Now More Than Ever, Technology and Innovation Will Keep Manufacturers Competitive

Manufacturing has always been defined by relentless innovation. Across industries and around the world, shops have pursued cutting-edge technologies to maintain a competitive advantage, from the rise of NC and CNC machining to today’s fully interconnected and online facilities. And in response to the pressing issues of our time, such as the widening skills gap or the rise of mass customization, OEMs like Mazak have sought to provide state-of-the-art solutions that make it possible for operators to be more productive than ever before.

As the ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to reshape the global economy, however, manufacturers are facing new challenges that will likely require an even greater dedication to innovation. As your machine tool partner, Mazak is committed to developing innovative technologies and recognizes the role research and scientific discovery play in positioning shops of all sizes to better compete in today’s market. But to position your shop for success, you need to leverage advanced manufacturing technology that can help you drive your own innovations and creativity.

Mazak has long been on the forefront of developing manufacturing technology that simplifies processes and provides more room for innovation. MAZATROL conversational programming, for example, has been enabling novice machinists to immediately add value to a shop by using a simple graphical and intuitive programming language that minimizes the use of G-codes. The Mazak SmartBox makes it possible for digitally savvy shops to run a wide range of edge-computing applications while protecting their data with industry-leading cybersecurity. And accessible technologies like SMOOTH Link give shops the opportunity to perform simple and effective monitoring with just a MAZATROL Smooth CNC and a commercial Wi-Fi router.

As summer starts heating up – and businesses start to reopen – Mazak remains committed to pushing technology further. The latest generation of its SMOOTH TECHNOLOGY platform, the MAZATROL SmoothAi CNC, comes with a range of new software modules to help unleash companies’ innovation. MAZATROL TWINS and SMOOTH CAM Ai, for example, represent massive increases in terms of CAD/CAM and CNC integration for speedy program development and comprehensive process monitoring. Perhaps most exciting, solutions like SMOOTH Ai Spindle and Ai Thermal Shield use data to optimize processes in real time with machine learning algorithms – all of which give manufacturers more time to focus on innovating new products rather than crunching data to optimize processes.

Of course, emerging technologies have never been a replacement for good old-fashioned ingenuity – and while artificial intelligence has found its way into Mazak CNCs, it can’t innovate new products or create business growth roadmaps. Instead, manufacturers often rely on the natural intelligence of Mazak application experts, who are happy to partner with shops to help them turn clever ideas into real products – especially when those products will make a difference in the world around us.

Find out how Mazak can be your shop’s partner for innovation. Check out their COVID-19 Survival Kit for Manufacturers for details on how they can support your manufacturing operations – and boost your capacity for manufacturing creativity ­– during these uncertain times.

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