NEWS DESK
employment all showed growth, the Institute for Supply Man- agement (Tempe, AZ) said in a monthly report. The group said its PMI, which measures economic activity in manufacturing, was 51.9% that month, an improvement from 51.5% in September The ISM report is based on a survey of purchasing and supply executives. A reading above 50% indicates expansion and below 50% contraction.
October was the seventh month of 2016 with a PMI above 50%. The October PMI also was better than the 12-month average of 50.6%, or barely in positive territory. Ten of 18 industries reported growth in October. They included textiles, miscellaneous manufacturing, furniture and petroleum and coal products. Eight contracted economically, including wood products, primary metals, transportation equipment, fabricated metal products and machinery. The industry breakdown is in line with other economic in- dicators. Automotive and aerospace, long the best perform- ers in manufacturing, have shown signs of weakening.
NIST Launches Smart Manufacturing Test Bed
R
esearchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST; Gaithersburg, MD) on Oct. 7 launched the new Smart Manufacturing Systems (SMS) Test Bed aimed at advanced manufacturing technology for current and future smart factories. NIST’s SMS test bed is a model factory that will facilitate advanced technologies that employ the “digital thread” that will help manufacturers cut costs, shorten manufacturing produc- tion times, reduce errors and provide higher-quality goods. “The SMS Test Bed joins the many resources NIST offers to help US manufacturers drive innovation and compete in a global market,” said Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and NIST Director Willie E. May, in a statement. Manufacturing has used 2D drawings, or blueprints, in either print form, CAD plans, or a combination of both to guide a product through its lifecycle. Because these methods require humans to interpret, translate, re-enter and transmit data at each step in the process, there can be significant expenditures of time and money, as well as multiple opportunities for errors to occur. In spite of the disadvantages, 90% of small manufac- turers still rely on traditional 2D methods to make products. The digital thread relies on standardized 3D models for electronically exchanging and processing product and
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AdvancedManufacturing.org | December 2016
manufacturing information all the way from design through inspection of the final part. Researchers estimate that moving manufacturing from 2D paper-based systems to 3D digital manufacturing could cut production time by as much as 75%, according to NIST researchers. The test bed consists of:
• A computer-aided technologies laboratory with a suite of standardized software tools for controlling design, fabrication, inspection, data management, and verification and validation testing.
• A real-world manufacturing facility at NIST’s headquar- ters, featuring a variety of CNC machine tools (such as milling and turning centers) and precision inspection devices (such as CMMs and digital micrometers).
• Online data streaming, collection, storage and publica- tion services that provide real-time, universally compatible data links for experimenting with the digital manufacturing process; a searchable repository of all SMS Test Bed data generated; and preset data packages for model products previously fabricated using the digital thread that manu- facturers can try at their own facilities.
Tebis Has New Distributor in Mexico T
ebis America (Troy, MI), a software company specializing in CAD/CAM systems, named Software y Aplicaciones CNC
S.A. de C.V. as a distributor in Mexico. The announcement was made by David Klotz, Tebis America CEO and president. “The appointment of a distributor in Mexico is another step in our continued growth plan,” Klotz said in a statement. “Mexico is rich in manufacturing and Software y Aplicaciones will provide customers and prospects in the area with hands- on sales and service in a timely fashion.”
PMT Updates Quality Lab P
lastic Molding Technology Inc. (PMT; El Paso, TX) complet- ed a multi-phase renovation with a newly minted Quality Lab, expanding into the remainder of its 60,000 ft² (5574 m²) building to support operations and new business growth. The last phase of the year-long renovation was the Quality Lab, which was upgraded to an area about three times the size of its former space. “PMT is regarded for having a strong commitment to qual-
ity, so it was time to have the lab better reflect its function,” Martin Rubio, quality manager at PMT, said in a statement.
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