After one of the toughest years for the manufacturing industry, let alone the US economy as a whole, a recent Manufacturers Alliance/MAPI report predicts that manufacturing production will begin to recover "to 5 percent growth in 2010 and 6 percent growth in 2011." Other analysts, too, are seeing a brighter future for manufacturing in the coming years. In an interview with Dr. Chris Kuehl, Economic Analyst, Fabricators & Manufacturers Association, Manufacturing.net learned that Dr. Kuehl sees certain advantages that the US has over other countries.
Dr. Kuehl says there are "three things that give US manufacturers a bit of an edge even with China in the picture." The first of which being the weak value of the dollar. "With the dollar down at the level it currently is, we're essentially discounting anything we sell internationally. But at some point, that advantage begins to go away." The second factor Dr. Kuehl recognizes is that China, while they hold a large portion of our debt and have fewer regulations posed on their manufacturers, is still relatively rudimentary in their manufacturing culture. "They do have a few sophisticated sectors, but China's specialty is the labor-intensive, mass-production items for WalMart. The US continues to be a more high-value manufacturer." Finally, Dr. Kuehl points out that our single biggest advantage is that US manufacturers are closer to their markets. "Being closer hasn't been a huge issue in the last 10 or 15 years, but if you track what is happening with the energy crisis, it becomes more expensive to bring things from various distant and drawn out supply chains. So you began to see, particularly if oil prices come back up, more incentive to produce closer to the consumer. You now have much more customized, specialized manufacturing and smaller lots."
Dr. Kuehl certainly recognizes the challenges we still face, such as training, hiring and maintaining the export sector, but overall if we play our cards right and focus on the strengths we have that give us the advantage over other countries - we have a chance to turn this around and make the recovery that, for example, MAPI expects.
Read the full interview with Dr. Chris Kuehl
For additional information about MAPI, click here.
Friday, December 4, 2009
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Improving Manufacturing Efficiencies Using Portable Metrology
More and more, there is a need to improve manufacturing processes in order to better product quality, lower costs, and increase profitability. Metrology, when both accurate and easy-to-use, is instrumental in the design, manufacturing, and assembly of parts and products. An increasing number of manufacturers require more and more high-precision measurements for their products – each with various complexities, sizes, and shapes. The best possible metrology solution can help guarantee the precision and quality of this ever widening range of products and their production processes.
In the past, traditional measurement tools such as calipers and micrometers were sufficient. That was the best technology available and that was the standard, despite inherent difficulties with complex parts, measurement uncertainty, and a lack of CAD capability. Then fixed coordinate measuring machines (CMMs) came into prominence. The CMM provided very high levels of accuracy, could be automated, and allowed CAD comparisons. But the fixed CMM took away the advantage of portability the older hand tools provided – parts had to be taken to the CMM, to a specialized temperature-controlled room away from the production floor. Not only was this inconvenient, it was costly and inefficient.
As a solution to these problems, portable CMMs were developed. They provide both the flexibility and portability of hand tools and the accuracy and CAD capability of fixed CMMs. There are several types of portable CMMs: articulated measurement arms, laser trackers, and 3D laser scanners. Each provides the benefits of fixed CMMs, but with the added flexibility of being portable. They don’t require a dedicated measurement room, are lightweight, and can easily go to the part that needs measurement. Not only do they perform like a fixed CMM, they are also typically much less expensive.
Unlike their older brothers, portable CMMs can be used throughout the manufacturing process. They can improve quality straight from incoming inspection on through to final inspections before shipping. Portable CMMs are perfect for dimensional inspections and analysis, for machine alignments, for in process and on-machine inspection, first article inspection, CAD-to-part inspections, reverse engineering or rapid prototyping, and even for work in existing measurement rooms.
To remain, or to even become, competitive today, manufacturers need to utilize the best metrology technology available. Time is money and portable metrology can boost efficiency by providing the ability to accomplish jobs with the minimum expenditure of time and effort.
Register to attend a free webinar on how portable CMMs improve efficiency.
In the past, traditional measurement tools such as calipers and micrometers were sufficient. That was the best technology available and that was the standard, despite inherent difficulties with complex parts, measurement uncertainty, and a lack of CAD capability. Then fixed coordinate measuring machines (CMMs) came into prominence. The CMM provided very high levels of accuracy, could be automated, and allowed CAD comparisons. But the fixed CMM took away the advantage of portability the older hand tools provided – parts had to be taken to the CMM, to a specialized temperature-controlled room away from the production floor. Not only was this inconvenient, it was costly and inefficient.
As a solution to these problems, portable CMMs were developed. They provide both the flexibility and portability of hand tools and the accuracy and CAD capability of fixed CMMs. There are several types of portable CMMs: articulated measurement arms, laser trackers, and 3D laser scanners. Each provides the benefits of fixed CMMs, but with the added flexibility of being portable. They don’t require a dedicated measurement room, are lightweight, and can easily go to the part that needs measurement. Not only do they perform like a fixed CMM, they are also typically much less expensive.
Unlike their older brothers, portable CMMs can be used throughout the manufacturing process. They can improve quality straight from incoming inspection on through to final inspections before shipping. Portable CMMs are perfect for dimensional inspections and analysis, for machine alignments, for in process and on-machine inspection, first article inspection, CAD-to-part inspections, reverse engineering or rapid prototyping, and even for work in existing measurement rooms.
To remain, or to even become, competitive today, manufacturers need to utilize the best metrology technology available. Time is money and portable metrology can boost efficiency by providing the ability to accomplish jobs with the minimum expenditure of time and effort.
Register to attend a free webinar on how portable CMMs improve efficiency.
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