Advanced Manufacturing Now

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 packa...

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 compl...

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...

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 manuf...

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 poin...

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 defens...

At the AeroDef conference in Long Beach, Calif., Lee Coleman, managing director of the U.S. machining division at Suhner, discusses the company's aggressive move into the robot tool area. He also talks about what his firm's new cooperative venture with PushCorp means for the future. And he gets into what impact composites have had on Suhner's business strategy in aerospace manufacturing.

In an interview at the AeroDef conference in Long Beach, Calif., George Barnych of B3 Technical Services details a demo project at the University of New Hampshire. The project addresses the promises of automation and IoT adoption. It explores ways to minimizing financial and technical risks for small and medium-size manufacturers. The underlying system is based on open standards. The project is be...

At the AeroDef conference in Long Beach, Calif., Creaform's Payam Hariri explains who in manufacturing is using 3D scanning, as well as all the ways in which it is being used.  It is a cradle-to-the-product-shelf tool tale: It begins with product development and ends with production and QA.

If you cut metal and make chips, machine tools are the lifeblood of your operation. Ryan Hegman, National Sales Manager, Caron Engineering Inc, talks with Chris Mahar, Associate Editor of Manufacturing Magazine, about how software and sensors can improve CNC machine tool life and performance. From better predicting and managing tool life and replacement intervals to maximizing precision through au...

Smart Manufacturing magazine Editor in Chief Brett Brune interviews Stéphane Lannuzel, chief digital officer for operations at L'Oréal, in Paris. "The digital transformation of L'Oréal Operations is really led by our consumer needs. Our consumers have changed more in the last three years than in the past 30 years," Lannuzel says.

Manufacturing is growing more automated every day, and the fabrication industry is no exception. In this episode, Alan Rooks, editor in chief of Manufacturing Engineering magazine talks with Mark Scherler, general manager of FANUC America about the latest FANUC robot technologies for welding and cutting; how solutions for the Industrial Internet of Things may change how manufacturing operations ar...

Manufacturing analytics allows companies to use data to drive more effective decision making. In this podcast, Alan Rooks, editor in chief of Manufacturing Engineering, talks with Eric Fogg, chief operating officer of MachineMetrics, about the role of the Industrial Internet of Things and Industry 4.0 in manufacturing analytics; key new apps from MachineMetrics (MachineMetrics Health and MachineMe...

Do you know the exact amount of downtime for each of your machines? Jim Finnerty, Product Manager, Wintriss Controls Group, sits down with Chris Mahar, Associate Editor of Manufacturing Magazine, to talk about the value of automating data collection on the shop floor. Finnerty discusses the benefits over manual data collection and how businesses can capture data's low hanging fruit – getting the m...

Think you know robots? Learn the facts in this podcast, when Chris Mahar, Associate Editor of Manufacturing Engineering magazine, talks robotics with Pete Rogers, Vice President, Operations for Acieta. Rogers talks about the challenges manufacturers large and small are facing and how robotics can address these macro issues. You'll learn how robots improve opportunities and utilization of workers,...

Growing up attending SME chapter meetings with his dad, 2018 SME President Thomas Kurfess, PhD, FSME, PE, talks with Chris Mahar, Associate Editor of Manufacturing Engineering magazine, about his 35 years as an SME member and his year as SME President. Looking to the future, Kurfess shares his thoughts on how manufacturing can better engage and attract the next generation of professionals and what...

The Skills Gap in the U.S is real and growing. In this podcast, Alan Rooks, Editor in Chief of Manufacturing Engineering magazine, talks with Jeannine Kunz, vice president of Tooling U-SME and vice president, director of training and development, about why manufacturers should be worried about the skills gap; factors contributing to the skills gap; and what manufacturers can do about it. They also...

The trend to robotic machine tool tending is picking up speed (as well as parts). In this podcast, Alan Rooks, Editor in Chief of Manufacturing Engineering magazine, talks with Stefan Drakensjo, Vice President, Robots & Applications - Global Business Line Manager – Handling & Machining for ABB. The discussion includes how to define robotic machine tool tending; the benefits robotic automation prov...

Automation doesn't have to be difficult. With the right strategy, job shops can install and use automation that keeps their companies competitive with larger firms. In this podcast, Alan Rooks, Editor in Chief of Manufacturing Engineering magazine, talks with Amanda Rosenblatt, marketing coordinator for Shop Floor Automation about her company's approach to automating machines; how easy it is for s...

Sanjay Thakore, business strategy manager for Autodesk, talks with Candace Roulo, managing editor, about how the cloud brings data, people and machines together, and the challenges often seen in manufacturing environments and how they are solved by the cloud during IMTS 2018 in Chicago.

One of the key aspects of business that is sometimes overlooked is the partnerships that develop between independent companies. In this podcast, Alan Rooks, Editor in Chief of Manufacturing Engineering magazine, talks with Ben Mund, Senior Market Analyst for CNC Software, the developer of Mastercam CAM software about CNC Software's take on the value of business partnerships, how the company partne...

Jay Elepano, optical CMM/SFG product manager for Zeiss Metrology LCC, talks with Candace Roulo, managing editor, about lasers, automation, cooperative robots and how to attract and retain a skilled workforce during IMTS 2018 in Chicago.

David Suica, president of Fastems LLC, discusses how automation and Industry 4.0 can be combined to help job shops overcome labor shortages and produce production. He talked to Senior Editor Bill Koenig at the 2018 IMTS event in Chicago.

Steve Baier, national sales manager of Haimer USA, talks about Industry 4.0 issues that job shops should consider. He spoke during at the 2018 edition of IMTS in Chicago.