Cliffs Press Release
Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement with ArcelorMIttal S.A., pursuant to which Cleveland-Cliffs will acquire substantially all of the operations of ArcelorMittal USA LLC and its subsidiaries for approximately $1.4 billion.  

AGMA
The AGMA Technical Division is pleased to announce the publication of ISO 4468:2020, Gears Hobs – Accuracy Requirements. This document specifies requirements for the accuracy of general-purpose hobs of 0.5 module to 40 module. It was developed within ISO Technical Committee 60 and replaces ISO 4468:2009. The main changes compared to the previous edition are as follows: Overside tolerances: when the hob outside diameter exceeds the recommended size given in ISO 2490, the standard tolerances shall be increased by a factor of one-half of the percent oversize; Hob sizes: the standard hob sizes from ISO 2490 were added as Annex A. It is available for purchase, in electronic format, on the AGMA website.

Institute for Supply Management
The report was issued today by Timothy R. Fiore, CPSM, C.P.M., Chair of the Institute for Supply Management^® (ISM^®) Manufacturing Business Survey Committee: "The September PMI registered 55.4%, down 0.6 percentage point from the August reading of 56%. This figure indicates expansion in the overall economy for the fifth month in a row after a contraction in April, which ended a period of 131 consecutive months of growth. The New Orders Index registered 60.2%, a decrease of 7.4 percentage points from the August reading of 67.6%.

AGMA
Sign up now for your spot at the 2020 FTM Virtual Meeting. Papers and presentations will be open from October 5-19 to view on demand. Then on October 20, everyone will gather together for live Q&A sessions with the presenters. Complete information available on the AGMA website.

New Atlas
It’s been a long road of research, development and, more recently, testing but the team at GE Aviation has now earned official US certification for the world’s largest commercial aircraft engine. The Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) approval of the GE9X follows thousands of hours of testing, and clears the engine for life aboard the world’s largest twin-engine aircraft the Boeing 777x.

USA Today
Many people still think of the tech industry as being relatively young, including those companies involved with making semiconductor-based chips at the heart of all our digital devices. The reality, however, is that some of the more established tech business have been around for more than half a century.

Today’s Motor Vehicles
“There have been a number of factors that have contributed to significantly better freight outcomes, in spite of the dramatic economic downturn that continues to negatively impact significant swaths of the US economy. One of the biggest surprises is illustrated by real personal consumption,” said Kenny Vieth, ACT’s President and Senior Analyst. “Since consumers couldn’t spend on experiences like vacations, sporting events, and concerts, they put that money to work buying goods: Summer vacation doesn’t fit into a truck, but stuff does.” 

General Dynamics Press Release
General Dynamics Land Systems was awarded a $1.219 billion contract to produce, test and deliver Interim Maneuver Short-Range Air Defense (IM-SHORAD) systems to the U.S. Army. The Army’s initial order on the contract calls for 28 Stryker IM-SHORAD vehicles for $230 million.

Manufacturing.net
The U.S. economy faces risks from a potential resurgence of the coronavirus and from the failure so far of Congress to provide additional financial support for struggling individuals and businesses. That judgment emerges from a recent survey by the National Association for Business Economics of 52 forecasters who were polled last month. Among the forecasters, 55% said they regarded a second wave of COVID-19 cases as the most serious threat. Of those surveyed, 20% thought a lack of further government economic aid would pose the biggest risk.

Plant Services
U.S. manufacturing added 66,000 jobs in September, with the majority of that in durable goods, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said today.

Manufacturing Global
In JP Morgan’s findings which took all the latest manufacturing PMI reports from the U.K., Eurozone, the U.S. and across Asia, it found that output and new orders both increased for the third successive month, while new export business expanded for the first time in more than two years.

Harvard Business Review
With 3D-printing technologies increasingly becoming a mainstay in modern manufacturing operations, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), software houses, 3D-printing factories and contract manufacturers are striving to fine-tune the efficiency and repeatability of these production methods. Variability in the 3D printing of products has been a major concern of management for decades. Production engineers and managers pay special attention to product consistency with respect to dimensional accuracy and material properties such as porosity, strength, temperature, and chemical resistance.

Science Daily
Current 3D printers employ either plastic or metal only, and the conventional method to coat 3D plastic structures with metal is not environmentally-friendly and yields poor results. Now, scientists have developed a metal-plastic hybrid 3D printing technique that produces plastic structures with a highly adhesive metal coating on desired areas. This approach extends the use of 3D printers to 3D electronics for future robotics and Internet-of-Things applications.

Tech Republic
In an effort to make IT pros' jobs easier, Jack Wallen offers cybersecurity tips to end users in particular, what not to do to keep company networks, equipment, and data secure.

New Atlas
Innovation hub Paris Region, airport operator ADP and urban transport operator RATP are eyeing the development of an urban air mobility branch ahead of the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris, and have joined forces with German air taxi startup Volocopter to make it happen.

Forbes
After a recent bicycle ride, the frame of my road bike caught my attention. It struck me that, when I first started riding seriously far more years ago than I care to admit, the carbon fiber composite that my bike is made of today simply didn’t exist. Aluminum alloy rims were a pretty new thing (and seemed to bend if you just looked at them wrong). The first titanium frame, the Teledyne Titan, was just a few years old. Gary Klein was experimenting with aluminum wrapped in boron fiber for his then–revolutionary frames.

Robotics Business Review
For small-to-medium manufacturers (SMMs), especially those with high-mix, low-volume production loads, collaborative robots provide many benefits over traditional industrial robots for certain tasks. But deploying cobots can be challenging. Thankfully, the US’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) can help.

Industrial Machinery Digest
Starrag Quality ad Precision Components take F-35 Military Fighting Jets to Incredible Heights Stealth and supersonic. These are two attributions of the most dominant and complex military combat fighter jet in the world, the F-35 Lightning produced by Lockheed Martin. These words also describe the ultra-precise capabilities of Starrag’s manufacturing machines, with more than 60 installations involved in the creation of each F-35 Lighting Jet.

Forbes
The American manufacturing industry has made significant short-term adjustments to stay operational in spite of Covid-19. Since personal protective equipment (PPE) shortages and state quarantine orders began in March, we’ve seen incredible stories of small business and manufacturing retooling to produce critical supplies and make an impact in the coronavirus fight.

AGMA
The course will take place over 4 days with 4 hour sessions each day. It 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 course is taught by William "Mark" McVea, Ph.D, P.E., and is worth 1.3 CEUs.