Virtual Engineering Becomes a Reality
From facilities layout to prototyping, virtual engineering's innovative approach to design is saving time and money. The technology known as virtual reality currently has several working definitions. To some it is simply the combination of 3D-rendering headgear and an interactive glove device, others see it as a system that differs from traditional simulation systems only in that real-time...
Read More »Making it Easier For Custom Manufacturers To Succeed Online
Web-based services developed with the custom manufacturing marketplace in mind can remove the inefficiencies commonly associated with the collaborative part of the procurement process. Before the Internet, job shops selling custom manufactured goods exhausted valuable time and energy locating and cultivating new customers. Efforts to establish relationships with buyers added to the frustrations...
Read More »Solutions for Common Purchasing Challenges
Suggestions on handling the shared purchasing problems of supplier relationship management, pricing issues and product quality. Purchasing departments across industry experience similar dilemmas of establishing and maintaining profitable supplier relationships, confronting the problem of price increases, and ensuring supply quality. What follows is a review of the most common purchasing concerns...
Read More »Smoothing Out the Deburring Process
Deburring just got a lot easier thanks to robotic technology simplifying a traditional metalworking technique. One way or another, manufacturers of plastic and metal casted products need to remove burrs, the leftover edges and bumps created during the machining and extruding processes. For years, workers have struggled with deburring manually -- with hand tools. In addition to the considerable...
Read More »Is Your Plant Ready for the New Maintenance Audit?
Rather than simply pointing out inefficiencies, today's maintenance audit actually brings management and workers together to realize the common goal of leveraging plant efficiency. Few would dispute the fact that the quality of a product is a direct outcome of the plant from which it is produced. Basically, the more efficient a plant's maintenance is, the better its overall performance will be...
Read More »Slaying the Voltage Vampire
Don't let a power outage rob you of your precious production time. Learn how simulated testing and retrofitting can keep you out of the dark. One of the most aggravating situations for a plant manager is the sudden loss of production time due to equipment failure. While equipment maintenance goes a long way toward preventing unwanted downtime, sags in power supply are often unforeseen, and can...
Read More »Featured Industry Tradeshows/Seminars/Events
Industry converges in Chicago for National Manufacturing Week. You won't want to miss it. National Manufacturing WeekMarch 5-8, 2001McCormick Place ComplexChicago, IL North America's premier manufacturing event is right around the corner. With over 2,000 exhibitors showcasing products, services and technologies that support and integrate all the functions and activities of the manufacturing...
Read More »CAD/CAM: Past, Present and Future
Before CAD/CAM technology, drafts, calculations and product design involved pencil, paper and a seemingly endless succession of blueprints. CAD/CAM's ongoing enhancement has made the process easier, but with the latest slew of features, some users actually find less is more. Virtually every manmade product has been designed and manufactured using a CAD/CAM program. CAD/CAM, or Computer Aided...
Read More »A Matter of Grit and Grade
Grit, grade, bond and grinding speed all affect the process of choosing the right grinding wheel for the job. If you're looking for a grinding wheel, you'll soon discover there is no shortage of types from which to choose. The market has wheels of every size, style, manner and description. The problem is not a matter of Does the right wheel exist? The question is Which one do you want? The...
Read More »Virtual Engineering Becomes a Reality
From car design to the manufacturing of microscopic machines, virtual reality is promising to re-engineer engineering. The technology known as virtual reality currently has several working definitions. To some it is simply the combination of 3D-rendering headgear and an interactive glove device, others see it as a system that differs from traditional simulation systems only in that real-time...
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