Blogs

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