The “World’s Fair of Metalworking” was back in town recently showing the world how AI, robotics, automation, manufacturing cells and machine integration is changing manufacturing technology today. IMTS in Chicago is still THAT PLACE, a physical trade show where people discuss the opportunities and challenges customers are encountering across all facets of manufacturing. It remains the one stop on the trade show circuit where you get a firm grasp on where manufacturing is and where it’s going.
Gear scuffing poses a substantial challenge to the durability and longevity of EV gearboxes. To address the challenges posed by gear scuffing, researchers have turned to ISO standards and
advanced analytical software tools.
Kalamazoo earned the nickname “Paper City” thanks to a papermaking industry that dominated its economy for more than a century. The industry began in 1866 when the Kalamazoo Paper Co. built the city’s first paper mill. The area was well-suited to papermaking because of abundant water from the Kalamazoo River, good rail access, and proximity to timber resources in northern Michigan.
Engineers rarely approach a linear motion project without some idea of the drive technology they expect to use. Previous experience may suggest a ball screw for an application requiring high precision, a lead screw where simplicity and low maintenance are priorities, or a belt-driven system for a long, high-speed axis. Motion designers therefore often begin discussions with manufacturers by requesting a particular solution. The questions that follow, however, are largely the same regardless of the technology specified. Instead of confirming the requested product, the focus tends to be more on understanding what the machine is expected to accomplish.
With sustainability now shaping equipment specifications, material selection, and operational decisions across packaging and processing, Pack Expo International 2026 will give manufacturers a one-stop destination to compare sustainable packaging technologies, learn from experts, and find solutions that support measurable environmental and business goals. The need is clear: more than 82 percent of end users say they are actively engaged in sustainability adoption, according to “2026 The Ripple Effect: CPG Sustainability and the New OEM Spec Sheet,” a new report from PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies.
MotionTech, headquartered in Stockholm, recently announced its entry into the United States market. The launch marks a significant milestone in the company’s international growth strategy, bringing a proven portfolio of automation and packaging technology to North American customers.
Supply chain challenges, global tariffs and rising energy prices make it extremely difficult to collaborate with multiple vendors on a mechanical engineering project. The biggest takeaway from Schaeffler’s incredibly informative and insightful Automotive Symposium in Detroit is how lucky the organization is to avoid these challenges thanks to an extremely robust product portfolio.
It is God’s own private mystery how the algorithms work, but somehow an old Warner Bros. cartoon titled Norman Normal entered my feed this week. Released in February 1968, it runs six minutes and is about a ball-bearing salesman caught in an ethical conundrum.
SEW-Eurodrive has expanded its PxG planetary servo gear unit portfolio with the introduction of the PxG economy series, adding three performance classes for machine builders and OEMs seeking cost-effective servo performance for standard industrial automation applications.
With Nordac Fusion, Nord Drivesystems launched a powerful drive system that combines motor and inverter into a compact unit.
As pump manufacturers face increasing demands for energy efficiency, precise flow control, reduced noise, longer service life, compact design, and digital connectivity, Dunkermotoren is helping OEMs address these challenges with configurable brushless DC (BLDC) motor solutions engineered specifically for pump applications.
Industrial operators preparing for the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) 2027 motor efficiency requirements now have a simple, yet advanced, solution with ABB’s new SD200 SP4 severe-duty motor.
Schaeffler is expanding its humanoid robotics product portfolio and bringing formed strain wave gearboxes to market. Strain wave gearboxes are key components in actuators which make up around half of the total costs of manufacturing a humanoid. Strain wave gearboxes can transmit movements precisely and with a high torque capacity and a high gear reduction ratio in extremely compact spaces and offer high accuracy and stiffness.
NTN, the parent company of BCA Bearings, has launched its BCA in the Bay Technician Training Program, a nationwide initiative that delivers hands-on technical training directly to professional automotive repair facilities. Building on a successful soft launch and growing industry demand, BCA in the Bay delivers practical, real-world instruction focused on bearing diagnostics, wheel-end service procedures, installation best practices, and troubleshooting techniques. The program reflects BCA Bearings' ongoing commitment to supporting the technicians who install and recommend its products every day.
E Tech Group recently announced an Authorized System Integrator Agreement with Rainbow Robotics that expands E Tech Group’s collaborative robotics offering for customers across the United States. Under the agreement, E Tech Group serves as a Servicing System Integrator for Rainbow Robotics’ collaborative robot lineup.
As machines grow faster and become more adaptive, safety engineering often continues to operate in a parallel world of isolated workflows and fixed constraints. In this interview, Franz Kaufleitner (global product manager safety) and Stefan Schönegger (CTO, ABB Machine Automation division, B&R) share why the time for a shift is right and how Safety+ from B&R aims to close the gap between modern automation and safety engineering.
Siemens will invest more than $200 million in two new U.S. manufacturing facilities in Pendergrass, Georgia, and Grand Prairie, Texas. These investments will expand Siemens’ production capacity to deliver the critical electrical infrastructure required to power the next wave of AI. Siemens will create more than 1,500 jobs and strengthen its ability to serve the rapidly growing demand for AI-ready data centers. The investments are part of a move to expand Siemens’ global capacity. In July 2026, the company already announced an investment of €300 million in its factories in Germany to support the rapid growth of AI and data centers.