EnvisionTEC CEO: 3D Printing Is About to Disrupt Plastics February 1, 2021 EnvisionTEC CEO Al Siblani—whose firm is being purchased by Desktop Metal—discusses photopolymers’ move from prototyping to production. He gets into how he sees the sale will impact his company, as well as Desktop Metal and the 3D printing market in general. For the uninitiated, he also patiently explains how the 3d printing of polymers has progressed over the years. Last but not least, he details EnvisionTEC’s plans for growth—and asserts that the cost of 3D printing has reached a point where it is disrupting plastics.
Eliminating the Post-Processing Headache January 8, 2021 Additive manufacturing, or 3D printing, has been a game changer in how products are designed, produced and manufactured. But 3D printed parts don’t just come out of the machine ready to use, sometimes intensive manual post-processing is required. Jeff Mize, CEO of PostProcess Technologies, sits down with Chris Mahar, Associate Editor, to discuss their automated post-processing technology and how fully digitalized additive manufacturing is further benefiting the industry.
Simplifying and Moving Beyond Five-Axis Machining December 15, 2020 Five-axis machining, once a novel and somewhat forbidding technology, has become routine in many shops. Meanwhile, some organizations are still hesitant to use it, largely due to programming concerns.
CAD/CAM Software and Specialized Tooling Help GK Machine Cut Time, Boost Production December 29, 2020 In Donald, Ore., 24 miles south of Portland, GK Machine Company Inc., is manufacturing parts for heavy agricultural equipment such as harvesters, sprayers, tree diggers, and hose reels.
First Time’s the Charm January 6, 2021 All shops want to be more productive and reduce downtime. For some, this means an investment in a high-end CNC machine tool. Others give quick-change toolholders a try, or pursue an IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) machining strategy.
Manufacturing Equipment Market to Recover After The Collapse Of 2020 January 4, 2021 The Italian machine tool, robot and automation industry trade organization, UCIMU-SISTEMI PER PRODURRE, forecasts a recovery in 2021
ExOne Receives U.S. Contract February 16, 2021 Additive manufacturing company ExOne Co. has been awarded a U.S. Department of Defense contract to develop a fully operational, self-contained 3D printing “factory” housed in a shipping container.
Cutting Superalloy Challenges Down to Size December 17, 2020 How people feel about heat-resistant superalloys depends on what they do with them. Those who use parts made of HRSAs are high on the materials because they retain their strength and hardness at high temperatures and also provide excellent corrosion resistance.
Heidenhain Opens New ACU-RITE Technology Education Center January 6, 2021 HEIDENHAIN has opened a new ACU-RITE Technology Education Center in Schaumburg, Illinois, a Chicago suburb.
Making HMCs Nimble Enough for Small Jobs January 14, 2021 Horizontal machine tools (HMCs) have typically been used for longer run production jobs. But as lot sizes decrease, machine builders and their partners have introduced new technologies that speed setups and generally make HMCs nimbler. So much so that one should probably rethink the role HMCs serve.