The U.S. economy expanded in October at the fastest pace in 20 months, a new survey showed, but companies acted cautiously with coronavirus still spreading and the presidential election potentially trigging a major shift in business rule. 

MiBiz
New mandatory cybersecurity standards are poised to profoundly impact over 300,000 manufacturers across the U.S., that make up the country’s defense industrial base (DIB) supply chain. In January, the United States Department of Defense (DoD) released version 1.0 of what is called the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC), which sets in place unified standards for cybersecurity that all members of the DIB must comply with in order to contract with the DoD.

Today’s Motor Vehicles
U.S. Manufacturing Technology Orders totaled $297.7 million in August 2020, a decrease of 11.5% from July 2020 and a 21.7% decrease from August 2019, according to the latest U.S. Manufacturing Technology Orders report published by AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology. Orders to date reached $2.3 billion, nearly a quarter (24.3%) lower than total orders through the first eight months of 2019. 

Reuters
U.S. buyout group Carlyle Group Inc is nearing an agreement to acquire Siemens AG’s mechanical drive arm Flender, for about 2 billion euros.

AGMA has enlisted the help of marketing subject matter experts who, with AGMA staff, will present six webinars for the power transmission industry. This series is an outcome of AGMA’s strategic plan that includes providing industry. Mark your calendar for the next webinar, November 11.

Press Release
Lordtown Motors began to trade on the NASDAQ under the ticker symbol “RIDE.” Lordstown Motors Founder and CEO speaks to this through a video message on their website.

Business Insider
Ever since Tesla’s volatile profitability (or lack thereof) settled down a year ago, CEO Elon Musk has been able to spend more time talking about what he’s really interested in. It isn’t cars. It’s factories.

Press Release
Exact Metrology recently celebrated the opening of their newest location in Moline, Illinois, with a ribbon cutting ceremony. On September 29, members of the Quad Cities Chamber joined Exact Metrology for the ceremony to officially welcome the company at their new location.

New Equipment Digest
The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is ushering in a new era of manufacturing — one that is centered around using data to create actionable insights that grow competitive advantage. As more advanced IIoT software and hardware continues to be developed, industrial leaders need to consider how best to position their either build an IIoT platform or leverage a ready-made solution. 

Fast Company
Bioo uses microorganisms in the soil to power lights — and maybe one day, your whole house.

Wired
General Motors dropped a pretty penny to debut its new electric Hummer during the World Series this week. But you won't be able to drive the $112,595 truck off the lot until at least next fall. Tesla staged a smashing reveal for its Cybertruck pickup nearly a year ago, but it hasn't yet built the factory in Texas that will make it. Other contenders on the horizon include the Rivian R1T, the Lordstown Endurance, the Bollinger B2, the Ford F-150EV and the Nikola Bader. The competition for the hearts and minds of the American electric pickup truck buyer is bound to be intense.

Gear Technology
Eaton has announced its vehicle group is implementing a new 3D metal printing program as a part of its Industry 4.0 strategy to reduce development time and improve efficiency. The first metal printer system was installed at the Kings Mountain, N.C., facility, and a global deployment of 3D polymer printing technology is slated to be completed by first-quarter 2021.

Gear Solutions
Cylindrical gear chamfering and deburring is a rather “unloved” process that adds cost but without delivering readily apparent improvements in gear quality. However, the chamfer process, when performed correctly, provides significant advantages for downstream handling and processing. This is why manufacturers of automotive gears are increasingly exploring new technologies to chamfer their gears. 

Check out and register early for one of the many AGMA education courses available in 2021. Offerings span from beginner (operator level) to advanced engineering of gears and more.

Robots don’t always move like robots. For example, Productive Robotics’ collaborative OB7 glides smoothly through its routine, exhibiting none of the snappy awkwardness that once characterized virtually all robotic automation. Watch closely, and you’ll also notice that the arm moves slightly different from the way the human manipulated it during the teaching process.

Power Transmission Engineering
This year´s meeting focus was on the challenges of COVID-19. "COVID-19 functions as a catalyst for digitalization, it will speed up processes in our societies, in our global industry, and in the power transmission industry," said Eric Goos, general manager of Hansen Industrial Transmissions N.V., Belgium plant of Sumitomo Drive Technologies. He is the outgoing president of EUROTRANS and established a modern organization which is well prepared for the challenges of the future. During the annual meeting, Salim Haffar, I-MAK Gearboxes and Drives, Turkey was elected as president and André Thuswaldner, Novagear AG, Switzerland was elected vice president.

Industrial Machinery Digest
This Q&A features two representatives with vested interest on the subject — JM Performance Products President John Stoneback and the Reshoring Initiative Founder and President Harry Moser. They analyze the COVID-19 crisis with an eye on future technology, training, production and preparedness trajectory. 

The Hill
Policies promoting electric and zero-emission vehicles are gaining momentum in several states, though at the federal level, neither party’s presidential nominee has plans to phase out gas-powered cars completely.

Forbes
Electric vehicles have been the coming thing for quite some time now. Twelve years ago, Tesla debuted its first EV, the Roadster. Ever since, EV enthusiasts have been predicting that the U.S. market for electron-powered personal transportation would soon bloom. 

3D Printing Industry
GE Additive has announced a “strategic partnership” with the global engineering group Sandvik as part of its Binder Jet Beta Partner Program. The agreement will see Sandvik supply GE Additive with its Osprey brand of metal 3D printing powders for its upcoming H2 Binder Jetting system. In return, Sandvik will now be able to leverage GE Additive’s H2 machine as a means of fabricating parts for its internal and external customers.