Blogs

As the world continues to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, SME wants to continue to ensure our members are able to have virtual engagement/interactions with other members. To assist with this, we're seeking volunteers to participate in our SME Connect Champions Program. This program offers an opportunity for SME members to increase their ... more

On behalf of 2020 SME Member Council Chair Brett A. Peters, PhD, and the entire SME Member Council , we're happy to announce the winners of the 2020 Annual Chapter Recognition awards. To attain platinum, gold, silver and bronze status , chapters are rated in four different areas: professional development, communications, the advancement of ... more

Safety railings are essential in any workplace, especially in the industrial setting. Having safety railings also helps in keeping the industrial workplace OSHA compliant. Every single day in the workplace, there is always a hazard. There are different types of safety railings, one of them is the removable safety railings. Having removable safety ... more

SME is currently seeking applicants for its  International Director/Member Council Nominating Committee . This committee identifies, evaluates and nominates candidates for the  SME Member Council  and  SME Board of Directors . Potential members must have many of the qualities and capabilities of the directors and council reps they are ... more

It’s almost half of the year but technological advancements in the manufacturing industry are still blooming. It was projected that at the start of the year that 2020 will be the year of growing tech advancements, especially in the construction industry.  Technology is always evolving to provide advancements and comfort to those who are in the field ... more

Image Source Everybody wants to be financially stable. Unfortunately, a lot of people are having a hard time managing their personal finances. It seems that expenses never end while their available resources are limited. Is their income the root of this problem, or is it a matter of financial planning? Perhaps, you have spent a considerable amount of ... more

Taking on investments has been a global trend over the years. Many are seeking different opportunities where they can invest and profit at the same time. They are willing to put their money on promising and developed businesses to reap their share later on.  But every investment has different risks and returns. Therefore, it is crucial that before you ... more

Air compressor is a machine that can power up different kinds of air tools or pneumatic tools like impact wrenches, spray guns, air nailers, and portable compressors that are usually used by professional handymen.  If you are a do-it-yourself kind of person who most likely loves to do small repairs, fixing cars, or into home improvements, you would ... more

Image Source Business owners always wanted to make their business grow and prosper, as it will mean more profit.  The decisions you make now can considerably impact your business' future. Fortunately, various techniques can be done to maximize profit and expand a business. It's not an overnight task, but it inevitably reaps benefits. Here are some ... more

Image Source Do you know how much of the electricity you pay every month is actually utilized to power your machinery? Well, it may be less than half because some of the energy could be escaping through energy hogs like inefficient equipment and leaky air compressors. The industrial sector accounts for at least one-third of all US energy use, which ... more

On Jan. 16, 2020, SME’s Ann Arbor Chapter 79 and Detroit Chapter 1 held a joint event with the University of Michigan’s Mechanical Engineering Department to host a 3DHEALS Detroit 3D Printing in Healthcare event. 3DHEALS Detroit connects innovators and early adopters in healthcare 3D printing, bioprinting and related technologies. This free event ... more

A unique flow problem was shown in a recent project in Belgium. A popular and prominent brewery, situated in the heart of Bruges for decades, acquired a bottling facility out-of-town to meet towering beer production demands from increasing sales.  The problem is that owners of the brewery didn’t want to move the facilities. Neither did they want to ... more

Image Source Looking for small business financing can be a complicated, challenging process. It is somewhat simpler and more straightforward to be eligible for a business loan, particularly when you have a strong history of business success.  However, when business owners are not eligible for business loans, they tend to look for other sources like ... more

By Krishna Vuppala , Chair, Waterloo Chapter 186 Annually, the SME Waterloo Chapter 186 arranges transportation from Waterloo, Iowa, to tradeshows in Chicago with funds raised from the annual golf outing. This year, we gathered a large group of professional and student members for a five-plus-hour snowy bus ride to Chicago as part of the FABTECH ... more

SME is happy to announce that 74 new members have joined the ranks as life members. Life member status is achieved after completion of a term of office as the SME president or when a member's age plus years of membership equals 100.  Life members are able to use the initials LSME (signifying “Life Member of SME”) following their name and receive dues-free ... more

On a snowy day in Chicago, we were happy to have several SME members join us at FABTECH 2019 for our Members Day, hosted by Chicago Chapter 5! Throughout the day, we held several different events, kicking it off with a continental breakfast and VIP seating at the opening keynote. Other activities included: Emerging professional's meetup with task group ... more

Earlier this year, SME re-introduced its President's Circle as part of its gamification feature on SME Connect. The President's Circle is part of the member referral program, which is designed to draw more members into SME and recognizes active members who have committed themselves to SME's growth by recruiting and sponsoring at least 10 new ... more

SME is happy to announce that new features are now available on SME Connect. Toggling  — You now have the ability to toggle over a discussion thread and view it without having to click on the link. Engagement Information  — In the toggle view, you can see how long a member has been part of the SME Connect community as well as their various gamification ... more

  In the October From the Desk of..., 2019 SME President Mark Michalski shares his experience as a longtime SME member and the value he's derived over the last 27 years:  "In my installation speech last November, as I assumed the role of 2019 SME president, and which I later echoed in my January SME Speaks article, I stated it was a single phone call from an ... more

In this month's sneak-peek of the Nov. 2019, SME Speaks President's Message, you'll hear from 2019 SME President Mark Michalski as he shares his thoughts on our multigenerational manufacturing workforce. Below is an excerpt from his editorial: THE RENOWNED COMPUTER SCIENTIST Alan Kay once said, “Technology is anything that wasn’t around when you ... more

SME and its Chicago Chapter 5 invite you to attend our upcoming Member's Day event at FABTECH 2019.* Stop by the SME Zone located near the Lakeside Center at McCormick Place. During Member's Day at FABTECH 2019 , join us for networking, learning and engagement opportunities, including: Continental breakfast VIP seating at FABx Tech Talks Emerging ... more

Champions needed! SME is launching a new program: SME Connect Champions. This new program offers an opportunity for SME members to increase their involvement, help improve our digital member experiences, advocate for SME products and services, and increase the collective knowledge and expertise of our membership. Benefits of the program: ... more

In this month's sneak peek guest editorial, published in the Oct. 2019 issue of Manufacturing Engineering magazine, Edye Buchanan , CMfgT, the 2019 chair of the SME Member Council, provides her own detailed insight into the value of SME Membership from the What's In It for Me aspect as well as the background on the work that the Member Council is ... more

We're happy to announce that we have six new gamification winners! Please join us in congratulating these six members for their high-level contributions and engagement on SME Connect during the first and second quarter of 2019: First Quarter 2019 VIP Dustin Donnell , The University of Tulsa Second Place Contributor Malay Desai , Arol North America ... more

Despite manufacturing being the largest industry in the country and producing perhaps the most raw data, it has the least amount of digitization of any major industry. Most manufacturers are unable to use shop-floor data to drive continuous improvement. This lack of data-driven decision making leads to massive inefficiencies that affect every ... more

Check out this month's sneak-peak editorial from the Sept. 2019 issue of Manufacturing Engineering magazine: Digital Manufacturing Challenge: Powering the World by an Innovative Design for CPU Heat Sinks   During SME’s RAPID TCT Manufacturing Poster Challenge, two University of Waterloo students — Lisa Brock and Gitanjali Shanbhag — showcased ... more

In late July, SME’s longtime award-winning platinum chapter, Greater Charleston Chapter 430 , was presented with a unique opportunity: Hosting an international student chapter member! After notifying members of its co-located SME/ASQ chapter event, Chapter 430 received a surprising response from SME student member Comardo Roofe : He wanted to ... more

A "Call for Papers" for the 2019 Italian Machine Tool Technology Awards is announced by the Italian Trade Agency via its Chicago USA Office ( ice.it/en/index.php/markets/usa ) and its partners. The IMTTA program is comprised of a competition asking upper-level students attending premier U.S. universities to write a thesis on innovation taking ... more

Please check out this new article by SME member Junior Bennett , CMfgE, CMfgT, PE, a lecturer in industrial engineering at the University of Technology, Jamaica  Engineers' Angle | Increasing productivity with business process re-engineering tool Published: Sunday | July 21, 2019 | Junior Bennett/Contributor IS THE  concept of Business ... more

Get your sneak peek of the August SME Speaks "Be an Advocate for Manufacturing" by  Graham Hargreaves , marketing manager for Mastercam / CNC Software Inc. In his editorial, Graham shares four key ways to share your skills and experiences and find opportunities to tell your stories: "We have a responsibility to become advocates for our industry. We ... more

We're excited to announce that four of our faculty advisors have been selected to receive SME's 2019 Distinguished Faculty Advisor Award. Below is a copy of the press release ( https://www.sme.org/aboutsme/newsroom/press-releases/2019/sme-selects-4-as-2019-distinguished-faculty-advisors/ ) announcing the winners: SME has selected ... more

SME is happy to share that 54 of its local chapters have achieved platinum, gold, silver and bronze status for all their efforts in 2018. Of the 54 chapters, eight achieved platinum status, including first-time, platinum-level winners Grand Rapids Chapter 38, Oakland-Macomb Chapter 69 and Wichita Chapter 52.   To achieve this special level of ... more

The Career Development Forum at SME's upcoming RAPID + TCT event in Detroit is designed for college and university students, faculty members and emerging professionals. This forum takes place Wed., May 22 and Thurs., May 23 in the SME Zone.     Register for the Career Development Forum to hear Tech Talks from additive manufacturing experts who will ... more

In two recent  Manufacturing Engineering and Smart Manufacturing magazine articles by Michael Grieves, PhD, chief scientist for advanced manufacturing at the Florida Institute of Technology, Grieves talks about how, after years of hype and predictions, additive manufacturing is on the brink of becoming the disruptive technology that will ... more

A few years ago, SME and six other industry-leading organizations formed an alliance to address some of America’s most critical national challenges in education and job readiness, i.e., the widening skills gap, soaring college debt, high college dropout rates and the shortage of career counselors. This convening resulted in the creation of the ... more

SME VIT organized an industrial visit to TVS Motor Company's Hosur plant on Monday, the 25th of March. TVS is India's third largest producer and the second largest exporter of two wheelers. With every single process in this 370 acre facility precise to the second, it comes as no surprise that this plant won the prestigious Deming Application Prize and ... more

I take immense pleasure to announce that SME-VIT's Team Demeter has secured an overall 2nd position and also won the title of Best Team in Foxmula Open Innovation domain in the 36 hour Hackathon AccessDenied, conducted by IETE-ISF from 23rd March to 24th March in VIT (Vellore Institute of Technology), which saw more than 200 participants.   more

Drone marks a first with vaccine delivery  —  In a breakthrough for drones, a vaccine was delivered for an infant in a mountainous section of Vanuatu that was otherwise inaccessible under the conditions needed for such a mission. The drone from Australia's Swoop Aero carried the vaccine in ice-packed Styrofoam boxes monitored electronically to ... more

ENGINEERING PROFESSOR ELECTED TO SME COLLEGE OF FELLOWS Southern Piedmont chapter member Tony Schmitz, professor of mechanical engineering in the Lee College of Engineering at UNC Charlotte, was elected to the SME (Society of Manufacturing Engineers) College of Fellows. ... more

News Items You May Have Missed!   Supermarket chain to employ robot to scan aisles for hazards Marty the robot is equipped with an autonomous base, a 12-hour battery, and rotating lidar to detect objects and movement so it doesn’t collide with shoppers, carts, or other obstacles.  ... more

SME's VIT Chapter from India (S372) is immensely glad to announce that the third edition of the Computational Techniques for Engineers (CTE 3.0) workshop was a huge success. The workshop was conducted on the 9th and 10th of February, 2019 with its prime aim being to familiarize students with the concepts of Computational Techniques which are ... more

We're happy to announce that three high-performing members have been recognized for their overall engagement on SME Connect! Please join us in congratulating: Adam Cook Garrett Derr Joshua Engel Adam, Garrett and Joshua each received a letter of recognition from 2019 SME Member Council Chair Edye Buchanan , certificates of appreciation and ... more

These days mirror the late 1990s when the internet evolved to widespread use. The topic confused many. But others who quickly learned the new lingo and jumped at the chance to explore the potential of the web benefitted greatly.  Today’s new opportunity in manufacturing is blockchain.  Over the last several months, SME's Smart Manufacturing ... more

Earlier this week, Tooling U-SME released a new report exploring the damaging impact of the cost of turnover (CoT) to manufacturers. According to the CoT report, voluntary turnover costs organizations hundreds of thousands and up to millions of dollars. The report, “The True Cost of Turnover: Hidden Costs Go Beyond Financial to Impact Productivity ... more

Two of SME's Los Angeles-area chapters (South LA/Orange County Chapter 233 and East Los Angeles College S379) recently came together to hold their annual chapter officers installation ceremony. Thank you for volunteering your time to make our LA-area chapters successful, and congrats! Below are photos from the event (click to enlarge).   more

9th and 10th February, VIT UNIVERSITY. The most awaited workshop of the semester, COMPUTATIONAL TECHNIQUES IN ENGINEERING the 3rd edition is here. CTE or Computational Techniques for Engineers’ workshop is one more pioneer workshop SME VIT organizes. The workshop aims at strengthening the foundations of computation techniques much needed in the ... more

SME is currently seeking manufacturing-related footage of machines and/or shop-floors we can repurpose and incorporate into a new video. The goal of the new video is to showcase SME, why manufacturing matters and why SME matters to manufacturing. We'd love your help in adding relevant, impactful video manufacturing footage. Anyone interested in ... more

News Items You May Have Missed! (There are actually more than 5)   Foldable Drone Offers Easier Access to Tight Spaces The engineers were inspired by birds that can fold their wings mid-flight. ... more

Did you know SME's Knowledge & Resource Center is now available on SME Connect?  SME's Knowledge & Resource Center provides members with customized research assistance on a variety of technical topics, including manufacturing processes and other engineering-related subjects, as well as access to CIRP papers. Start building your relationship ... more

Longevity Industries, (longevityindustries.com), producer of a podcast called the destiny of manufacturing; is searching for experts in smart manufacturing, iiot and robotics currently for a 5 year look into the future. If you have insight into these areas and would like to participate. Please contact Dean Phillips, ... more

News Items You May Have Missed - Alaska DOT using polystyrene on roadbed The Al Department of Transportation is using expanded polystyrene as insulation on 50 miles of the 414-mile road through the Alaskan wilderness. The material will help maintain the temperature and stability of the permafrost and raise the road above the flood level. New scanner ... more

SME is happy to announce that two SME members, and leaders in U.S. manufacturing innovation, 2018 SME President Thomas Kurfess, PhD, FSME, PE, and Scott Smith, PhD, FSME, are joining the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory to support its pioneering research in advanced manufacturing. Kurfess and Smith’s expertise in control ... more

The SME Education Foundation supports and serves educators, students and communities. From scholarships available across the country to the SME PRIME Schools initiative, you can help sustain this commitment.  Manufacturing is becoming increasingly connected, automated and intelligent, marking a new industrial revolution. ... more

News items you may have missed!   Aluminum bays connect to form floating bridges in 12 minutes During firefighting efforts in areas in California, training exercises in Europe and even the invasion of Iraq, the US military has constructed temporary floating bridges, some of which can be built in just 12 minutes. Each bridge is made up of a series of ... more

We're happy to announce that the SME Education Foundation is accepting applications for the 2019-20 school year! The SME Education Foundation’s scholarships offer students a powerful reason to choose a manufacturing-focused education. The Foundation awards scholarships annually, so students can reapply every year. Scholarships range from ... more

On Oct. 5 and 6, 12 SME chapters met at the Midwest Chapter Roundtable Conference (Aimes, Iowa). The conference agenda consisted of four modules: Leadership, chapter operations, engagement, recruitment and retention. The leadership panelists were made up of industry and SME volunteer leadership: Matt Edwards, Pella Windows; Duane Dierschow, ... more

A practical session on ANSYS was conducted for EXC students for our course (EXC1061) "Skill development in manufacturing" by our technical head Mridul. The session was on how to use ANSYS and stimulation for manufacturing. 60-70 participants attended the session and found it really useful.   more

SME, in partnership with Arconic Foundation and the SME Education Foundation, recently released the 2018 Manufacturing Compensation Report. The report, released to coincide with the observance of Manufacturing Day, offers a comprehensive look at salaries, bonuses and other compensation for both hourly and salaried manufacturing employees. ... more

Helix Made a Foldable Bicycle   —   This startup wants to make the best folding bikes on the planet, but that's not possible without state-of-the-art manufacturing.   3D Printed Bionic Eye Could Restore Sight to the Blind   —   Michael McAlpine’s mother actually went blind after a surgical procedure, a tragedy which led the scientist towards the ... more

In case you missed the email announcement ... We're happy to announce a new feature on SME Connect: Gamification! What is gamification? It is a friendly competition where you will be rewarded and recognized for all your efforts and engagement on the site. When you log in to SME Connect, you will notice a few new features: BADGES We are assigning badges for ... more

I recently had the pleasure of giving a presentation ( please click here to view my presentation ) to students at the Tennessee College of Applied Technology campus in Hartsville and in Lebanon.  We had over 100 students and faculty in attendance across both locations.   My presentation covered: My background in manufacturing Information on ZF ... more

SME was recently asked by Drishti Labs and its partner A.T. Kearney to help promote its survey — The State of Human Factory Analytics.  Data is central to digital transformation. And humans remain central to manufacturing. But does the industry have enough data on human activities for successful digital transformation?  Your perspective is needed ... more

On 15th and 16th September, SME Student Chapter VIT, Vellore had successfully organized 3D Printing and Scanning Workshop. The resource persons for the workshop were founder and co-founder of Botzlab Innovations-Mr. Pingnagan Pranavam and Mr. Prem Kumar - a niche startup making innovative 3D printed products. Being the Ex-president of the ... more

News Items you may have missed!   How Metal 3D Printing is ‘Dramatically’ Changing the Industry  —  The metal 3D printing market could be worth $10 billion by 2030. The roller coaster has its origins in Russian ice  —  Roller coasters race today for the titles of tallest, fastest and most death-defying, but the technology has changed little since the ... more

Aberration in climate has become a norm; rarely a week goes by without some meteorological phenomenon making headlines. Scientists have asserted that even extinction of dinosaurs is a result of climate change. The time was different then, the reasons were different then; the time is different now, the reasons are different now; the fact being we ... more

“We are the first generation to feel the effect of climate change and the last generation who can do something about it.” -Rightly said by the 44th President of the United States, we are the ones who are going to face the potential future effects of climate change which includes frequent wildfires, stronger and intense hurricanes, ice-free arctic, ... more

The Coalition for Career Development will host a National Career Development Summit in Washington, DC, on Sept. 12, and we invite those interested in the topic attend or send a representative to this important event. Education, business and government leaders from across the country will convene at this summit to design a plan that will make career ... more

5 Things for August   (News Items You May Have Missed!, brought to you by SME's Knowledge & Research Specialist , Carol Tower) McDonald’s and Starbucks Teaming Up to Create Completely Recyclable Cup  —  McDonald’s and Starbucks, two major players in the food and beverage industry, have joined forces in developing a completely recyclable drinking ... more

The SME Member Council and its Student Relations Committee are happy to announce the 2018 Distinguished Faculty Advisor Award winners! This award is offered to student chapter faculty advisors in recognition of their service to SME and their student chapter(s) in advancing manufacturing knowledge, education and SME's vision/mission/purpose . ... more

SME is proud to once again partner with the Italian Trade Agency to issue a call for papers for the 2018 Italian Technology Awards! Paper Submissions are Due: Sept. 21, 2018 Winners of the Italian Technology Awards, per each of the three award programs, who are selected as having the best submissions, will be awarded a ONE-week trip to Italy with ... more

News Items You May Have Missed!     Tiny robots could wend their way through aircraft engines Rolls-Royce is working on solutions for inspecting and maintaining aircraft engines in the form of snakelike and insec-tlike robots that could maneuver themselves into an engine's many tight spots. It is also pursuing pencil-thin robots that would be ... more

SME would like to extend its congratulations to Ron Mac Iver, who is celebrating 58 years of SME membership! Ron has been an active SME member since he joined a student chapter at Santa Monica City College in April 1960. He was one of the founding members of the new student chapter and served as its first secretary for two years. This new chapter was ... more

Dear SME Members, For more than 86 years, SME has been at the forefront of helping its members, the manufacturing industry and manufacturing professionals meet the challenges that come from impactful changes in the industry. You, our members, remain vital to our goal of furthering an inspired, educated, and prosperous manufacturing community. I ... more

ATTN: SME Student Members! Travers Tool is proud to announce its first-ever Metalworking Student Scholarship. In conjunction with its partners, Travers Tool will award $1,250 in tools to a student enrolled in metalworking or welding program at vocational, technical school, community college or university.  To be eligible, participants must ... more

A recent Trends in Digital Manufacturing survey, jointly conducted by SME, a manufacturing association promoting advanced manufacturing technologies, and Plataine, a leading provider of Industrial IoT and AI-based manufacturing optimization solutions, has revealed key insights on plans for factory digitization. This unique IIoT survey, ... more

News items you may have missed!   Engineers Make Parts Out of the Sugar Used in Throat Lozenges Who knew that the cough drop could hold the future of tissue engineering and cancer research? ... more

by Dave Davidson, Deburring/Finishing Technologist | 509.230.6821 |  dryfinish@gmail.com  | https://about.me/dave.davidson  Listen to Katie MacKay (Executive Vice President at MacKay Manufacturing in Spokane, WA) describe how they have reduced hand-deburring and polishing for over 50 different parts from steel, stainless steel, ... more

I wanted to bring our members of the Grand Rapids Chapter up to date on our golf outing for scholarships.  The winning team was Paul Plotkowski from Grand Valley State University, Second was the Jeff Howlett group from DGF Services and Third was the Lions of Wyoming.  The Closest  to the PIn was J. Sluiter, Long Drive was Ken Traxinger and Longest Put was ... more

Manufacturing USA is helping to honor the next generation of innovative leaders through partnering with the Creators of the Teen Choice awards in an all-new, first-of-its-kind "Science Innovation Awards Presented by Manufacturing USA." SME needs your help in nominating those rising stars positively impacting their communities through what ... more

(CLEVELAND, June 14, 2018)  —  Tooling U-SME , a leading provider of manufacturing training solutions, and UL, a global safety science company, have finalized an agreement to align training and certification to create a single source for professional additive manufacturing certification. The organizations signed a Letter of Intent in December ... more

As of April 30, 2018, there were 451,000 manufacturing job openings — or 7.4 percent of total private job openings of 6,117,000. As we head into summer and look toward fall, we wanted to take a moment to offer a few important reminders and suggestions on student engagement, particularly as students will be instrumental in filling the manufacturing ... more

As we've shared previously, SME's postsecondary members are graduating college and sporting new tassels to proudly display their SME membership affiliation. Below is a recent submission from Elvis Bonilla, a new recent East Carolina University graduate.  Please join us in congratulating Elvis Bonilla!  Hello fellow members,  I would like to ... more

We're happy to announce that Tabitha Lundblad recently graduated from the Indiana Institute of Technology — where SME student chapter S354 is located — with a bachelor's degree in industrial and manufacturing engineering. She graduated summa cum laude, Alpha Chi Honor Society and proudly sported her SME chord! Great job Tabitha!      more

News items you may have missed!   The Marine Corps is relying on 3D printing for new parts as it scrambles to prepare for winter warfare The Marine Corps has, in recent months, started to shift its focus away from operations in the Middle East and begun to emphasize preparing to operate in extreme cold — like that found in northern Europe and northeast Asia ... more

SME's Member Council on the 4th of November 2017 by unanimous decision approved the application to open the UTECH JA SME Student Chapter S430 with the Greater Charleston SME Chapter 430, South Carolina USA as the sponsoring chapter. This is the third international chapter and the second English Speaking chapter Student established in the Caribbean ... more

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Students across the country are now proudly wearing their SME tassels during their college graduations, signifying they are student members of SME! Would you like your own tassel for graduation? Contact membership@sme.org , and we'll be happy to send one to you! more

Each year, our SME chapters provide validation for their local chapters operations and various levels of engagement.  The forms, as required by SME Governance, indicate the new slate of elected chapter officers, a financial status update and a completed Chapter Program and Assessment Guide (CPAG) as an annual review of these four categories: ... more

  8 Technological Innovations That Are Shaping the Future of the Industrial World   The technology breakthroughs in the field of robotics, data science, Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence, and nanotechnology are enabling businesses to gather and analyze data and use cost-effective and faster processes, enhancing their bottom ... more

Happy Iotday 2018! Today marks the recognition of one of the most promising technologies in the Industry 4.0 space - the Internet of Things . What makes it so important? The Internet of Things (IoT) or, in our specific industry, the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is one of the base-level technologies which connects the physical world with the ... more

The Grand Rapids Chapter 38 is continuing to contact students during the Robotics competitions and promoting the benefits of a high school student membership. If you are an SME member and mentoring students this year, we would like you to continue encouraging SME membership and providing us your contact information. We want to engage the ... more

Happy Monday morning SME Members! The madness of March and the underdog stories that happen during basketball got me thinking and I hope you can help:  if you had an underdog story where you used SME to assist you in your work and it worked to your advantage, can you comment on this blog and share that story?  What process change, connection, information, ... more

On Tuesday, the House Committee on Small Business Subcommittee on Contracting and Workforce heard from a panel of witnesses on apprenticeship initiatives, specifically the Department of Labor Registered Apprenticeship Program. Representing Tooling U-SME was its vice president, Jeannine Kunz, who, along with along with three other ardent ... more

We are excited to participate and promote the students and their mentors at the GVSU First Competition this weekend. Bring your family and enjoy the competition at the Grand Valley field house in Allendale. Competition begins at 9:30 on Friday and 9:30 on Saturday, March 23 and March 24. The challenge this year is exciting and fast passed. more

Hey College Students! It’s time to Sharpen-up Your Resume!  Register for the SME Online Resume Review and Career Guidance Fair , Wednesday, April 4, 2018, from 1-3pm EDT . Connect live in one-on-one chats with professionals from the field who will provide you feedback on your resume and help you move forward with your career goals. Simple Registration ... more

Hello, SME Members: I hope you enjoy St. Patrick's Day! Spring is near and soon March Madness will be over and baseball will be starting up. SME is a great network for you to connect with other like-minded individuals working in manufacturing. As an example, a student member from Robert Morris University connected with me a few months before graduation ... more

Good Monday Morning SME Members. Thank you for continuing to support manufacturing through membership with SME. As spring break time arrives, remind students as well as remembering yourself, that manufacturing enhances leisure lifestyles. Someone has to design, test, build, and transport items that sometimes we don't' think about as ... more

Ever wonder about the opportunities that come with a manufacturing career? Our new guide highlights the benefits of a manufacturing career and its impact in America.  VIEW THE ONLINE VERSION DOWNLOAD PDF   more

Good morning SME Members!  Thank you for joining SME as you make your difference in manufacturing. Here are a few highlights of things going on that could benefit you: 1.  SME is hosting a SME Online Resume Review and Career Guidance Fair on April 4, 2018.  You can register at https://app.brazenconnect.com/a/sme/e/XB8Nn.   If you are aware of anyone ... more

We have been contacted by a member whose son is currently attending Michigan Tech and is in need of an internship or co-op for the summer of 2018 in the West Michigan area. His previous experience has been with Dematic, Feyen-Zylstra and Bemis in Oshkosh, WI. If your company is looking for help this summer, please let us know and we will forward the resume ... more

SME members, Weigh in with your perspectives and experiences — and influence the direction of American advanced manufacturing! The National Science and Technology Council, Subcommittee on Advanced Manufacturing is developing a National Strategic Plan for Advanced Manufacturing to improve coordination and provide guidance for Federal ... more

Good Monday morning SME Members! As always, please let me start with some gratitude to you for joining us as members.  We greatly appreciate you and your efforts within SME. Couple of great things for your attention: 1.  Remember our Online Resume Review and Career Guidance program coming up.  You can register here:  ... more

Happy President's Day if you are in the United States and a happy Monday to all!  It's going to be a great week. I would like to draw your attention to a few things that are happening around SME membership: 1. Our first SME Resume Review event is scheduled for April 4th.  While the event is geared toward students, it is open to anyone.  If you are a student and ... more

FABTECH 2018 ATLANTA Call for Speakers Is Live !   SUBMIT YOUR ABSTRACT TODAY! Deadline April 6, 2018  Be a part of FABTECH 2018 by sharing your knowledge on technological advancements and creative concepts for FABTECH attendees.  If you have insights and ideas to share, submit your abstract today for consideration at the FABTECH 2018 Education ... more

SME is proud to announce that three of the organization’s leaders are among 36 women named to “Crain’s Detroit Business” 2018 list of Notable Women in Manufacturing. SME’s 2017 President Sandra Bouckley, Vice President of SME’s Events & Industry Strategy Debbie Holton and Vice President of Tooling U-SME Jeannine Kunz were selected for their ... more

As I always like to do, I want to start by expressing my gratitude for you, the SME Member, and say THANK YOU for joining SME and engaging with us as we connect people and manufacturing technologies. Also, speaking of "expressions of gratitude", please remember that Wednesday is Valentine's Day.  You can't say that we didn't remind you. There are some ... more

Hope you enjoy reading my guest editorial article just published at Manufacturing Engineering SME SPEAKS: Creating An Engaged and Sustainable SME LinkedIn Access more

Nashville SME43 will be awarding 5 each $1,500 awards each year to promote manufacturing. Go to sme43.com  to find out about our chapter and acquire an application. more

Happy post-big game Monday.  I am sure that Philadelphia Chapter 15 members are celebrating this morning. We have a couple of things to highlight for your today: 1.  SME Members receive complimentary registration to the new Smart Manufacturing Experience and discounts on workshops and conferences.  For more information on this event and ... more

Our Chapter was able to grant 5 scholarships in 2017 and we would like to continue with this great tradition.  The deadline for applying is March 31, 2018.  You can contact an officer for Chapter 038 to get an application. more

Happy Monday SME Members! First, I personally want to say THANK YOU for being a member of SME and working hard to improve the state of manufacturing in this country and around the world. Due to your efforts in recruiting new members, SME is beginning the year with a growth of membership numbers.  Two areas to highlight:  our high school student membership ... more

Hello everyone! I am an entrepreneur looking to revolutionize womens shoes and I have a vision for a platform; however, I don't know much about the current construct and I am looking to connect with those who do to see if my vision is possible. Any advice/guidance is appreciated.  more

Happy Mid-January SME Members. I hope 2018 has been productive so far and that you are making the exclusive connections and gaining the exclusive access from your SME Membership. Couple of news items of note: - Chapter Leaders:  Check out the attachment for the 2018 Chapter Calendar.  This calender has been created by the Chapter Enhancement ... more

I have been a member of SME for 30 years! What happened to that young mother who started back to college to pursue a degree in CAD? Her son has grown, she’s had a fulfilling career and she is still involved in SME. But let me go back to why I have been a member for 30 years. I joined SME because I was going back to school in my late 20s and knew that to succeed in ... more

Good morning SME Members! Happy Martin Luther King Day! Couple of notes: - SME offers high school membership free to those 13 years - through high school to help them understand how manufacturing and technology enhances our world.  High school members can find out more and join here:  http://www.sme.org/highschool-membership/ - I have attached a ... more

This is one of my favorite projects.  The Webb telescope will be able to "see" the way galaxies formed after the big bang.  This is a very exciting advancement in human capabilities.  Also, the construction of the telescope reflector framework is made from carbon fiber and cyanate ester resin composites that minimize the effect of thermal expansion.  ... more

Greetings!  I think I qualify as an old school member of SME.   That may be why I struggle with Connect.  I like the idea of posting a question and getting feedback from SME members.  I would like to learn more about the ways that chapters, communities and SME HQ uses (or plan to use) Connect.  I welcome your feedback This is the first time I have entered a blog ... more

AWF100: Laser Welding for Today's Fabricator Workshop Tuesday, November 07, 2017: 8:00 AM - 12:30 PM Description This workshop is full of experts covering the latest advancements on laser welding. Topics include: design consideration, industrial laser welding, laser sources for fiber, disk and diode, system overview, hybrid laser welding and ... more

SME is currently forming the following interest groups.  Monitoring & Maintaining the Digital Factory Simulation-Driven Engineering Collision-Free Factory Automation Safety & Productivity If you are interested in participating in one or more of these interest groups, please  click here  to complete and submit the form. more