Advanced Manufacturing Now

One of the key challenges in aerospace manufacturing is how to measure and inspect the complex and demanding parts used in aerospace applications. In this episode, Alan Rooks, editor in chief of Manufacturing Engineering , talks with Mark O'Connell, applications engineer for ZEISS Industrial Quality Solutions, about the challenges aerospace components like airfoils pose for industrial metrology; h...

Composites are increasingly becoming a key feature of the aerospace market. In this episode, Chris Mahar, Associate Editor, talks with Doug Decker, aerospace consultant and retired technical fellow at Northrup Grumman – winner of the 2019 J.H. "Jud" Hall Composites Manufacturing Award. Decker shares his insights about composites within the aerospace market and a bit of history on how he got to whe...

Pivot International CEO Mark Dohnalek talks with Smart Manufacturing magazine's Brett Brune about not only Industry 4.0 but also how manufacturers are breathing a sigh of relief because of the China Trade Deal First Phase, the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement and the arrival of Brexit. Dohnalek also details how Pivot has successfully alleviated trade tensions operationally.

When it comes to manufacturing – especially machining – the toolroom is the heart of an operation. The critical tool management, cleaning, assembly, presetting and delivery that comes out of the toolroom is what keeps manufacturing life pumping out on the shop floor. Chris Mahar, Associate Editor, talks with Jeff Schemel, North American Sales Manager at Rego-Fix, about how automating their toolroo...

Alan Rooks and Brett Brune, editors in chief of Manufacturing Engineering and Smart Manufacturing, respectively, preview some of the actionable information readers can find in the February issues.

Terry Wohlers, a renowned expert on additive manufacturing, and Bruce Morey, Senior Technical Editor for SME's Manufacturing Engineering Magazine, discuss the present and future of AM in the medical and dental fields. Applications are discussed and skepticism addressed as the industry anticipates RAPID + TCT in Anaheim April 20-23 and the Additive Manufacturing for Medical Yearbook SME will publis...

When it comes to making something move, whether it be a robot arm, machine head, assembly line or more, you need to get the power from where it is generated to where the movement happens – enter gearboxes. Mike Quaas, President of DieQua, sits down with Chris Mahar, Associate Editor, to talk about the world of automation and how gearboxes are critical to its deployment. Gearboxes have been around...

SME Interviewed Reid Coe, President of COE Press Equipment at FABTECH in November 2019. This podcast explores Advanced High Strength Steels and the impact on Coil Processing Equipment. Advanced High Strength Steels are certainly making an impact in the auto industry, and we learn about the challenges they pose to processing equipment. The podcast covers the purpose of coil feed equipment in the pr...

SME interviewed onsite at FABTECH Shawn Miely, Senior Marketing Manager for Pro Segment of MakerBot. Founded in 2009, MakerBot was one of the first companies to make 3D printing accessible and affordable with its first 3D printer, the Cupcake CNC. This podcast features a discussion about the new MakerBot Method X in general, new materials available, and additive manufacturing for professionals.

As manufacturers continue to see demand for tighter tolerances and less waste, new solutions are needed to solve challenges. Dave O'Neil, Vice President of SME Media, sits down with Patrick Cratty, Assistant Product Manager and Richard Bevers, Southern District Manager for BIG Kaiser Precision Tooling, to talk about new technology and products. Hitting upon how digital technology and advanced work...

SME interviewed at FABTECH Greg Morehouse. He is the Executive Vice President for operations, Acieta, a leading RIA certified and FANUC Authorized System Integrator. This podcast describes how Acieta defines custom automation and how one should approach the task of engaging an integrator like Acieta in procuring an automation system, whether your shop has three people or 300.

When it comes to making decisions for manufacturing, you don't know what you don't know. But solutions exist for changing this. Chris Mahar, Associate Editor for Manufacturing Engineering , talks with Egbert Schröer, Principal Program Manager Azure Industrial IoT & AI at Microsoft, to talk about artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things. Technologies that are enabling manufacturers to imp...

Today, an iPhone has more than 100,000 times the processing power of the computer that took Neil Armstrong to the moon in Apollo 11 – and the size and capabilities of today's computer boards are making an even more monumental change in how we manufacture. All this technology gives manufacturers the capability to operate, as stated in The Six Million Dollar Man , "better, stronger, faster." Christo...

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...

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 equ...

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 requ...

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 Fra...

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 f...

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 han...

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 mac...

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 mos...

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...

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...