The next AGMA Emerging Technology webinar brings a case study in IIoT implementation. AGMA member, Federal Gear – with President David Hegenbarth, will talk about his recent system integration with MachineMetrics IIoT solution for manufacturing. Ever thought of bringing in machine monitoring? This is a must attend webinar for you. Free for AGMA members.

 

 

This course will provide a solid foundation for anyone going into gear inspection. Learn the common, current and basics of the tools and techniques used to measure and inspect gears. Understand the four main categories by which a gear is evaluated and classified. Gain proficiency in understanding gear quality by learning the numerical scale on which gear design, manufacture and inspection are based, and more. 

This trade webinar will survey recent developments in trade secrets protection and enforcement and issues impacting the bearing and gear industries.

The AGMA trade show, MPT Expo, is September 14-16, 2021, in St. Louis, MO. Connecting the top manufacturers, suppliers, buyers and experts in the mechanical and gear power, electric power and fluid power industries. Registration is open. Join us for a great event.

NRTC Automation
Comparing early industrial robots to the automation of today is a direct representation of how quickly technology has developed in the past few decades. As a result, manufacturing has changed drastically across all industries. Advanced automation and software have made success available to more manufacturers around the globe. Learn more about the history of industrial automation and some of the top modern innovations today.

Manufacturing Global
Helping manufacturers to streamline and modernize their global operations, Plex Systems leverages shop-floor data to improve production performance. Currently, the company offers the only single-instance, multi-tenant SaaS manufacturing platform that operates at scale. In a definitive agreement between Rockwell Automation and Francisco Partners, the global investment first has sold Plex Systems to Rockwell Automation for $2.22 billion in cash.

Today’s Motor Vehicles
In a grand opening, DMG Mori USA opened a new regional headquarters in Charlotte, N.C. The machine tool manufacturer is integrating the branches in Nashville, Tampa and Charlotte to create a central sales and service location for the entire region in the Southeast and East U.S.

3D Printing Media Network
During a live launch event on June 23, SLM Solutions introduced the new FreeFloat approach to metal AM, dramatically reducing the need for supports in its SLM metal L-PBF process. FreeFloat technology promises to empower the creation of metal components with previously impossible designs and unmatched productivity, reducing overall material usage and minimizing the end-part cost to achieve industrial-scale production.

Manufacturing.net
Farmland weeds may have a new enemy on the horizon and their names are Tom, Dick and Harry. These English robots, created by Small Robot Company, are designed to eliminate weeds with fewer chemicals and heavy machinery as well as improve soil quality and biodiversity. Their method: zapping weeds to death.

Manufacturing.net
A processing plant planned for east Alabama will produce a key component that’s needed to build batteries for electric vehicles and other applications.

Today’s Motor Vehicles
The definition of insanity is repeating the same action and expecting better results. This could apply to machining gear components around which the landscape is changing and demand for cost reduction is rife. With gear machining, manufacturers want more flexibility, but achieving this while reducing costs is not straightforward.

Drone Life
U.S. drone manufacturer Skyfish announced a $20 million funding round, in a further indication that investment in drone companies is shifting to reward companies that are offering advanced technology for an established sector. The drone industry has often been accused of being a solution in search of a problem, but as drone technology matures that can no longer be said. Skyfish provides autonomous drones that deliver centimeter-level accuracy asset models, appropriate for engineering purposes — and the cell tower industry is rapidly adopting them.

Press release
Motiv Power Systems announced the appointment of Tim Krauskopf as its new CEO, effective July 6, 2021. Outgoing CEO Matt O’Leary, a 38-year Ford Motor Company executive, has held the role of Motiv’s CEO since February 2019. O’Leary positioned the company for expanded deployments with major fleet customers, enabled founder Jim Castelaz to transition to Chief Technology Officer (CTO), improved quality and operational effectiveness, raised $95M in funding, and brought in a new leadership team during his two-year tenure.

Manufacturing.net
The evolution of information technology over the last decade has transformed mobile phones from simple call-making devices to more complex information processing machines. Through sophisticated processor and server integrations, mobile phones have capabilities to quickly collect, process and disseminate large sets of data. These features have made mobile technology a key player to kickstart or accelerate the digital revolution under any industrial setting.

Robotics and Automation News
Bridgestone Americas has made a minority investment in Kodiak Robotics, a U.S.-based self-driving trucking company. The partnership will allow Bridgestone to integrate its smart-sensing tire technologies and fleet solutions into Kodiak’s level 4 autonomous trucks. The companies will also pilot future autonomous and smart tire technologies to further enhance vehicle intelligence and advance toward a safer, more efficient and more sustainable mobility future.

Manufacturing.net
Although General Motors will build Honda’s first two fully electric vehicles for North America, the Japanese automaker plans to change course and manufacture its own later this decade. Company officials say they’re developing their own EV architecture, and after two GM-made EVs go on sale in 2024, Honda will start building its own.
 

Aerospace Manufacturing and Design
The U.S. Air Force (USAF) has signed a contract with Electra.aero to strengthen advanced air mobility markets through the development of hybrid-electric propulsion systems for electric ultra-short takeoff and landing (eSTOL) aircraft. Leveraging distributed hybrid-electric propulsion and blown lift, Electra’s unique eSTOL aircraft takes off in less than 150ft, but also offers nearly triple the payload capacity, order of magnitude longer ranges, and less than half the operating costs of electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) alternatives.

Gear Solutions
A simplified power-transfer system of gears and shafts connected through involute splines is used to study the influence of spline lead variations on gear-mesh behavior and load distribution on the gear teeth. 

Industry Week
“When will it end?” It’s a question we hear on every call, from brand owners large and small, around the globe. Supply chains are capacity-constrained and prices keep going up because people are spending on stuff vs. experiences. The pressure is turning board meetings upside-down, related to material availability, freight costs, labor scarcity, container shortages and more. 

Electric Autonomy
Farm equipment is poised to undergo a revolution with manufacturers exploring electrification, automation and artificial intelligence and some farmers taking the chance to pioneer the new technologies. 

Axios
At the very moment the U.S. is ramping up electric vehicle development, manufacturers are running up against the weakest link in the supply chain — a shortage of battery materials. The bottleneck puts the country at a major disadvantage to China, which controls most of the world’s battery minerals mining and processing.