Advanced Manufacturing Now

Training in advanced manufacturing technology is a hot topic as companies grapple with the skills gap. In this episode, Alan Rooks, Editor in Chief of Manufacturing Engineering magazine, interviews Roger Tadajewski, Executive Director and CEO of NC3. Tadajewski explores the need for training in advanced manufacturing technology; how the industry can ensure that new workers are properly trained; ho...

Wade Anderson, product specialist manager at Okuma America Corp., talks about his company's line of machine tools as well as the issues job shops should consider for automating their operations. He talked to Senior Editor Bill Koenig at the 2018 edition of IMTS.

Mark Johnson, president of Tapmatic, talks to Senior Editor Bill Koenig about the tapping industry and tap holders made by his company. Johnson talks about Tapmatic products that were on display at the 2018 edition of IMTS. The executive also talks about the economy and how it has helped Tapmatic.

Italian manufacturers have a lot to offer, both in their home country and in North America. At IMTS 2018, Alan Rooks, Editor in Chief of Manufacturing Engineering magazine talks with Marco Saladini, Trade Commissioner, and Bart Pascoli, Project Manager North America for Machines Italia and the Italian Trade Agency in Chicago. Saladini and Pascoli explain the role of the Italian Trade Agency and it...

When you think of Bluetooth you might think about your phone, your car or that sleek pair of headphones and speaker you have. In this episode, Chris Mahar, Associate Editor of Manufacturing Engineering magazine, talks with Chuck Sabin, Senior Director, Business Strategy and Planning at Bluetooth SIG. Sabin explains how Bluetooth is used in the manufacturing and industrial sector; what Bluetooth me...

Would you be surprised to learn that manufacturing workers are particularly vulnerable to personal financial problems? You'll learn about that and more in this podcast, in which Alan Rooks, Editor in Chief of Manufacturing Engineering magazine, talks with Mike Domingos, Vice President, National Corporate Strategy and Distribution for Prudential Financial. Domingos explains why Prudential is concen...

Kevin Kerrigan, senior VP in the automotive office at the Michigan Economic Development Corp., discusses how MEDC is helping Industry 4.0 gain traction in Michigan. He gets into how Michigan supports Automation Alley, which works to demystify new technology for smaller manufacturers, as well as LIFT and IACMI. The crux of the smart factory is being able to make, better, faster decisions, he notes...

SME CEO and Executive Director Sandi Bouckley on day one of IMTS. Among the topics: the future of manufacturing is increasingly digital; workforce development and training as a cultural imperative; and attracting and training the next generation in manufacturing.

Dean Phillips, founder and owner of Longevity Industries, an International Director for SME, and a Production Enhancement Engineer at LINK Systems, dives into how artificial intelligence (AI) and computer programs like Watson will help manufacturers achieve five-year goals. Watson, he notes, is helping manufacturers avoid the "garbage in, garbage out" phenomena that happens when people ask the wro...

Inside today's machine shops, having 5-axis capability is no longer a luxury; it's a must-have. To price parts competitively, and to make a good profit, shops need to have the efficiencies 5-axis provides. Many shops are planning to make this move, so Advanced Manufacturing Now engaged Errol Burrell and Wade Anderson, product specialists at Okuma America, to discuss exactly how to make the transit...

Eyeing what he says will soon become the world's largest workforce, "Motoring Africa" author Edward Hightower details how manufacturers can more profitably serve the growing African market by producing in six countries: South Africa, Morocco, Kenya, Ghana, Ethiopia, and Nigeria.

Manufacturers are living more on the edge these days—as in "edge computing" and "intelligence at the edge." In this podcast, Alan Rooks, Editor in Chief of Manufacturing Engineering magazine, talks with Diego Tamburini, Principal Industry Lead – Manufacturing Industry Experiences for the Cloud + Enterprise Division of Microsoft, about the definitions of edge computing and intelligence at the edge,...

Manufacturers around the world are struggling to combat $50 billion of unplanned downtime per year. And so 5ME wants to give them the data "at their fingertips" needed for continuous improvement programs. The software 5ME is promoting for this is called Freedom. 5ME Executive Vice President Jeff Price gives a scenario of how a company can use Freedom, which he said is appropriate for anyone—"from...

There are many aspects of smart manufacturing that are evolving quickly, and simulation is one of them. In this podcast, Alan Rooks, Editor in Chief of Manufacturing Engineering magazine, talks with Christopher Parker, NCSIMUL Applications Engineer for SPRING Technologies, about the role of machine simulation and the role it plays in manufacturing, the industries where simulation is vital, and wha...

On the rare occasion that Manufacturing Engineering Editor Emeritus Jim Sawyer thinks about the intersection of insurance and manufacturing, it is usually in terms of fire, theft, personal injury and the like. However, in this conversation with Mike Domingos, VP of national corporate strategy and distribution at Prudential Financial, he learns of other challenges impacting people's financial welln...

Additive manufacturing has made tremendous strides in recent years and has advantages over traditional manufacturing processes in many applications. However, AM still faces significant barriers. In this podcast, Alan Rooks, Editor in Chief of Manufacturing Engineering magazine, talks with Matt Wise, CEO of Fisher Unitech about AM's current and future role in manufacturing, including innovative new...

Smart manufacturing, Industry 4.0, and the Industrial Internet of Things are all fast-evolving concepts that are changing how manufacturing processes are designed and implemented. In this podcast, Alan Rooks, Editor in Chief of Manufacturing Engineering magazine, talks with Ben Mund, Senior Market Analyst for CNC Software Inc., the developer of Mastercam CAD/CAM Software, about how companies are a...

Pete Rogers, a vice president of Acieta, discusses an impending "welding labor crisis" of a shortage of skilled welders. He talks about automated welding systems can take the load of repetitive welding tasks.

Duann Scott of Autodesk discusses developments in software for additive manufacturing. He talks about simulation and design for 3D printing with Bill Koenig, a senior editor of Manufacturing Engineering. This podcast was recorded at the RAPID + TCT in Fort Worth, TX, in April.

Sean Touhey, a junior in the manufacturing engineering program at Western Washington University, describes the innovation that led to his 5-person team winning the "design for digital manufacturing" competition for university students at RAPID + TCT. His team focused on eliminating leftover residue (sticky stuff on the dashboard), visual obstruction and airflow obstruction for cell phone mounts. L...

At the RAPID + TCT conference in Texas, Brian McLean, director of rapid prototype at Laika Entertainment, explains what led to his being awarded a Scientific and Engineering Oscar Plaque in 2016 for pioneering the use of 3D printers in stop-motion animated characters. He goes into the ways AM can be a competitive advantage, including precision, color accuracy, volume and repeatability. And he comp...

Dr. Mike Grieves, executive director of the Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Innovative Design at Florida Institute of Technology, explains ITEAM (Independent Technical Evaluation of Additive Manufacturing), which was recently introduced at RAPID + TCT. ITEAM is, he said, "a user-driven consortium to help advance AM faster than what is happening right now." The focus is on creating an informa...

At RAPID + TCT, Bruno Boutantin of Extrude Hone and Laurent Cataldo of Binc Industries speak about their firms' new joint offering: Finish 3D, for AM. It is, Cataldo said, "a full solution for the global market, for medium- and high-volume production series." It combines Binc's MMP (micro machining process) technology—a physical, mechanical and catalyst process "usually used to very low roughness...

At the RAPID + TCT show in Texas, Chris Schuppe, GM of AddWorks at GE Additive, explains a new offering called AddWorks. He gets into how it came about, what it is, why it is needed, and what types of services GE is offering with it. Listeners who are already in AM can still benefit from AddWorks, said Schuppe, who details what automotive and medical customers have accomplished with AddWorks. "We'...

Roger Hart, research and development engineering manager of Siemens, talks to Senior Editor Bill Koenig about additive manufacturing at the RAPID + TCT Show in Fort Worth, TX. They discuss how Siemens is changing its strategy to use 3D printing. The company is moving to transition from rapid prototyping to "true manufacturing," according to the executive. Hart also talks about Industry 4.0 and oth...