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Siemens Meet at the Machine: Be productive from day one of new CNC machine delivery

Traditionally, many programming, validation, and training activities begin only after a machine is installed. Not anymore. Meet at the Machine is Siemens' new initiative uniting machine builders, software, and automation for next-level CNC through a continuous digital thread across engineering, programming, virtual validation, and execution. By pairing a Digital Twin with Digital CNC powered by SINUMERIK, manufacturers can prepare, validate, train, and optimize workflows before your specialized machine's physical delivery! TRAK Machine Tools is the launch partner -- see what they are doing.
Learn more.

How to master metal powder management in 3D printing

What's the real cost of "good enough" powder tracking for powder-bed fusion 3D-printing machines? According to Tim Wischeropp, CEO and Co-Founder of amsight, the technology is rife with hidden costs. Every cycle, every handling step, every exposure, and every mixing decision plays a part. Surprisingly, though, with the right strategy, users can turn their losses into a competitive edge. Learn how.
Read the full article.

Aluminum oxide filament for FDM printers

Virtual Foundry, the company that brought us 3D-printable lunar regolith simulant, has a new product called Aluminum Oxide Filamet™, giving users the power to print alumina parts using the FDM printers they already own. This composite 3D-printing material allows researchers, engineers, and makers to bypass expensive ceramic tooling and produce pure ceramic components in-house. Print using a 0.6-mm hardened-steel, standard-flow nozzle on virtually any open-architecture printer.
Get all the material specs.

New metal extrusion retrofit system helps manufacturers get into ShAPE

A new invention from the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory could soon help manufacturers more easily adopt the lab's patented Shear Assisted Processing and Extrusion (ShAPE™) technology, enabling faster manufacturing of superior extrusion products while reducing costs and energy use.
Read the full article.

Pneumatics: Dual guide rod cylinders and exhaust silencers

Automation-Direct has expanded its guided actuator lineup with compact 12-mm dual guide rod cylinders from Metal Work. Ideal for packaging and material handling, these double-acting cylinders feature 10-mm to 250-mm strokes, magnetic pistons, and integral sensor slots. Additionally, new durable acetal plastic silencers are now available in multiple NPT/BSPP sizes to reduce pneumatic exhaust noise.
Learn more.

Expanded injection molding capabilities

Pexco LLC has acquired Recto Molded Products and Legacy Extrusions, expanding its capabilities in complex injection molding, tooling, assembly, and engineered thermoplastic solutions for OEM manufacturers. The Cincinnati-based companies bring more than a century of manufacturing expertise, advanced production technologies, and value-added services that strengthen Pexco's ability to support customers from product design through full-scale production. Injection molding presses ranging from 55 to 500 tons.
Learn about Pexco and its value-added manufacturing services.

Custom 3D-printed steering wheel for jet dragster

Jet dragsters use General Electric J85 engines -- the same turbines pulled from U.S. military F5 Freedom Fighters -- mounted to a custom 26-ft chassis. The racers achieve quarter-miles in 5.5 sec, but standard metal parts can fail custom ergonomic needs. Traditional manufacturing of low-volume aluminum steering wheels demands long, 8-day lead times, high costs, and multi-piece assemblies. Larsen Motorsports solved this by replacing metal with continuous fiber 3D printing using the Markforged X7. Embedding continuous carbon fiber into an Onyx nylon matrix allowed them to target specific load paths, delivering a custom steering wheel that is stiffer, lighter, and faster to produce than aluminum.
View the video.

Application Spotlight: Light-duty ring in an air vent nozzle

Explore how a light-duty Spirolox^® retaining ring is used in an airplane air vent nozzle to regulate airflow. This application spotlight shows how the ring fits into a groove in the plastic housing, securing the nozzle during rotation. Designed for light loads and axial positioning, it offers a simple, economical solution that is easy to install and remove.
View this informative Smalley video.

Fasteners for automotive and agricultural equipment

Norm Fasteners has acquired an automotive fastener manufacturing plant in Plymouth, MI, expanding its North American footprint beyond sales, engineering, and logistics. The local facility produces metric fasteners (M4-M24) and engine bolts. Norm’s portfolio includes wheel bolts, studs, custom fasteners, and licensed MAThread^® and TAPTITE^® products, serving diverse automotive and industrial assembly needs.
Learn more or contact Belgin Tunce for more information.

3M Cooling Film for vehicle roofs launched

New 3M Cooling Film is a roof-applied heat-management solution designed to help keep vehicle cabins cooler, reduce cooling demand, and improve operational efficiency. The aftermarket product uses advanced thermal management technology to reflect more than 85% of solar radiation. Interior vehicle temperatures can be reduced by up to 10 degrees F with this product. Installs like graphics by professional installers using 3M adhesive technologies. Initially designed for fleet and rail operators.
Learn more.

Test your knowledge: High-temp adhesives

Put your knowledge to the test by trying to answer these key questions on how to choose the right high-temperature-resistant adhesive. The technical experts from Master Bond cover critical information necessary for the selection process, including questions on glass transition temperature and service temperature range. Some of the answers may surprise even the savviest of engineers.
Take the quiz.

New Air Holster Safety Air Gun Mount

EXAIR's new Model 5930 Air Holster provides a simple and convenient way to keep Safety Air Guns secure and within easy reach at workstations throughout a facility. Designed to give operators a designated location for their air gun when not in use, the Air Holster helps prevent misplaced tools while keeping work areas organized and efficient. Its practical design makes it an ideal addition to manufacturing, assembly, maintenance, and other industrial workstations where Safety Air Guns are frequently used.
Learn more.

Southco access hardware in rail applications

Discover how Southco's rail access hardware solutions help improve safety, reliability, and operational efficiency across modern rail networks. The video showcases a range of rail applications where Southco's access hardware plays a critical role, including driver cabins, lighting systems, tray tables, headrests, armrests, and other passenger and operator touchpoints. Designed to support dependable performance in demanding moving environments, Southco's solutions help operators streamline maintenance processes, minimize downtime, and enable more proactive asset management.
View the video.

Multi-zone tension leveler for hard-to-flatten alloys

Redex USA's Levelflex^® is a modular, multi-zone tension leveler engineered for continuous processing lines, including coating and heat treatment of aluminum alloys and where flatness is critical to coating adhesion and downstream formability. By stretching material within 95% of its yield strength, it corrects stubborn flatness defects in fewer passes. It comes in open-loop pure stretch or closed-loop tension measurement modes to optimize surface integrity and eliminate crossbow.
Learn more.

Hold any shape with ID and OD Form Holding Clamps

These simple OD and ID clamping solutions from Fixtureworks clamp onto your part in one easy operation, eliminating the need for custom fixtures. They allow users to clamp onto the inner or outer diameter of small-size, irregularly shaped work parts fast. Lots of options.
Learn more.

Warning: Cost of copper must double to meet basic copper needs

The price of copper must at least double in order to spur the development of new copper mines to meet the world's growing demand for the metal, according to a team led by a University of Michigan (U-M) researcher.

A research team led by U-M geologist Adam Simon examined barriers to producing the copper necessary to meet demands for the metal under different scenarios. They found that meeting basic copper demand is possible, but it will require higher prices and reforms to the permitting process to encourage mining.

In order to meet "business-as-usual" demands for copper -- the normal socioeconomic development of infrastructure, electricity, heating, cooling, and other modern technologies -- the world will need about 37 million tons of copper per year by 2050. That's compared to about 23 million tons mined in 2025. However, to switch to energy provided by 100% renewable resources, and all-electric vehicles, that need jumps to 91.7 million tons per year.

Either way, we will have difficulty meeting that demand if the price of copper does not rise, or if the ability to mine it does not become streamlined, according to Simon, U-M Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences, and his co-authors. Their perspective paper is published in the journal Energy Research & Social Science.

"Copper is the fundamental linchpin for socioeconomic development, acting as the connective artery for infrastructure; digital intelligence; and electricity generation, transmission, and storage. Without substantially increasing copper supply, global development will not happen," said Simon.

The price for copper, which currently sells for about $13,000 per ton, needs to at least double in order to incentivize mining companies to pursue new mines, according to the researchers. To determine this number, the researchers used industry reports, databases, and confidential merchant bank data to calculate how much it costs to develop existing mine projects across the world.

They found that the development of a copper mine in Mongolia costs $18,916 per ton of copper produced annually. A copper mine in Panama costs $31,318 per ton of copper produced annually, while a copper mine in the United States costs $29,614 per ton of copper. Twenty-six copper mines are expected to begin operations by 2030; on average, they're expected to cost $22,359 per ton of copper produced annually.

"A near certainty is that copper price must rise substantially if mining rates are to meet as-usual expectations -- even from their highs currently," Simon said.

The researchers also examined alternative sources of copper and materials that could be used as alternatives to copper. They project that recycling could provide about 13.4 million tons of copper by 2050, or about a third of what is needed for business as usual. Mining low-grade rocks -- rocks with small amounts of copper -- and leaching copper from materials left over from mining could provide an additional 4 million tons of copper annually. Alternatives to copper such as stainless steel, aluminum, and plastics could alleviate some of the demand, but potentially with the tradeoff of higher emissions.

The researchers also argue that faster, more predictable permitting is necessary, without sacrificing environmental and community safeguards.

"Policies that would encourage mining include streamlining and simplifying the permitting processes, improving global market transparency, liquidity, governance, price discovery, and guaranteed off-take agreements to make capital-intensive, long-term mining projects economically viable," Simon said.

In addition to business-as-usual economic development, Simon and his co-authors noted that developing countries still need copper for basic construction such as electricity distribution and telecommunications; air conditioning and heating; plumbing; industrial equipment; and rail and public transportation systems and vehicles.

For example, they write, for every person in the United States, European Union, and other high-income countries, the built environment already contains about 441 lb (200 kg) of copper. For each person in India and countries across Africa, the built environment contains less than 1 lb (about 0.5 kg) of copper. Economic development to raise the standard of living in these regions will require an enormous amount of copper.

"The world is not running out of copper; it is running out of time to produce it. Getting it out of the ground fast enough to meet rapidly growing demand will require immense political prioritization and broad public support for mining," Simon said.

Source: University of Michigan

Published February 2026

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