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Manufacturing.net I believe it is safe to say that even those manufacturing companies with the best-laid supply chain contingency plans found themselves ill-prepared to handle the myriad issues that the COVID-19 disruption has brought on. Even best practice examples such as limiting the procurement of a key or strategic commodity to a single source, or adjusting inventory levels would not be enough. So what has made this disruption different from those companies have faced before? Visit https://www.manufacturing.net/supply-chain/blog/21136369/you-prepared-for-disruption-now-prepare-for-change to view the full article online. |
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Trucks.com
Nikola Inc. took a major step forward to getting its electric and hydrogen fuel cell heavy-duty trucks on the road last week. The Phoenix-based startup went public in a reverse merger, signed a big hydrogen deal raised $700 million. The company said pre-orders for its trucks now represent more than $10 billion in potential revenue. Visit https://www.trucks.com/2020/06/08/nikola-ceo-talks-truck-plans/ to view the full article online. |
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AGMA
IHS Markit will provide the latest industry information for AGMA members. We have done this webinar for several years but this one has special significance due to the world circumstances. We are taking unprecedented steps and are providing this webinar free for AGMA members. Additionally, all members that attend the live event will receive the complete Q2 Gear Market Report. Visit https://www.agma.org/education/online/webinars/the-gear-market-report-understand-the-numbers-for-our-industry/ to view the full article online. |
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Today’s Motor Vehicles
Nearly a year after agreeing to invest $1 billion in cash and $1.6 billion worth of technology into autonomous driving startup Argo AI, Volkswagen has completed that deal, putting it on track to develop new technologies with Argo and its largest shareholder Ford. Visit https://www.todaysmotorvehicles.com/article/ford-argo-vw-funding/ to view the full article online. |
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Manufaturing.net
The German government wants to increase offshore wind power capacity five-fold by 2040 as part of its plan to wean the country off fossil fuels. The Cabinet on Wednesday agreed on a bill that would set a goal of 40 Gigawatts of installed offshore wind power capacity in 20 years, from about 7.5 Gigawatts at present. It also raised the target for 2030 from 15 Gigawatts to 20. Visit https://www.manufacturing.net/energy/news/21136020/germany-seeks-massive-increase-in-offshore-wind-power to view the full article online. |
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Gear Technology
Gear inspection has long been a highly specialized costly investment and an overall challenging part of the gear manufacturing process. Given that complicated gages, testers, and CNC equipment all go into creating high quality gears, companies may want to invest in a CMM to streamline inspection. Visit https://www.geartechnology.com/articles/0620/CMM_for_Gear_Inspection/ to view the full article online. |
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Cutting Tool Engineering
With the growth of EMAG’s competitive Modular Standard machine portfolio, accessibility to new users has grown substantially; the Southeast is one of the fastest growing manufacturing hubs in the United States, driving EMAG’s strategic decision to open EMAG Charlotte. Visit https://www.ctemag.com/news/people-companies/emag-llc-opens-emag%C2%A0charlotte to view the full article online. |
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NASA Press Release
Significant progress is being made in preparation for NASA’s first all-electric X-plane, the X-57 Maxwell. As NASA completes tasks for X-57’s functional ground testing at its Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, CA, working toward taxi testing and first flight, assembly and qualification tests are underway on two critical components of the X-57 vehicle at NASA’s prime contractor for the project, Empirical Systems Aerospace. Visit https://www.nasa.gov/centers/armstrong/features/Progress-on-X-57-Cruise-Motors-and-Wing.html to view the full article online. |
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Gear Technology
Due to production by pressing and sintering, PM gears are porous.PM gears can be densified to increase their local density and, therefore, the load-carrying capacity. PM gears are compacted locally since they are mainly loaded directly at the surface. A common process to densify PM gears locally is the cold rolling process. The contact conditions in the cold rolling process determine the density profile and, therefore, the material properties of the PM component. Visit https://www.geartechnology.com/articles/0620/Influence_of_the_Contact_Conditions_in_Cold_Rolling_on_the_Density_Profile_of_Powder_Metallurgical_(PM)_Gears/ to view the full article online. |
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Join your fellow AGMA members for our second virtual social of this year! The first one was a great success, with more than 30 gear industry professionals in attendance. They shared stories about their workforce and how they responded to COVID-19 at their manufacturing plants. Based on member feedback, we decided it appropriate for the next topic to be about sales. AGMA is staying on top of what is happening in the tradeshow industry and we know that your teams are eager to get back on the “road.” Join us for conversation and hopefully some further insights on what your peers are doing to keep their sales moving.
Visit https://members.agma.org/MyAGMA/Events/Event_Display.aspx?EventKey=CHEERS4GEA&WebsiteKey=1fa29655-e8c0-41f6-b6a8-418a374ae587 to view the full article online. |
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TCT Magazine
With AM, manufacturers can quickly and cost-effectively 3D print tools on demand in-house or nearby. An inventory of one is also possible, making the switch even faster. This ensures the line is down for the absolute minimal time and replacement tools are always on hand — something simply not possible with traditional manufacturing technologies. Indeed, manufacturers of diverse items from beer to transportation are already using AM for their production and assembly line tooling and this use is poised to spread further. Visit https://www.tctmagazine.com/blogs/guest-column/a-simple-equation-secure-and-certified-additive-manufacturin/ to view the full article online. |
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Manufacturing Global
For modern manufacturing companies, successfully navigating the increasingly competitive and global marketplace relies on finding a balance between rigor and agility in planning. While complex, highly structured planning has always been part of manufacturers’ business operations, many have struggled to implement the necessary infrastructure to allow for quick course correction considering unforeseen circumstances This has become clearer as manufacturing business grapple with the ongoing pandemic and have seen supply chains change seemingly overnight. The need for agility has never been more important. Visit https://www.manufacturingglobal.com/lean-manufacturing/importance-business-agility-times-uncertainty-1 to view the full article online. |
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Industrial Machinery Digest
In this interview, Rahul Garg, vice president – industrial machinery and heavy equipment for Siemens Digital Industries Software, provides an overview of the industrial sector, including advanced machine engineering, next generation machine design and engineering data management. Visit https://industrialmachinerydigest.com/industrial-news/talking-shop/talking-shop-with-rahul-garg-vice-president-industrial-machinery-and-heavy-equipment-siemens-digital-industries-software/ to view the full article online. |
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3D Printing Industry
Digital prototyping specialist Protolabs has launched a new 3D printing material for its metal laser sintering process — cobalt chrome superalloy. The UK-based company believes the heat, wear, and corrosion resistant material will disrupt a number of industries including oil and gas where customized cobalt chrome parts were not previously possible. Visit https://3dprintingindustry.com/news/protolabs-launches-cobalt-chrome-superalloy-for-its-metal-laser-sintering-service-172344/ to view the full article online. |
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Harvard Business Review
Many governments have focused on providing special unemployment benefits to laid-off workers. However, few programs have tried to train and entice workers to switch over to understaffed sectors of the economy. There has been a missed opportunity to help rebalance demand and supply for labor at a critical time, which could soften the blow for many workers. Visit https://hbr.org/2020/06/how-reskilling-can-soften-the-economic-blow-of-covid-19 to view the full article online. |
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IoT For All
Widespread remote work initiatives could be here to stay, even after the pandemic has receded enough for workplaces to open up. According to a report from Gartner, 41% of employees are likely to work remotely at least some of the time post-COVID-19, up from 30% before the virus took hold. In fact, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey recently announced that all Twitter and Square employees are now able to work from home “forever,” while Shopify CEO Tobi Lutke declared “office centricity is over.” Visit https://www.iotforall.com/iot-remote-work-post-pandemic/ to view the full article online. |
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MIT Technology Review
As China’s access to international markets has grown more unreliable, e-commerce platforms are partnering with manufacturers to launch their own domestic brands. Visit https://www.technologyreview.com/2020/06/03/1002573/pandemic-us-china-trade-war-impact-on-manufacturers/ to view the full article online. |
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TCT Magazine
HP has revealed Cobra Golf and the U.S. Marine Corps as users of its Metal Jet additive manufacturing technology. The company also rolled out a new polypropylene (PP) material in collaboration with BASF, welcomed Fast Radius to its Manufacturing Partner Network and announced a suite of new professional services for its 3D printing customer base. A partnership with Oechsler has also been struck, while HP claims more than 50 million parts have now been produced with HP 3D printing technology, up from 18 million in November. Visit https://www.tctmagazine.com/3d-printing-news/hp-metal-jet-3d-printing-applications-basf-fast-radius/ to view the full article online. |
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CNET Highlights See the all-electric nine passenger Cessna eCaravan in its inaugural flight take off for the first time.
Visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ug7bJxO8jSI&feature=youtu.be to view the full article online. |
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Manufacturing.net
Spring 2020 has introduced unprecendented changes to both business and societal norms. Social or physical distancing is here to stay until heard immunity is established. Manufacturers are re-designing their staffing models and EHS protocols as they work towards protecting staff while managing costs. Lean and Gemba Walks will help ensure value streams are intact while implementing new distancing and safety protocols. Visit https://www.manufacturing.net/home/blog/21135755/leveraging-technology-to-reduce-shop-floor-traffic to view the full article online. |
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Driving Electric
In 2019, Amazon placed a $5 billion order with startup company Rivian for 100,000 fully electric delivery vans, to hit the road from 2021. In June 2020, Rivian confirmed that despite a shutdown and subsequent repoening of its factory in Illinois, the coronavirus pandemic has not affected the new vans' planned arrival date. According to Amzon's CEO, Jeff Bezos, Amazon is aiming to use 100% renewable energy by 2030, with a target of 80% by 2024, at which point he also expects all 100,000 Rivian vans to be deployed. Visit https://www.drivingelectric.com/news/1298/amazon-rivian-vans-online-retailers-100000-strong-order-still-track to view the full article online. |
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3D Print
Researchers from Zurich University of Applied Sciences in Switzerland continue to explore industrial 3D printing, sharing the details of their recent study in "Simulation and validation of residual deformations in additive manufacturing of metal parts." As both 3D printing and additive manufacturing continue to become more popular for users on every level, functionality of parts is emphasized, motivating researchers to study reasons for potential failure in digital fabrication. Visit https://3dprint.com/268095/swiss-researchers-study-reasons-for-residual-deformations-in-additive-manufacturing-metal/ to view the full article online. |
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Robotics Tomorrow
Even the simplest of Artificial Intelligence (AI) makes robots and cobots smart. Pick-by-Vision adds to smart technology because smart glasses learn manufacturers’ parts; they memorize the visual appearance including robots and bin locations. Pick-by-Vision predicts and prevents mis-picks and decides the best part to pick next. Visit https://www.roboticstomorrow.com/article/2020/05/the-role-of-smart-glasses-as-a-safe-return-to-work-strategy/15301 to view the full article online. |