QuesTek recently completed a multiyear project to demonstrate C64 steel in additive manufacturing processing. The research primarily focused on Laser Powder Bed Fusion, with promising initial static mechanical properties and fatigue properties similar to that of forged bar C64. QuesTek will present an overview of the project to date, AM processing and data, and review the plans for a new two-year program including the test matrix and data to be developed, as C64 is being positioned as the most advanced material for printing of gears.

The EU and China have recently announced plans to implement trade-related measures intended to reduce carbon emissions. In the case of the EU, these are directed at adding a border tax to imported products from countries that do not have equivalent carbon-reduction programs. For its part, China is pursuing an emissions trading scheme. Both of these programs will target the steel and aluminum industries and downstream consumers of the products of those industries. In this webinar, we will examine the programs, their implications for the bearing and gear industries, and what companies can be doing now to prepare and mitigate potential impacts.

Whether you are looking for operator or engineering level courses you will find the gear class you need to support your career at AGMA. Check out the 2022 line-up and sign up for a class today.

 

 

 

 

The AGMA Foundation works on four pillars to support efforts in the gear industry: Workforce, scholarship, education and emerging technology. Your funds directly impact these four pillars, whether scholarships to budding engineers, or free emerging technology monthly webinars help support your industry with your tax-deductible donation.

NPR
The Biden administration has announced the broad outlines of a deal to end an expensive economic impasse that had led to growing tension between the United States and the European Union. The U.S. will keep steel and aluminum tariffs on European nations, but will allow a certain amount of steel and aluminum produced in the EU to enter the U.S. markets tariff-free.

Press Release
Economic activity in the manufacturing sector grew in October, with the overall economy achieving a 17th consecutive month of growth, say the nation’s supply executives in the latest Manufacturing ISM^® Report on Business^®.

Protocol
On either side of the Pacific Ocean, tech companies seem to have an obsession with the sky. While Elon Musk is launching rockets to space, Chinese electric vehicle company XPeng — a prominent domestic challenger to Tesla — is aiming for lower altitude. On Oct. 24, it released a new product: a flying car that it says will enter mass production in 2024. With two big propellers and a sci-fi design, XPeng’s new product resembles a cross between a drone, a helicopter and an electric car. 

ZDNet
GE Appliances and Swedish freight technology company Einride announced the debut of what they say is the first autonomous and electric truck to operate on U.S. soil this week. Einride has been operating internationally since 2019 but will bring its autonomous Pods to the U.S. for the first time on GE Appliances’ 750-acre Appliance Park campus in Louisville, Kentucky.

Bloomberg via Supply Chain Brain
President Joe Biden took several steps to address supply chain problems as he met leaders from major global economies, including the European Union, to address recent disruptions. He issued an executive order during the Group of 20 summit aimed at speeding up the response to shortfalls of supplies, equipment and raw materials housed in the U.S.’s National Defense Stockpile.

Press release
Desktop Metal announced the opening of a new in-house manufacturing facility that will more than triple the final assembly space currently dedicated to the Production System™ platform to meet robust demand for the world’s fastest metal 3D printing technology. This new facility is part of a strategic plan to accelerate the production ramp of Desktop Metal’s flagship Production System P-50 printer, for which the Company is engaged in component procurement and assembly of initial builds targeted for shipment in the fourth quarter of 2021.

WYSO
According to a new report from JobsOhio and the Dayton Development Coalition, the military and federal sectors of Western Ohio contribute to around 17% of the region’s total economy. Over half of the people employed in these industries work in aerospace product manufacturing and scientific research and development.

IoT Evolution
Edge computing frameworks are quickly finding their way into a variety of industries as the Internet of Things (IoT) devices become more commonplace. One of the most promising edge computing use cases is in the industrial manufacturing sector, where new technologies could potentially lead to massive productivity gains. And although industrial automation has been taking place for decades, annual productivity gains have been relatively small since the 1980s and 1990s.

Today’s Motor Vehicles
Ernst & Young announced that the EY-Nottingham Spirk Innovation Hub in Cleveland, Ohio, has opened its new facility. The Hub, which has been supporting clients virtually throughout the pandemic, combines Nottingham Spirk’s design, engineering and product development offerings with the global EY organization’s strategy and commercialization capabilities and wavespace network.

Today’s Motor Vehicles
Dürr is currently building two paint shops in the eastern Chinese province of Shandong for Sinotruk, a manufacturer of heavy trucks. The paint shops, equipped with state-of-the-art technology, will be used to coat truck cabs and pick-ups with the focus squarely on high quality, responsible use of resources, and cost efficiency.

3D Printing Industry
Researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory are seeking to address the drawbacks of laser beams traditionally used in metal 3D printing. By exploring alternative shapes to the Gaussian beams commonly used in laser-based 3D printing processes such as laser powder bed fusion, the researchers hope to reduce porosity and defects in metal parts that can lead to poor mechanical performance. 

Engine + Powertrain Technology International
An enhanced prototype of Daimler Trucks’ hydrogen-based fuel-cell GenH2 Truck has received approval from German authorities for use on public roads. In April, the truck manufacturer began conducting tests of the GenH2 Truck on its test tracks, after the truck’s unveiling the previous year. During this testing, the truck successfully accumulated several thousand kilometers of running, Daimler aims for the vehicle to achieve ranges of up to 1,000km and more without any stops for refueling in its series version.

Medical Design and Outsourcing
Contract manufacturing has a rich history that most executives and engineers are completely unaware of. Its novel background actually originated here in the United States. Interestingly enough, it began in the dawn of the space age with an entrepreneurial idea sparked by Olin King, a Huntsville, Alabama business man. In King’s basement, King and two friends founded Space Craft Inc. (SCI) in 1961, which built satellites and communications gear for NASA, the U.S. Navy and other government agencies.

14 News
Officials at Henderson Community College say all their manufacturing programs are eligible for free tuition through the Work Ready Kentucky Scholarship Program. The WRKS program provides up to 60 hours of tuition for those who qualify.

Association of Equipment Manufacturers
Much is being made about the skilled worker shortage in manufacturing today, and what companies of all types and sizes can do to attract, acquire and retain the workforce of tomorrow.

The Dallas Morning News
Toyota is investing $461 million into its first U.S. plant to add new technology, increase production flexibility and reduce its carbon footprint, the company said Friday. The announcement didn’t include new jobs at the central Kentucky facility, but officials said 1,400 temporary jobs would be converted into permanent positions in an effort to improve recruiting, retain top talent and provide a more inclusive work environment.

Engine + Powertrain Technology International
Volkswagen Group of America’s Innovation Hub Knoxville, the company’s technology unit for applied materials science, has expanded its research collaboration with Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the largest U.S. Department of Energy science and energy laboratory, and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.