With thousands of fastener locations that need to be drilled and filled to complete a plane, drilling and fastening remain the largest areas of opportunity for automated robotics applications in aerospace. New developments are also making robots more attractive than ever in the aerospace and defense space—especially improved rigidity and accuracy in the robots themselves.
Micro components continue to shrink in size, demanding ever-greater precision and improved handling of parts with sub-micron-sized features. New approaches in micro machining technology include higher-precision systems from traditional micro machining developers, as well as techniques using additive manufacturing processes and semiconductor wafer-scale technology on the smallest of micro parts.
Automation development in the aerospace industry has quickened its pace, with the aviation and defense industries attempting to further automate manufacturing processes to meet growing OEM order backlogs and critical aerospace-defense program deadlines.
The emergence of third-generation advanced high-strength steel, known as 3rd Gen AHSS, may have an impact on automotive manufacturing a trade group said.
Thermwood Corp. has added a third print orientation to its LSAM Large Scale Additive Manufacturing systems.
Bosch said it is moving forward with volume production of silicon carbide chips.
Key steps are virtual twins and real relationships.
Sandvik Coromant’s Package Selector Application analyzes a 3D CAD model of a product and recommends the smallest packaging possible using an AI algorithm that calculates the product’s rotation.
The acquisition of CAD/CAM pioneer Mastercam by Sandvik Manufacturing Solutions will help further tooling developments.
While fossil fuels dominate the energy market, expect a new mix of parts as renewable energy and EVs grow in market share.
