MMT Blog

Regulations 23 Dec 2015

In Memory of Randy Winton: Industry Colleague, Road Warrior, Friend

The industry lost a good man last week. Randy Winton was probably best known to MMT readers as the Global Assessment Manager for ToolingDocs. To me, he was an industry colleague because I had the privilege to work with him for more than 11 years at ToolingDocs, but more than that, he was my friend.

22 Dec 2015

All in One Place

Mold maintenance and repair remains a hot topic because the end result of a poorly maintained mold is a lot of wasted time and money. Over the years MMT has covered various strategies and technologies for this essential step in the mold manufacturing process. We even published a few series dedicated to this area. One such series is "In the Trenches", which we recently organized into one place for your reading pleasure.

Additive Manufacturing 21 Dec 2015

Is Conformal Cooling Right for You?

Conformal cooling is hot. It’s one of the most popular topics at industry conferences today and yet there are many companies that are still not sure if they are ready to use the technology, according to David Lindemann, who is an applications engineer for 3Dsystems, a Cimatron software business unit. Dave joined MMT recently to present a webinar on the topic.

18 Dec 2015

The Designer's Edge: Lifters on Steep Angles

Randy shares some insight on options for reducing lifter wear and failures.

Workholding 16 Dec 2015

Breakthroughs and Possibilities

Okuma’s annual Technology Showcase highlighted the latest innovations in manufacturing technology.

Leadership 15 Dec 2015

The Commitment Challenge

I want to encourage (and challenge) our readers to commit locally to recruiting our next generation of workers. We all need to do our part, and sometimes it actually only takes a small investment to make a big impact. Here's one example.

Automation 14 Dec 2015

NTMA, Robots and Toolkits for Manufacturers to Battle the Skills Gap

It’s an ongoing concern. How will manufacturing companies fill the skills gap as the many veteran employees approach retirement?

11 Dec 2015

The Designer's Edge: Lifters

A lifter is a component that moves on an angle with the ejection to release an undercut on a part. Today Randy takes a look at calculating angles for lifters and how angles can impact mold maintenance.

10 Dec 2015

Gardner Business Index: MoldMaking for October 2015 - 44.8

With a reading of 44.8, the MoldMaking Business Index showed that the industry contracted in October for the fifth month in a row, with the contraction rate having consistently accelerated in each of those months. The index generally has trended lower since February 2015, and in October, the industry contracted at its fastest rate since December 2012.