ISM – Institute for Supply Management
Economic activity in the manufacturing sector grew in August, with the overall economy notching a fourth consecutive month of growth. The August PMI^® registered 56%, up 1.8 percentages points from the July reading of 54.2%. This figure indicates expansion in the overall economy for the fourth month in a row after a contraction in April, which ended a period of 131 consecutive months of growth.

Bloomberg
General Motors Co. took a $2 billion equity stake in Nikola Corp. and partnered with the semi-truck maker to engineer and manufacture its Badger pickup model. GM will make in-kind contributions to take an 11% stake in Nikola and get the right to nominate one director to the company’s board.

New Atlas
When disaster strikes, the power often goes out, and it may be a good while before it's restored. Toyota and Honda have started testing the Moving e system, a fuel cell bus designed to serve as a mobile power source to help meet a community's emergency electricity needs.

Manufacturing Business Technology
The University of South Carolina College of Engineering and Computing will transform the manufacturing and simulation processes used in aircraft production through a $5.7 million NASA grant. The research team's atom to airframe to spaceframe approach will make urban air mobility possible by dramatically increasing the production rate of aircraft.

Engine Technology International
Battery performance is still a limiting factor to the widespread adoption of EVs by the buying public, with range anxiety (rightly or wrongly) an issue. This applies whether one is building an EV Super Mini or a sportscar such as the Porsche Taycan. The manufacturer of the latter has recently released a summary of its view of the current battery market, drawing on input from both its engineers and experts from third party institutions.

Gear Technology
20/20 is considered to be perfect vision, but the year 2020 outlook is quite obscure. We can view the current state of the PM industry through short-term, fear-tinted glasses or gain a clearer picture of long-range opportunities. Just like U.S. manufacturing in general, the PM industry has been impacted negatively by the pandemic.

Additive Manufacturing
Readiness needs to be assessed on multiple fronts as companies seek to industrialize additive manufacturing.

Engine Technology International
The potential for hydrogen-fueled engines as an alternative clean technology where batteries are not suitable is gaining momentum with vehicle manufacturers across mainland Europe and the UK. Unlike current fossil fuels, hydrogen combustion does not generate any tailpipe CO2 , while offering a potentially rapid route to implementation as much existing hardware can be utilized.

Modern Machine Shop
After more than a decade of collecting and analyzing survey data from CNC machining businesses, we have a solid understanding of what separates “top shops” from others. Year after year, survey responses reveal that the most successful machine shops understand the value of their people, and they invest accordingly. However, generalized insights about how top-performing shops differ from their peers often leave individual survey participants – and just as importantly, our own researchers – with a critical question: So what?

Aerospace Manufacturing and Design
For aerospace and defense (A&D) manufacturers and contractors doing global business, international traffic in arms regulations (ITAR) have been a long-recognized cost of doing business. The latest rules from the U.S. Departments of State and Commerce require companies that manufacture, export or re-export ITAR-controlled items to evaluate and amend their authorizations and restructure compliance. 

Aerospace Manufacturing and Design
Leidos subsidiary Dynetics Inc. successfully tested a second X-61A Gremlins Air Vehicle (GAV), as well as the Gremlins airborne recovery system at Dugway Proving Ground in Utah for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). The series of tests focused on risk reduction, as well as system and subsystem performance verification, in preparation for an airborne recovery test later this year. The overarching goal of the Gremlins program, managed by DARPA's Tactical Technology Office, is to demonstrate aerial launch and recovery of multiple low-cost reusable unmanned aerial systems (UAS).

Mahoning Matters
Ohio can receive a $5 million grant to improve manufacturing and train workers after the U.S. Department of Defense designated the state as a Defense Manufacturing Community, Gov. Mike DeWine and Lt. Gov. John Husted announced in a news release. The designation is meant to support long-term community investment and enhance national security innovation, while expanding the capabilities of defense manufacturing, according to the release from the Ohio Development Services Agency.

WCAX
The Vermont Technical College is set to receive nearly $8 million to establish the state’s first advanced manufacturing education, research and development facility. The contract from the U.S. Army’s Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment program has an additional $4 million option. The new center, located in Randolph Center, will bring together students, faculty and Vermont manufacturers to educate the next-generation workforce.

Manufacturing.net
The market share of electric cars in Europe increased during and immediately after the worst of the pandemic lockdowns, industry figures showed, even as overall sales of vehicles of all types plunged during the second quarter. The share of chargeable cars rose 7.2% in the April-June quarter from 6.8% in the first quarter. Chargeable vehicles sales fell, to 129.000 from 167,000, but the overall car market shrank even more, by more than 50% for both diesel and gasoline-engine cars.

Manufacturing Global
Whether you are moving toward a fixed automated process with Computer Integrated Manufacturing, or are looking to incorporate some aspects of fixed programming within your existing system, there are three key uses which automation can bring.

Power Transmission Engineering
Transverse magnetic flux motors – also known as step motors – become Hybrid Servos when you operate them closed loop. This is the same transformation that happens between running a 3-phase synchronous motor from line voltage as opposed to running it closed loop as a brushless servo. In the case of hybrid motors, there are many degrees of what is advertised as “closed loop,” and thus significant differences in the performance improvements seen.

Power Transmission Engineering
The DMSC (Digital Metrology Standards Consortium) recently had their ANSI/DMSC QIF 3.0 metrology standard harvested, approved, and published by ISO as the new ISO standard ISO 23952:2020. DMSC is the developer and maintainer of QIF (Quality Information Framework), and other metrology standards. These standards are intended to help advance manufacturers reduce costs, offer a common format for product measurement results, and is a crucial enabler for digital transformation via MBE (Model Based Enterprise).

Bosch Rexroth press release
Paul Cooke, President and CEO of Bosch Rexroth North America, based in Charlotte, N.C., will retire on December 31, 2020, after 38 years of distinguished service in various international positions within Bosch Rexroth. His successor as of December 1, 2020, will be Greg Gumbs, most recently Vice President & General Manager Electrical Automation Solutions at Eaton Corporation.

AGMA
This course focuses on the supporting elements of a gearbox that allow gears and bearings to do their jobs most efficiently. Learn about seals, lubrication, lubricants, housings, breathers, and other details that go into designing gearbox systems.

New Equipment Digest
Toyota decided to invest in an innovative Ethernet technology to support data sharing at one of its engine and power transmission manufacturing plants.

Electrek
Amazon has placed an order of 1,800 electric vans with Mercedes-Benz, adding to the 100,000 electric delivery fans it has on order with Rivian.