Overwhelmed by the digital promise of Industry 4.0? Don’t be. The smart factory is all about getting accurate and precise information that should help manufacturers crank out more parts and help eliminate major tooling and machining problems. The smart factory: It was everywhere at

What happens when the worlds of IT and OT have to be more closely aligned than ever before? We talk to manufacturers on both sides of the equation about the skills needed for “smart factory” workers and the cultural barriers that have limited wide-scale adoption to date. Industry m

Ready or not, the manufacturing world is changing. Here’s a primer toward developing a digital strategy using Industry 4.0 technologies. There’s no need to rehash the First, Second or Third Industrial Revolutions.  Those interested in tracking the progress of manufacturing over the

Productivity is top of mind for many manufacturers and Lenox has responded with an alternative to traditional band saws. CIRCTECH, also known as thin kerf or industrial circular sawing, is a growing market and many band saw customers are now switching to this technology due to its ma

Your band saw is like any other type of machinery on your shop floor: It needs regular maintenance and expert handling to help it perform at its optimal level. Here’s how Lenox helped one manufacturer make its band saw as efficient as possible.  When experts from Lenox applied the L

Get an experienced machinist’s guidance on how to amp up 5-axis productivity with the right workholding, tooling and proactive setup and simulation. Some shops give short shrift to their workholding when purchasing their first 5-axis machining center. With all the excitement that co

What does it take to build a Cup Series champion? It takes a whole lot of custom manufacturing and machining experience—and teamwork behind the scenes. In a 400,000-square-foot facility in Huntersville, North Carolina, a leading racing organization’s manufacturing team is in a const

High-performance machining is not something to fear, but something to welcome. Dive into the deep end with this HPM primer for a closer look at the technology, benefits and mindset needed to make it a success. Anyone who has read a metalworking or manufacturing trade publication ha

From improved diagnosis of disease to helping solve environmental problems, artificial intelligence is looking likely to revolutionize the way we live. In director Steven Spielberg’s 2001 film A.I., humanity is served by smart robots that look, walk and talk just like real human bei

Modern medicine has come a long way from the days of the town doctor making house calls. In those days, a typical doctor might carry tools that looked more like something out of your garage tool box than today’s modern medical devices.  Modern medical devices are truly technological

Medical implant manufacturing is poised for significant growth as techniques and materials continually improve. Here, experts offer valuable insights into the materials, methods and machine tools used in medical machining. Each industrial sector faces unique challenges, but medical

Not sure if aerospace is right for your shop? Here’s what you need to think about and plan for based on the real-world experience of a small manufacturer that invested and succeeded in aerospace. If your shop needs more work or is looking to increase its production of parts and comp

News of inflation abounds these days, along with reports of supply shortages and swooning stock prices. In this uncertain climate, what are manufacturers to do? Here are five inflation strategies. No matter how you view it, inflation is here and all around us. It’s time for companie

Gaining an advantage in today’s competitive machining world requires that shops stay abreast of cutting tool technology. Here are a few solutions for superalloys—metals that are notoriously hard to machine but common in the aerospace, energy and medical industries.  Inconel ranks am

Between hard metal materials, high speeds and feeds—and tool balancing—tool holders are a lot more important to your part-building success on a high-performance machine than you might realize. Learn why. So your shop just bought a new high-performance machining center. It boasts som

Whether you own a 3-axis vertical machining center or run one all day, you’re probably quite happy with it. Given the right fixturing and some imagination, there’s little you can’t make with this technology. VMCs are less costly than comparably sized horizontal or 5-axis machining ce

Whether you call them maintenance-grade or general-purpose, it’s essential to know when to replace cutting tools, and what to replace them with. Maintenance and repair departments, prototype and development firms, academic and government research facilities—these are just a few of t

Written by Cliff Bliss, 3D Optical Sensor Commercial Operations Manager at Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence Step into the optical metrology world and one thing is clear. This vibrant business sector continues to innovate new designs of portable coordinate measuring machines (PCMMs

Whether you’re talking about measurement checks in the quality room or a quick, accurate check on the shop floor, height gages remain one of the most useful tools in metrology today. We all are familiar with the basic measurements taken by a height gage, but many of today’s new instr

As the manufacturing industry is becoming more digital both in tooling and in ways of working, so do we need to adapt in order to create a competitive difference through faster and more efficient ways of working when it comes to metal cutting. Mobile solutions and calculators, such a