Roush Looks to 3D Printing February 9, 2018 Roush Enterprises (Livonia, MI) decided to go big with 3D printing. The company spent $4.5 million over 14 months on five additive manufacturing machines, software, facility upgrades and engineering personnel and equipment.
AM Producers Seek Solutions to Production Barriers February 28, 2018 Additive manufacturing holds potential for many possible new frontiers in the aerospace industry, and manufacturers in aviation and space flight are reaching for those new vistas. But they’re held back at less than warp speed due to a lack of awareness, unmet technological needs and the absence of a formal regulatory process in their highly regulated industry.
Test and Measurement Gear Evolves to Measure AM Parts February 5, 2018 Additive manufacturing (AM), or 3D printing, is a fast-growing field that offers many advantages over traditional techniques. It can create more complex parts than either machining or casting, can fuse different materials together, and is sometimes less expensive in low-volume or prototype applications.
Optical Comparators Adapt and Grow March 1, 2018 Beware predictions of the demise of any technology. If the early 1920s saw the dawn of the optical comparator, there has been much speculation about its sunset. That was especially true when vision systems started hitting their stride a few years ago. Many could see optical comparators were superfluous with the use of vision systems. Many thought the sunset of optical comparators was imminent. Many were wrong. Why?
Who Controls Feedstock Used in 3D Printers? March 2, 2018 Should the US Copyright Office oversee whether 3D printer operators can use feedstock not approved by their machine’s maker to turn out medical devices or airplane parts, or is that the role of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), respectively?
SPONSORED BY 3M: How to Streamline Manufacturing … with Tape? January 30, 2018 Looking to reduce costs, save time and enhance your design options? Take inspiration from real examples of manufacturer’s who have achieved all these and more.
In-House 3D Printer Saves Firm Thousands January 8, 2018 A fused filament 3D printer has saved a custom outdoor lighting manufacturer tens of thousands of dollars a year, improving operations and winning more business. The purchase also helped retain customers who would previously have gone elsewhere for specialized parts.
Hybrid Machines Make Parts Using Brand New and Tried and True Technologies April 2, 2018 There will be a lot of success stories coming out soon featuring hybrid additive/subtractive machine technology. Still in its early development stages, hybrid machine technology is carving out—after carefully building up layer by layer—examples of complex parts, large repaired workpieces, and molds with process-enhancing conformal cooling channels designed in.
North Dakota State University Engineering Team Wins 3M’s Disruptive Design Challenge April 19, 2018 Four universities—Iowa State University, University of Minnesota, University of Wisconsin-Madison and North Dakota State University (NDSU)—competed in the inaugural 3M Industrial Adhesives and Tapes Disruptive Design Challenge (DDC) at 3M’s headquarters (St. Paul, MN), Friday, April 13.
The Additive Manufacturing Industry Is Growing Up! April 4, 2018 The first time I saw the 3D printing technology working at McDonnell-Douglas Aircraft was in the early 1990s, and it forever changed the way I thought about manufacturing.