Advanced Manufacturing Now

John Heuring, Regional Sales Manager for Dallas Industries, explores the challenges fabricators face when their feed line operators process advanced, high-strength steels. He also outlines the special considerations that stampers should consider for feed lines being paired with servo presses.

Frank Arteaga, Head of Product Marketing for Bystronic, explains why Industry 4.0 isn't just for big companies and why small to medium-sized job shops should learn about and adopt it. He also explains how job shops can implement Industry 4.0 without making major changes to equipment and software.

Mark Scherler, General Manager of Materials Joining for FANUC America, explores how the Internet of Things is changing robotic manufacturing, laser processes that are being used with robotics, and how changes in the manufacturing labor force are affecting the need for robotics.

Will Healy, Strategic Marketing Manager, and Dave Bird, Key Account Manager, Metal Forming and Robotic Welding for Balluff Inc., discuss how press shops can dramatically improve uptime, tackle the biggest problems with sensors and networking in robotic welding, and surmount the challenges to implementing Industrial Internet of Things. They also explain how machine builders can increase the value they deliver to manufacturers.

Sandra L. Bouckley, FSME, 2017 President for SME, discusses the current state of the manufacturing workforce, what this means for the future, how companies can help bridge the skills gap and the role of new technology in resolving workforce challenges.

Charlie Miller, director of sales for the Eastern region of the US for the robot and applications group at ABB, examines emerging trends in robotic welding, how the Industrial Internet of Things is driving changes in the sector, and the biggest challenges users need to address--including the shortage of skilled workers.

Detlef Zühlke, Scientific Director for Innovative Factory Systems at the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence and Executive Chairman of SmartFactory-KL in Germany, discusses what it was like to be a founding father of Industrie 4.0, obstacles to smart manufacturing and ways the transition can be made smoother.

Manufacturing Engineering Editor-in-Chief James D. Sawyer talks to Dr. Bruce Cameron, MIT faculty director, about the online professional certificate program. Online Education at MIT: Models and Methods to Manage Complex Systems MIT Professional Education's new four-course online professional certificate program, Architecture and Systems Engineering: Models and Methods to Manage Complex Systems is intended to provide a state-of-the-practice view on model-based systems engineering for technical professionals and engineers. This first-of-its-kind professional certificate was developed by leading MIT faculty and incorporates case studies, practitioner guest lectures and examples from a wide variety of industries and companies.

Guest: Met-L-Flow President Carl Dekker. Interviewed by Smart Manufacturing magazine Editor In Chief Brett Brune. How can we get around better? SME's 2017 Digital Manufacturing Challenge invites college and high school students around the world who are in STEM fields to answer the question—by creating forward-thinking, mobility innovation solutions. Contest submissions are due before March 13.