High Tech Manufacturing in the United States

As manufacturing seems that it has all but left the United States in search of lower labor rates, there is a large portion that has stayed within the lower 48 states due to high tech manufacturing methods that give U.S. business owners an edge on the competition.

Rather than simple automation done by purchasing highly capable CNC mills and lathes, many manufacturers are developing custom tools and process machinery that is unique to their clientele. This could be anything from parts handlers to custom tooling.

Even the manufacturing processes of the more simple products such as threaded inserts and non-threaded inserts are being explored again and reengineered. To do this experiments are done in investigating tool life, cutting force and surface roughness of stainless steel material under oblique machining. Materials are being optimized in order to reduce the wear on cutters and tooling. More products are being manufactured out of brass and aluminum because of the lower incremental costs of running high volume production.

Many manufacturing facilities in the United States have investigated a fully automated manufacturing process. This allows for much lower labor rates the automation process has in some cases proven to be very affordable. This affords small domestic U.S. companies the ability to keep all manufacturing close by and thus eliminating such barriers as language and design engineering and patent protection in foreign countries.

Some of these processes that can make manufacturing very cheap are recognized in such companies as http://www.threaded-insert.com. This company competes on a global basis for products that are among the most competitive in the world. They are able offer precision threaded inserts at a fraction of the price that competitors offer them. They can offer these lower prices in volumes all the way down to 1,000 parts. This is due to a simple process and efficient quality control.

Rather than exploring softer metals and automated processes, some manufacturers are finding out that some products need to be completely redesigned. Carbon fiber is becoming more readily available and is being used in more practical places. Research is being done right now to find effective ways to magnetize the fiber and resin for use in electric motors. This could drastically reduce the weight of what is now a very heavy piece to aircraft and many civilian and military vehicles. This would be a complete redesign of the electric motor as we know it.

As long as there are materials to use to produce engineered goods, the United States will always have a place in high-tech manufacturing. More than being on the bleeding edge of design they will always have a place on the bleeding edge of production and low cost manufacturing.

This is good news for those businesses that have a desire to purchase domestically. The transactions certainly go much smoother when the two parties do not have language and cultural barriers. Certainly low and medium volume products that are manufactured in the United States have an advantage to purchasing within the United States also.