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.

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The shortages of personal protective equipment and other essential items during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic were a powerful reminder that corporate managers’ obsession with efficiency and cost-cutting at the expense of diversification and resiliency had made the American economy vulnerable. That’s why Democrats and Republicans alike are looking for ways to revive U.S. manufacturing.

GE Additive reports that Sandvik Additive Manufacturing, a division of Sandvik AB, headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, has joined its binder jet beta partner programme. Sandvik has one of the widest alloy programmes for Additive Manufacturing, marketed under the Osprey® brand. Sandvik will work closely with GE Additive to become a certified powder supplier for a range of Osprey alloys that complement GE Additive and AP&C’s own materials portfolio, and will reportedly also use GE Additive’s H2 Binder Jet beta machine to support its internal and external customers.

Join AGMA once per month as we explore marketing topics from press releases to your website. Find out tips and tricks that are being used in today’s manufacturing environment. The first webinar is Wednesday, October 14 at 1:00 p.m. Eastern. Join us for The Tried & True Press Release – go over one of the most basic and effective tools that a marketer has to use. Special guest presenter is Jennifer Cordeau, communications advisor for FedEx.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has made the ban official: no agency may use DOJ funds for any unmanned aircraft manufactured by a “Covered Foreign Entity: … any entity that is determined or designated, within the Department of Justice, to be subject to or vulnerable to extrajudicial direction from a foreign government,” which includes drones manufacturer by DJI. The DOJ is referencing China’s National Intelligence Law passed in 2017, which requires Chinese companies to cooperate with the government; and other regulations that could require companies to provide access to their network assets upon demand.

As executive director of the Growth Alliance, Jennifer Deamud helps connect small- and medium-size manufacturers across Michigan with necessary resources to conquer challenges in the marketplace. Lately she has noticed a recurring hurdle starting to disrupt operations and has businesses turning to Industry 4.0 for answers.

The National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining (NCDMM), which already oversees America Makes, announced a new affiliate company for Youngstown to further advance manufacturing tech and bolster the industry in northeast Ohio. The Advanced Manufacturing and Applied Research Innovation Institute (AMARII) is a limited liability company that can connect regional manufacturers with project ideas with its network of potential funding sources, including the U.S. Departs of Defense and Energy, the Office of Economic adjustment, and regional, state and local agencies.

Honeywell Aerospace, a leader in aerospace innovation and design, is testing high-temperature alloys from Alloyed for aerospace applications because the materials are not prone to cracking at extreme temperatures. This partnership leverages the Alloys By Design brand, which is a series of metals developed by Oxford University researchers. Honeywell is currently testing Alloyed’s ABD-900AM material to determine its suitability for full production runs. Alloyed, formerly OxMet, is a digital metals specialist that develops research from Oxford University.

According to the International Federation of Robotics (IFR), cobots sold in 2019 made up just 3% of the total industrial robots installed. A report published by Statista projects that in 2022, cobots’ market share will advance to 8.5%. This is a fraction of a February 2018 study cited by the Robotic Industries Association that forecasted by 2025, 34% of the new robots being sold in the U.S. will be cobots. Experts say adoption has been limited due to the constraints built into the cobots, such as limited strength and speed to ensure safe operation.

Croda International Plc, which uses smart science to create, make and sell specialty chemicals that improve lives, announced a new partnership with Sentient Science (Sentient) for the recommended use of Croda’s Rewitec additives for wind turbine gearboxes and main bearings. 

With the rapidly expanding interest in heavy-duty electric trucks, Toyota Motor North America (TMNA) and Hino USA have agreed to jointly develop a Class 8 fuel cell electric truck (FCET) for the North American market. The companies will leverage the newly developed Hino XL Series chassis with Toyota’s fuel cell technology to deliver capability without harmful emissions.

Hyundai has introduced its initial seven hydrogen-powered trucks to customers in Switzerland to launch zero-emission commercial vehicles to European roads.

Back in 2018, Alphabet’s self-driving arm launched Waymo One, an app-based ride-hailing service where passengers got to ride in an autonomous taxi. But a safety driver was assigned to every vehicle, ready to take over if needed. Now Waymo is ditching the safety driver and opening up the service to the public in Phoenix.

The course will take place over four 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.

In the “Design/Manufacturing Closed-Loop” for cylindrical gears developed by KISSsoft, a feedback of the manufacturing deviations to the desired properties of the design (e.g. NVH behavior under load) is performed. If the cumulative deviations are too high, the manufacturing must take measures or a reject selection must be made. This analysis can be performed with the help of KISSsoft calculations.

Electrification specialist Equipmake says it has readied a range of high performance yet cost-effective advanced electric motors for mining equipment and vehicles, “bringing major benefits in terms of power density, low running costs and reduced emissions.” Based in Norfolk, UK, Equipmake primarily provides EV technology to automotive OEMs and specialist supercar manufacturers, producing everything from industry-leading electric motors to power electronic systems, all the way up to complete EV drivetrains, while also operating across marine, off-highway, agriculture and aerospace.

Is your customers’ data secure? Most leaders of CNC machining businesses likely would say “yes,” but answering in the affirmative is no longer enough for those seeking sensitive defense-industry work. The struggle to meet new government standards shows the extent to which basic cybersecurity best practices can differentiate not only these manufacturers, but virtually any shop trusted with sensitive data.

The Boom Supersonic’s XB-1 aircraft that’s rolling out includes 21 flight hardware components that were manufactured by VELO3D’s Sapphire 3D metal printer. Unveiled at Boom’s hangar in Centennial, Colo., XB-1 marks a turning point in commercial viability for supersonic travel and demonstrates the power of additive manufacturing (AM), or 3D printing, to enable innovation while accelerating product development.

Confidence among construction CEOs recovered in the third quarter to nearly its pre-COVID level, according to the Vistage CEO Confidence Index. The September Index was 82.3, up from 65.5 in the second quarter. The Index was 85.0 in the third quarter of 2019.

EV West has unveiled its new Tesla crate motor mount kit to drop into V8 muscle cars in electric conversion projects. Tesla electric motors have become a staple of electric vehicle conversions. Their power has made them popular with people making drag strip electric monsters or even just wanting to have some torque underneath them in cool classic car conversions.

Desktop Metal in Burlington, Mass. has been awarded Phase I of a three-year $2.45 million project by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to develop an Additive Manufacturing process that is capable of mass-producing cobalt-free hardmetals, developed by the U.S. Army. The company’s Production System™ with Single Pass Jetting (SPJ™), a proprietary binder jet Additive Manufacturing technology developed by Desktop Metal, will reportedly enable the mass-manufacturing of complex-shaped cobalt-free hardmetal parts without tooling, and the project is expected to lead to the development of a dual-use technology with numerous applications in defense as well as in the civilian sector.