The US cutting tool consumption totalled US$189 million in June, according to the US Cutting Tool Institute (USCTI) and the Association for Manufacturing Technology (AMT). Published in their June report, this figure represented an increase of nine percent from May 2015, but a one percent decrease from June 2014.

The Formaker, produced by Zhuhai CTC Electronic Company Limited, has debuted on crowdfunding platform Kickstarter. A four-in-one dual-head 3D printer, it also does computer numeric control (CNC) engraving, laser cutting and printed circuit board (PCB) etching.

The Bangkok office of Schaeffler Asia Pacific has just attained the Schaeffler Technology Centre (STC) certification, joining 26 other company offices around the world.

Additive manufacturing, or more commonly known as 3D printing, will be adopted extensively over the next few years, says 3D printing equipment and materials manufacturer Stratasys Limited. This was based on their 36-question survey involving 700 respondents who are engineers, executives, designers and project managers who already use the technology in their manufacturing processes or plan to do so in the next three years.

The Mexican machine tools exhibition EXPOMAQ which will take place from 12-15 April 2016 in León, Mexico, has announced the biggest ever participation by German machine tool manufacturers.

EVX Ventures, an Australian company focused in R&D and commercialisation of high performance solar and electric vehicle technologies, has unveiled their concept automobile technology for a solar-powered car with the potential for infinite endurance.

3D Printlife has launched the Enviro ABS, the company’s first 3D printer Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) filament line, which is also biodegradable.

More rumours surround Apple and its interest in venturing into the automotive industry. A latest report has stated the technology company has made inquiries about a former navy base that was converted into a testing ground for self-driving cars.

Fisker Automotive is making an attempt at revival, and has reportedly signed an 11-year, US$30 million lease for a factory in Moreno Valley, California. Known for its plug-in hybrid cars, sales are expected to begin as early as mid-next year.

Mitsubishi Electric Corporation has just announced that their Thai subsidiary, Mitsubishi Electric Asia (Thailand) has recently begun domestic operations after establishing the office there in 2013. This additional focus on the domestic market was made to align the company with the projected increase in demand power systems following the formation of the ASEAN Economic community later this year.