Over the past decade manufacturers have increasingly turned to flexible, customizable automation platforms to meet the demands of high mix/low volume orders and ensure their long-term survival in a competitive manufacturing environment.

Cars have become such an integral part of our lives. A car has long passed the point of being a necessary means of transportation, now becoming a symbol of independence and free-mobility, and sometimes even an expression of our personality.

Driven by the need to make parts faster, better, and for less, manufacturers of all sizes are embracing various forms of automation in the quest to lower costs, increase production, and reduce response times. 

Inspecting components for e-mobility applications is something that David Wick is very familiar with.

When I last spoke to Drew Greenblatt, in March, the world looked a little different.

Today, in his remarks at General Motors in Detroit, U.S. Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette announced $139 million in federal funding for 55 projects across the country that will support new and innovative advanced vehicle technologies. Six of these innovative projects will be led by teams in Michigan.

Metalforming companies predicted improved business conditions during the summer months, according to the June 2020 Precision Metalforming Association (PMA) Business Conditions Report. Prepared monthly, the report provides an economic indicator for manufacturing, sampling 115 metalforming companies in the United States and Canada.

As graduation season continues without any graduations—or rather, abbreviated ones online along with a cap and gown photo on your front porch—it reminds me of Anne Patchett’s graduation speech turned book, “What Now?”

Additive manufacturing has moved far beyond its prototyping roots. Today, additive for production applications is a growing area of interest.

Manufacturers in the automotive industry are striving to make the most of the current trend towards electric vehicles and low fuel consumption by building lighter-weight vehicles and favoring aluminum over iron.