When GE decided that additive manufacturing was the way to go for making metal fuel nozzles for its new LEAP engine, the company touched off interest in other shops to move 3D printers from the design studio to the factory floor. It also stepped up the focus on safety standards for metal AM.
New coatings are going the boutique route, using multiple layers and new materials to optimize for a particular application
Supplying the 700 level-one trauma centers in the US is an intensively competitive business. Not only must suppliers like Smith & Nephew Orthopedics Inc. (Memphis, TN) produce very fine surface finishes on implantable devices and surgical instruments made from difficult-to-machine materials, but they also must deliver quality products, as surgeons need them.
Attendees at Makino’s 2017 Die/Mold Expo Sept. 13-14 learned how they can boost utilization and quality with high-performance controls as well as how to increase productivity through automation. In addition, they also had an early look at the V80S five-axis VMC that had its world premiere a week later at EMO in Hannover, Germany.
Additive manufacturing is both growing and coping with growing pains. Companies “have to find ways to streamline” polishing and other finishing processes of 3D printed parts, industry consultant Terry Wohlers said today during a speech at RAPID + TCT.
The demand for better part quality and lower cost per part has driven advances in grinding technology both in machine tool design and wheel performance. Grinding professionals are more aware than ever before of the critical role coolant plays in efficient grinding processes and the need for a well-designed coolant strategy.
When it comes to creative workholding solutions, Kurt Industrial Products Division doesn’t hesitate to replace one or even two of its old vises with a new one to get a better product.
Combining effective shop-floor strategies with advanced machine tool technology has resulted in dramatic setup reductions for Land & Sea Inc., dramatically shrinking setup times from days to minutes.
The landscape is changing and one estimate says all new passenger cars sold in Europe will be electric or hybrid by 2025. For the companies supplying the global automotive market, this fact and others will require an immediate and ongoing assessment of technologies and machinery.
A recent effort by the Norton Advanced Applications Engineering Group demonstrates that for difficult-to-machine materials, grinding can be an economical alternative to other machining processes.
