MIDACO Corp. (est. in 1969) of Elk Grove Village, Illinois, continues to expand its Automatic Pallet Changer line with the introduction of a FOUR-pallet system on ONE shuttle. Whether running high volume production of the same part or programming several different set-ups, the Automatic Rotary

There has been a lot in the news lately about the virtual reality (VR) “metaverse.” Facebook even changed its name to Meta in announcing what future it was chasing, while Microsoft, Google and Apple are all talking about or are rumored to be developing the next generation of VR tec

Propelled by a surge in non-automotive sectors, the number of robots sold in North America set a new record in 2021, with 39,708 units sold at a value of $2 billion, a 14% increase over the previous high in 2017.  According to new industry statistics released today by the Association for

It’s been a while since Scott Lowen was in school, but he still does “science projects.” That’s what Lowen jokingly called a proof-of-concept project to measure a part and have the resulting data determine corrections that are fed automatically to a turning center, mill

The surge in use of digital production and communications tools during the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the future of the hybrid workplace, in which some employees and tasks can be redirected outside the manufacturing facility. However, while personnel like designers and engineers are

Sometimes the followup to learning is more learning. I am a student at Ivy Tech Community College (Ivy Tech) through the online program. I received my associate of science degree in design technology from Ivy Tech Bloomington in 2019 and started work at Whitney Tool Co. Inc. (whitneytool.co

Some autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) can summon elevators, get in and go to a new floor. But like a group of riders too polite to be the first to step out when the doors open, robots from different vendors will be logjammed waiting for the others to leave once the car reaches their destinat

When it comes to keeping cash secure, there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Cash-handling touches virtually every consumer and industry, from grocery and retail to quick-service restaurants and convenience stores. Even concert venues and hotels need reliable cash-handling equipment tailored

One of a handful of big tech companies that can trace its roots back as far as the 1970s, Seagate Technology, Cupertino, California, has been perched on the cutting edge of data storage and management solutions for decades. Now a $10 billion mass-data storage infrastructure solutions company,

Many manufacturers are locked in on a strategy for success that has served them well for years. But tried-and-true manufacturing strategies have been upended by unpredictable market demands and supply chains, rising costs, shipping delays and staffing shortfalls. Growing volatility highligh

Over the past several years, the market has seen widespread change. In conjunction with the post-pandemic new normal, enterprises across sectors have also contended with countless other disruptions. What’s more, these disruptions—namely decarbonization, servitization and digitaliza

Science and technology go hand in hand in solving the world’s problems, and robotics and automation are the latest innovations set to tackle one of our biggest issues: poverty. The number of people developing advanced technologies, such as robotics and artificial intelligence, to provide

Sudbury, Mass., Jan. 4, 2022 -- Methods Machine Tools, Inc. a supplier of high-quality CNC tools and automation systems in North America, announced today the completion of its acquisition of Texas-based Koch Machine Tool. Methods announced in October 2021 its intent to purchase Koch to grow it

Bay County received a welcomed award at the September 21st Commission meeting. James Blair, with Navigator Consulting, formally presented the award to Bay County and Bay Economic Development Alliance (Bay EDA) for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Certification. Now you may be asking yourself

AS THE 2022 SME president, I hope to build on the successes of my predecessors with a particular emphasis on workforce development and especially the workforce itself. When I joined SME in 1997, I was part of the Accreditation and Education Committee. I was extremely impressed by the work that

Well, the time has come to take down my shingle, hang up my spikes, pick up my gold watch and head out to the old fishing hole (wait a minute, I don’t fish!). Yes, it’s time for me to retire. I’ve been part of the magazine business for 40-plus years as a writer and editor, ba

Rosenboom of Sheldon, Iowa, built a thriving business delivering hydraulic cylinders engineered for specific applications and custom solutions. It provides precision hydraulic cylinder systems to the construction, refuse, agriculture, fire rescue and transportation industries. The company&rsqu

Keeping processes and machinery running in optimal condition requires a strategic mix of scheduling and planning and effective allocation of resources. But even then, industrial equipment will still break down one day. As one might expect, all this makes maintenance management costly, at ti

With “Robotics-as-a-Service” (RaaS) on the rise, manufacturers have greater accessibility and freedom to deploy robots. Many small to mid-sized enterprises (SMEs) are facing labor shortages, with 10,000 baby boomers retiring each day, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, a number t

For manufacturers, CNC machine tool spindles are critical to any drilling, milling, boring, grinding, routing, cutting, or sawing process.  However, when these systems deteriorate and fail due to contaminants, human error, improper maintenance, lubrication issues, or poor spindle design,