Doug Picklyk

Each fall in Las Vegas design software giant Autodesk holds a massive user-group conference, Autodesk University, bringing together some 10,000 attendees from various industries to share knowledge and reveal new developments. At the 2015 event a unique-looking metal structure was rolled out onto a...

Looking back at 2015 there was one major recurring theme at every trade show, press conference and machine tool supplier-sponsored event: how to prepare for the impending Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and what it will mean for every manufacturing-related business. The name of the game is...

As the capability of metal machining technology continues to improve the ability to machine with more exact precision is resulting in new generations of end products that can truly affect people’s lives. Industries like aerospace, automotive and medical instruments have driven the demand for...

Coming in for a landing, the majestic Airbus A330-300 wide-body aircraft will approach the runway with a maximum landing weight of 187 metric tonnes (over 412,000 lbs.) relying on the plane’s landing gear to deliver a comfortable arrival for its passengers. Since 1991 the Mirabel, Quebec plant...

For effective metal cutting there is no escaping the use of machine tool coolants, and as an essential element in a metalworking process it’s necessary to maximize the efficiency of the fluids while also maintaining a healthy work environment for machine...

Canadian manufacturers have been accused of having a “risk averse” attitude. It’s a business approach that maintains a steady course, but it’s not enough to keep an industry or an economy advancing. This point is driven home in a recent KPMG 2015 Canadian Manufacturing...

From New York City landmarks and NFL stadiums to forestry and mining machinery, Guelph, Ontario’s Durose Manufacturing Limited has cut, formed, rolled and welded steel that keeps buildings up and helps industries dig deep. A longstanding fixture in Guelph, Durose had been in business since...

The Canadian Manufacturing Technology Show (CMTS) came to close on October 1, and as the lights dimmed on the show floor there was time to reflect on highlights from the four-day event. The opening keynote by Linamar CEO Linda Hasenfratz kicked off on a very positive note, with the head of the...

Beginning as a small tool regrinding operation serving local machine shops in the lower mainland of British Columbia, Sharp-Rite Tooling and Manufacturing has blossomed into a multi-purpose grinding service and tooling provider with its sights set well beyond its B.C. borders. Marke Fox, president...

There are many deburring, rounding and polishing options available to manufacturers for cleaning up metal parts. Options range from bead blasting and tumbling to belt grinding, abrasive machining, mechanical deburring and more. When it comes to finding the most efficient hand held methods for...

Having aligned himself closely with the aerospace industry, Cyrille Chanal has developed a successful business model in France combining a dedicated machining operation with an upstart additive manufacturing business, and now the enterprising mechanical engineer is duplicating that model in Canada...

This is going to be my first CMTS show and I can’t wait. I’ve been to plenty of industrial trade shows over the past two decades, both in North America and Europe (most dealing with the printing industry), so I know what to expect. And that’s what has me excited about this event....

The farm town of Carman, Manitoba, located about an hour southwest of Winnipeg, is home to the machining division of Walinga, an Ontario-based company that specializes in sophisticated hauling trucks and trailers and air-driven grain moving equipment. The machine shop is dedicated to manufacturing...

  In a modern-looking industrial unit with plenty of windows facing the street, Mahler Industries is a CNC machine shop with an equally modern approach to business with a focus on efficiency and a commitment to quality and service that keeps the Coquitlam, B.C. company on a steady growth...

When you live and work in Alberta, fortunes rise and fall with the oil patch. Having lived in the Edmonton area his entire life, Paul Chissell, president of Wynn Machine & Manufacturing, has experienced the up and down cycles before, and he’s confident this current dip in the local...