The issue of how to build a steady pipeline of manufacturing talent is one that our thought leaders continually address. The problems are well-established: we are living in a mature economy, and within the next 10 years, the baby boomer generation, on which our manufacturing sector was built, will retire. The generation coming into the workforce is less interested in a career in manufacturing. On top of these shifting demographics, the technical landscape in manufacturing is evolving so much that there is a tremendous skills gap. “By 2024, we will have three generations on the shop floor with completely different value sets, interests, abilities… and this is a huge challenge for leadership, team dynamics, and incentives,” says Dirk Hilgenberg, VP, Assembly at BMW Manufacturing. How do our thought leaders propose we address these problems?
Read More →Engineering Services for the Automotive and Aerospace Industries
With a shortage of skilled engineering resources and an increase in domestic manufacturing, most manufacturing companies will have the need at some point for outside help. TPT employs hundreds of full-time Industrial, Quality, and Manufacturing Engineers with extensive experience in optimizing manufacturing processes and quality and makes them available to serve their clients long or short-term needs. Find out how TPT has lent their expertise to Orbital Sciences, International Automotive Components, and Ford Motor Company to reduce costs and increase productivity. Click through to Access the ebook.
Read More →The Spindle Optimization System: A Guide for Manufacturers Looking to Optimize CNC-Machine Tooling and Increase Productivity by 10 to 40%
CNC Manufacturers operate in competitive markets. In order to be successful in these markets, they need to control costs wherever they can. An often-overlooked area is tooling. Many do not recognize the need to adopt a Spindle Optimization System until they have experienced a catastrophic failure, higher than normal rejections, or are unable to produce parts economically. When issues surface, such as tolerancing issues, skilled machinists will make adjustments to the process without looking at possible causes. Every adjustment adds cost in terms of time and lost production. Reducing variables that impact spindle performance can extend tool life significantly and increase productivity by 10 to 40%.
Read More →Millennials in the Workforce: Implications for Manufacturing
As many manufacturing organizations are having trouble maintaining a steady pipeline of talent, their frustration turns to millennials. At the 2016 American Aerospace & Defense Summit, Curt Towne, EVP, New Business Development at TPT (The Productivity Team), gave the following statistics about millennials in the workforce, which have implications for how organizations should recruit, train, engage and retain millennial talent. Millennials are now the single largest group within the workforce, and will soon become the biggest consumer groups, too.
Read More →Let Solid Designs help you develop new products & create manufacturing solutions!
Solid Design Solutions provides assistance with the development of new products and creates manufacturing solutions for a number of industries, which include: consumer, medical, specialty machines and industrial. Some of their areas of expertise include: Control engineering Project management Manufacturing engineering Industrial design Software Engineering Mechanical Engineering Electrical Engineering Product Development Research Drafting More details on the type of services they offer can be found here: https://generisgp.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Inforgraphic-final.pdf Solid Design Solutions Website: http://bit.ly/2eMae5b
Read More →Does Data Help or Hamper Your Ability to Execute Effectively?
Winning the game requires you to manage the details in short increment time intervals. For a fast/short cycle time business, if you learned that you missed the day at the end of the day, it’s too late to do much about it. But if you had the ability to measure and address performance in hourly or shorter time frames, there’s time to take action to ensure you meet the day’s goals. To learn more about data-driven daily management, check out this eguide by Dploy Solutions!
Read More →Three MD Companies Receive NIST Innovation Grants
Three MD Companies Receive NIST Innovation Grants | MDBIZNews Based in Rockville, Automated Precision Inc. is a first-time recipient with a $98,750 grant in Phase 1 funding. The company’s research focuses on a noncontact measuring technique for use in the defense, energy, aerospace and automobile industries. The technique measures high speed 3-D scanning during surface inspections, which cuts manufacturing costs and can reduce waste. Discover more information about the three Maryland companies that were among a group of small businesses to receive grants from the U.S. Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Learn more below!
Read More →API Install Galaxy Horizontal Arm CMMs At Nissan Mexico Plant
When Nissan Motor Company built their new production facility in Aguascalientes, Mexico they looked to Automated Precision, Inc. (API) to assist them in providing CMM inspection for the stamping shop, body shop and tooling departments. Initially, Nissan purchased nine dual horizontal arm API Galaxy-H multifunctional CMMs. These coordinate measuring machines are manual-controlled horizontal arm layout and measuring CMMs that are designed specifically for measuring thin-walled components such as automotive car bodies and sheet-metal panels. The Galaxy-H CMM is a double-arm design that features the table installed in a foundation at floor level so components and fixturing can be easily moved on and off the table for fast inspection. In the article below, find out more about the dual horizontal arm API Galaxy-H multifunctional CMMs and how the arms are being used in the Nissan Mexico Plant today. Nissan engineers even said that API was able to meet the schedule for production in a small window of time, despite the demanding requirements of the task. Check out the full article below!
Read More →Case Study: Create An Automated, Efficient Inbound Logistics Process
A leading manufacturer of commercial jetliners and military aircraft completed the design for a revolutionary new aircraft, and the production team set an aggressive build schedule to meet demand. What the leading manufacturer needed was to create an automated, efficient inbound logistics process to enable an unprecedented manufacturing pace–completing an aircraft every three days! XPO Logistics was able to help this big idea take off. Click here to read the full case study and find out how XPO made this opportunity happen.
Read More →Plasma’s Role in Engine Production
Plasma nozzles mounted on robots accurately follow the complex contours of an engine’s cover and aluminum oil pan, where a small leak could lead to engine failure or cause nasty soiling into the environment. GM engineers used the technology to prevent failures in the innovative 2016 Chevrolet Camaro 3.6- liter V6 engine. The engine is designed with strong, lightweight materials and is 390 pounds lighter than its predecessor. Designers use materials like an A319 aluminum alloy block for the engine and a cast-aluminum integral oil pan design, and these lightweight materials frequently present technical challenges such as getting adhesives and sealants to adhere strongly to them, which is when Openair Plasma technology came in to assist. Find out more about plasma’s role in engine production on “How It’s Made-Dream Cars: 2016 Chevrolet Camaro” here:http://camarosix.com/how-its-made-dream-cars-2016-chevrolet-camaro/ We are thrilled to have Plasmatreat join us at the American Automotive Summit next week! Plasmatreat will be showcasing its Openair Plasma technology that cleans and activates critical engine surfaces prior to applying a room temperature vulcanization (RTV) sealant. Plasmatreat’s PlasmaPlus® process is also being used to prevent engine corrosion by applying a protective coating by introducing a precursor to the plasma. www.plasmatreat.com
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