricating shops. In this podcast, Alan Rooks, Editor in Chief of Manufacturing Engineering magazine, talks with Joe Bortolameolli, product manager for Marposs, about why the use of monitoring systems on stamping equipment is useful and necessary, how the Brankamp monitoring system from Marposs works, its availability on OEM equipment and as a retrofit solution, and the key production issues monitoring equipment is able to identify.

Industry 4.0, Automation and 3D printing are three of the hottest topics in manufacturing, and this podcast targets all three! Listen in as Alan Rooks, Editor in Chief of Manufacturing Engineering magazine, talks with Steve Fruehe, pre-sales solutions consultant, and Zach Gray, strategic business developer for Siemens about the basics of digitalization; approaches to gathering and storing the required data; and how app development figures into the equation. We also discuss new products and services for the fabrication and additive markets; how robotics has changed the landscape of fabrication and additive manufacturing; and what's happening at the Siemens Additive Manufacturing Experience Center in Germany.

Can you imagine laser tube and sheet cutters that you can wheel around and plug into a wall outlet? 3D Fab Light makes such machines. In this podcast, Alan Rooks, Editor in Chief of Manufacturing Engineering magazine, talks with Joel Rosenberg, CEO of 3D Fab Light Inc., about where the startup idea for FabLight Tube & Sheet came from, how the company is able to manufacture in the high-cost San Francisco Bay Area, how its sheet and tube cutting machines operate on 110V 20A wall outlet power, and their capabilities in terms of thicknesses, cutting beds, and tube sizes.

Kevin Smith, senior commercial application engineer at Markforged, explains how the Markforged Metal X 3D printing process works, for starters. He also gets into how FFF metal printing differs from DMLS and other processes. And he goes over materials that can be printed on the Metal X, as well as the applications that are best suited for metal 3D printing.

Lubrication has always been a key issue on manufacturing plant, but new technology has advanced the science of lubrication in remarkable ways. In this podcast, Alan Rooks, Editor in Chief of Manufacturing Engineering magazine, talks with Jerry Robinson, division manager for Castrol LubeCon about lubrication issues and trends that manufacturers are dealing with; common lubrication challenges they face; and new services and products that Castrol LubeCon is focusing on.

Everyone knows that companies like Amazon have turned the business of purchasing consumer products upside down. But how is online purchasing changing the business-to-business purchasing world? Alan Rooks, Editor in Chief of Manufacturing Engineering magazine, sat down with Kevin Weadick, President of Zoro.com, to find out. In this podcast, they discuss how B2B purchasing has traditionally been handled and how online purchasing is changing that equation; how online consumer shopping is setting expectations for B2B online purchasing; how manufacturers can navigate a "mixed market" of purchasing some of their products offline, and some online; and the services that Zoro has rolled out as well as the services it will be introducing in the future.

Time is money and reliability is what a company's reputation is built on. Chris Mahar, Associate Editor of Manufacturing Engineering, speaks with Mike Marr, Applications Technician at Hoffmann Group USA, about their Parabolic Performance Cutting (PPC) series and Garant Master Tap line. Discussing how manufacturers can reduce costs, provide process reliability and reduce machining times in both machining threads and 5-axis copy milling.

When it comes to being successful, manufacturers today have more tools than ever to succeed. Chris Mahar, Associate Editor of Manufacturing Engineering, talks with Jeff Lage, President, Advanced Manufacturing Technologies at Ellison Technologies, about how Industry 4.0 is helping manufacturers improve operations through data collection and insights. Providing tips on how businesses can get the most capacity out of their machines, remove waste and enable their machines do more.

Manufacturing is changing and so is factory automation and robotics. Chris Mahar, Associate Editor of Manufacturing Engineering, sits down with Amber Fulmer, Eastern Sales Manager for North America at OnRobot US, about collaborative robots and the future of automation in manufacturing. Highlighting the importance and variety in end-of-arm tooling that is available for collaborative robots and how it impacts the work that gets done.

When it comes to assembly, especially of today's sensitive electronics, batteries and more, precision is key. Chris Mahar, Associate Editor of Manufacturing Engineering, speaks with Greg Cooke, Applications Engineer for Promess, about servo technology and its benefits in assembly operations. Providing details about how servo technology can save money, applications where it makes the most sense and recent advancements in the space.

Manufacturing is thriving and advancing – creating new challenges for manufacturers looking to fill openings and attract tomorrow's skilled workers. Chris Mahar, Associate Editor of Manufacturing Engineering, speaks with Tony Christopher, Regional Sales Manager for Carr Lane Manufacturing, about labor challenges affecting manufacturing and how to attract and retain tomorrow's workforce.

Ever since the first industrial robot went online in 1961, manufacturers have been asking what, where, how and why should they turn to automation and robotics. Chris Mahar, Associate Editor of Manufacturing Engineering, speaks with Chris Voss, National Service Manager for Acieta, about the questions and answers facing manufacturers looking at robotics. Sharing how manufacturers can improve profitability, revenue, safety and quality through implementation of robotic automation systems.

Every manufacturer aims for faster, better parts. While chip making time is often the focus when it comes to time savings, Chris Mahar, Associate Editor of Manufacturing Engineering, talks with Steven Baier, Vice President of Sales for Haimer USA, about time savings that go beyond cutting time. Highlighting how consistency, balanced tooling and presetting are helping manufacturers produce better parts in less time – improving their bottom line.

Turning to software over paper reports does more than just save trees. Chris Mahar, Associate Editor of Manufacturing Engineering, talks with David McPhail, President and CEO of Memex Inc., about how manufacturers can utilize technology to improve efficiency, reduce downtime and boost productivity and profits across their business. Leveraging software to solve elusive waste in any facility.

Cutting tool technology continues to advance, and manufacturers can take advantage of a wide range of new cutting tool products. In this episode, Alan Rooks, Editor in Chief of Manufacturing Engineering magazine, talks with Tim Easton, National Sales Manager for NTK Cutting Tools about the company's role in the North American market; key new product developments; attributes of the NTK staff and how they work with customers; as well as forthcoming new products and new tool materials.

The world of industrial 3D printing is constantly changing, and innovations are appearing in rapid succession. In this podcast, Alan Rooks, Editor in Chief of Manufacturing Engineering magazine, talks with Dylan George, Application Engineer for Ultimaker North America, about what these changes mean for users of industrial 3D printing. Topics discussed include the Materials Alliance that Ultimaker founded; which industries have best embraced the benefits of 3D printing; end use cases; the new Ultimaker S3, a smaller printer; and the Ultimaker S5 Pro Bundle, an automated 3D printing solution.

Today's workforce is changing and workers stretch across four different generations. Chris Mahar, associate editor of Manufacturing Engineering, talks with Denise Ball, Workforce Education Specialist at Tooling U-SME, about how manufacturers can succeed in this new environment. Offering tips on how to attract and retain new generations of workers without alienating more experienced employees and their contributions.

In this podcast, Bruce Morey, Senior Technical Editor of Manufacturing Engineering Magazine, talks with John Barnes, Founder and Managing Director of The Barnes Group Advisors and Purdue Instructor about earning a certificate in additive manufacturing.

Will Hastings, Solutions Engineer at Velo3D and an expert in sourcing metal AM parts, talks about the ultimate in "support free:" FreeFloating. How is it possible to release your parts from the build plate? What are the benefits of FreeFloating? How do you select parts for FreeFloating? Hastings explains.

Today's machine tools and ancillary equipment are capable of gathering vast amounts of data. The question is how to analyze this data in order to develop ways to improve key processes. In this episode, Alan Rooks, Editor in Chief of Manufacturing Engineering magazine, talks with Andy Henderson, Vice of Engineering & Data Science for Praemo Inc. about how data analysis impacts manufacturing, the data requirements to do effective analysis, and key methods of analyzing data for actionable results.

Joe Szymanski, VP of sales and marketing at LK Metrology goes into detail about his firm's approach to Westec, including new products and services the company is offering and market segments in which it specializes. What sets LK apart from its competition? Find out here.

EMAG USA CEO Peter Loetzner reviews all that EMAG displayed at Westec in Long Beach—and describes the common challenges manufacturers face that EMAG offerings can solve. He also outlines the footprint of EMAG in North America.

At the Westec show in Long Beach, Calif., Cedric Hasenfratz, national sales manager at Zoller USA, explains what common challenges in manufacturing Zoller is determined to solve. He also goes over the company's approach to implementing tool-management solutions.

The Skills Gap in manufacturing is well documented. The question is what we are going to do about it. In this podcast, Alan Rooks, Editor in Chief of Manufacturing Engineering magazine, talks with Dean Steadman, CNC Education Program Manager for FANUC America, about how manufacturing is different than it was 20 years ago; the key challenges that need to be met to keep manufacturing strong; why it is important for the next generation to study STEM related courses; the benefits to a career in manufacturing; and how FANUC helps students and current workers become proficient with robotics and CNC automation.

At the WESTEC show in Long Beach, Calif., Nicholas Kaczmarski, national sales manager at Beamer Laser Marking System, talks with Brett Brune, Editor in Chief of Smart Manufacturing magazine about branding updates and an increase in solutions offered to the marketplace. He discusses the challenges manufacturers are facing, and how Beamer can provide solutions to remove the obstacles in the way. And he explains what the company does that differentiates it from competitors.

With metal-based additive manufacturing creating a lot of excitement and buzz, learning how to plan for and use it to best advantages is important. Andrew Carter, Senior Manufacturing Engineer for Stratasys Direct, the 3D printing manufacturing services company talks with Bruce Morey, Senior Technical Editor for Manufacturing Engineering magazine about the context and current best practices of metal-based additive manufacturing.

In today's metalcutting operations, optimization software plays a vital and growing role. In this episode, Alan Rooks, Editor in Chief of Manufacturing Engineering magazine, talks with Gene Granata, VERICUT Product Manager for CGTech, about the importance of optimization in metal cutting, how CGTech's VERICUT optimization software can be integrated with major CAM systems, how Force optimization is an improvement over other optimization strategies, and the types of toolpaths that VERICUT Force optimizes.

How is support-free breaking the rules of Designing for Additive Manufacturing? Dr. Zach Murphree, Vice President of Technical Partnerships at Velo3d, talks with Chris Mahar, associate editor of Manufacturing Engineering, about how Velo3d is enabling customers to print without the consideration of support structures, the types of applications it enables, and how it can actually improve the quality of printed parts.

Hidden energy loss can exist even within the most efficiently ran facilities. In this podcast, Han Tran, Application Engineer at Fluke Corporation sat down with Associate Editor Chris Mahar to discuss how to translate your energy management to money in your pocket.

With more than three decades' experience in manufacturing, 2019 SME President Mark Michalski has seen significant changes and remarkable technology advancements in his career. But it's what's coming in the next few years that most excites and impresses him. In this conversation with Chris Mahar, Associate Editor of Manufacturing Engineering magazine, Michalski looks back on his career, talks about what inspires people about manufacturing, and lends his perspective as SME president to what the next few years might hold for manufacturing: technology breakthroughs, process improvements, and how we'll address the workforce gap.

As the old saying goes, "a picture is worth a thousand words." But the pictures created by Fluke cameras are worth so much more – saving time, money and helping employees work better. Justin Sheard, Principal Engineer for New Product Solutions and Sat Sandhu, Thermography Support Manager at Fluke Corporation sit down with Associate Editor Chris Mahar to explain. From acoustic cameras to thermal imaging, these cameras mean business.

When it comes to the flow of making something – from concept to design to ordering to production – manufacturing hasn't changed as much over the last 50 years as many may believe. Gregg Bigleman, PhD, vice president of North American Sales at Sandvik Applied Manufacturing Technologies, sits down with Chris Mahar, associate editor of Manufacturing Engineering, to talk how new technologies can improve this process. Today's software and services are enabling a connected manufacturing environment that streamlines the manufacturing process into a single linear path, where information flows accurately and smoothly between the different stages and steps.

Relationships are the lifeblood of any organization and positively managing relationships is critical to successful sales. Adam Honig, founder and CEO of Spiro talks with Chris Mahar, associate editor of Manufacturing Engineering, about proactive relationship management and how AI is changing how manufacturing companies sell. Combining CRM, sales enablement and phone systems together are revolutionizing how manufacturers interact with their customers and improving relationship management.

Metal additive manufacturing is changing the way manufacturing happens—expanding design and performance capabilities beyond what has traditionally been available. In this podcast, Chris Mahar, Associate Editor of Manufacturing Engineering magazine, talks with Ron Fisher, Vice President of Business Development at Sigma Labs about metal additive manufacturing and how their in-process nondestructive quality inspection system is enabling manufacturers to maximize their metal-based additive manufacturing operations and quality control.

There have been important changes at manufacturing companies, and that has led to changes in how they approach tooling and workholding. In this podcast, Alan Rooks, Editor in Chief of Manufacturing Engineering magazine, talks with Paul Lewis, Regional Manager for BIG Kaiser Precision Tooling about changes in tooling and what managers need to consider even before they make the purchase, how managers can find the balance the time it takes to do their jobs, process work and fill commitments, and what the future looks like for these manufacturers.

Today, you can get almost anything you want near instantaneously – and now this immediate feedback is available for manufacturing. Greg Paulsen, director of applications engineering at Xometry, talks with Chris Mahar, associate editor of Manufacturing Engineering, about the company's instant quoting process and manufacturing on-demand capabilities. Paulsen explains how manufacturers can benefit from manufacturing as a service, the growth of Xometry and their new Xometry Supplies business to help manufacturers source the raw materials needed to power their operations.

Manufacturers lose millions of dollars each year due to employee turnover. Jeannine Kunz, vice president at Tooling U-SME, talks with Chris Mahar, associate editor of Manufacturing Engineering, about Tooling U-SME's recent "The True Cost of Turnover" report and the impact that employee turnover has on manufacturing productivity. In addition to talking about the impacts turnover has on manufacturing operations, Kunz shares ways manufacturers can retain employees and boost productivity.

Many people think that robots are putting people out of work. The real story is quite different. In this podcast, Alan Rooks, Editor in Chief of Manufacturing Engineering magazine, talks with John Lucier, FANUC Automation Manager for Methods Machine Tools, about the myths and reality of robotic automation, how automation can be used in high-mix low-volume manufacturing applications, how small shops integrate automation into their production floor, and much more.

Presetters have obvious benefits, yet many shops still set their tools on the machine. Why should they change the way they've always done things? In this episode, Alan Rooks, Editor in Chief of Manufacturing Engineering magazine, talks with Rob Salley, application engineer for Haimer USA, about this key topic, the new technology behind Haimer's Microset Presetters, and other toolholding technology, including how shrink-fit collets appear to be increasing is popularity and why shops should consider balancing their tool assemblies.

Metalworking fluids are a key part of the manufacturing process, but many shops don't understand the critical importance of choosing the right fluid for their processes. In this podcast, Alan Rooks, editor in chief of Manufacturing Engineering magazine, speaks with Drew Borders, business development manager for Blaser Swisslube, about why metalworking fluids should NOT be thought of as a commodity and an "unavoidable cost" to a company, how metalworking fluids can be a strategic tool for manufacturers, and the role of new vegetable oil or ester-based metalworking fluids.

In today's fast-paced business climate, manufacturers need all the help they can get in many different aspects of their operations—including marketing. In this podcast, Alan Rooks, editor in chief of Manufacturing Engineering magazine, talks with Damien Cabral, partner in TribalVision, about the marketing challenges facing manufacturing companies in today's business climate, why a company would want to use outsourced marketing instead of their own staffers, and some real-world examples of how this process works.

Financial stresses on your manufacturing employees can hinder their productivity. In this podcast, Geoff Giordano, contributing editor for Manufacturing Engineering magazine, speaks with Mike Domingos and Marc Howell of Prudential Financial about their latest research into the ripple effect on businesses when employees encounter financial issues. They reveal some ways to tailor your benefits packages to help head off financial emergencies for workers – and preserve your organization's overall financial health.

Measurement and inspection processes are becoming faster, more accurate, and more productive. In this podcast, Alan Rooks, editor in chief of Manufacturing Engineering magazine, talks with Frank Powell, product manager, grinder products for Marposs Inc. about where measurement and inspection systems fit during the production process, why the reputation measurement systems have for being very complicated is not true anymore, and how Marposs is positioning itself for the transition to Industry 4.0.

CAD/CAM software is one of the key elements in a sound machining strategy, and developers of this software take different approaches to creating, implementing and improving their products. In this podcast, Alan Rooks, Editor in Chief of Manufacturing Engineering magazine, talks with Don Davies, vice president, DP Technology Corp., the developer of Esprit CAM/CAD software about how post-processing in CAM is key to success in machining, DP Technology's approach to post processing, and how the Esprit solution differs from similar products in the market.

Historically, a company who had a need for parts required their own expensive manufacturing operations or navigate complex and time-consuming negotiations with potential suppliers. Ben Redwood, Director of Supply Chain at 3D Hubs and the author of the 3D Printing Handbook, talks with Chris Mahar, Associate Editor of Manufacturing Engineering, about how the company is connecting customers and manufacturing job shops together. 3D Hubs is helping manufacturers increase their bottom line by using 21st century thinking to help customers meet their 3D printing, CNC machining and injection molding needs. Ben is the writer of The 3D Printing Handbook, a top selling book on 3D printing for professionals. 3D Hubs is offering a free download of the first chapters of the book. To get your copy and to learn more about 3D Hubs, go to https://www.3dhubs.com/podcast/advancedmanufacturing.

At the AeroDef conference in Long Beach, Calif., Ascent Aerospace's Sean Henson describes some of the new technologies and innovations in composite mold tooling. He also gives an overview of Ascent and explains the advantages Ascent's HyVarC tooling has over traditional composite tooling materials. Lastly, Henson shares how he sees AM impacting the tooling industry in general.

At the AeroDef conference in Long Beach, Calif., Lincoln Electric's Mark Douglass talks about acquiring Baker Industries, experimenting in additive manufacturing—and planning to specialize in large-format metal AM: parts that are larger than a microwave. AM is a significant "growth leg" in the 124-year-old firm's just-hatched 2025 plan, he noted. Among the concrete examples in AM his firm can point to already: Oakridge National Labs now has three of Lincoln's robotic AM systems for producing large metal parts. Lincoln is set to this year open a 3D printing facility in Cleveland.

At the AeroDef conference in Long Beach, Calif., Daniel Martinez of Siemens Digital Industries patiently describes how OEMs and supply chain members that haven't yet taken up digitization move into it now. For the uninitiated, he also describes his firm's totally integrated automation (TIA) portal and how it helps companies in their production strategies. And, for those in the aerospace and defense sectors who still don't quite get the Digital Twin, he details its importance.