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Manufacturing Engineering: March 2020

The March 2020 edition of Manufacturing Engineering is available as a digital magazine. Links to individual articles are below.
Large forming tool produced on a Large Scale AM (LSAM) machine from Thermwood. The technology is one of several discussed in Wohlers Report 2020.

New Ventures, Partnerships, Strong Growth Power AM

February 20, 2020
Each year, users the world over—and some in outer space—discover new ways to put additive manufacturing (AM) to work. AM contributes to product improvements, increased efficiency, green initiatives, global partnerships, material developments, and groundbreaking innovations.
Ray Huff Associate Engineer, Wohlers Associates Inc.
By Ray Huff Associate Engineer, Wohlers Associates, Inc.
Terry Wohlers
By Terry Wohlers Head of Advisory Services and Market Intelligence, Wohlers Associates
The RenAM 500Q from Renishaw printing parts for a Renishaw optical system.

Metal Milestones in 3D Printing

February 21, 2020
Compared to machining and other traditional metalworking processes, additive manufacturing (AM) is a newcomer. Most industry experts trace its birth to 1987, when Chuck Hull of 3D Systems fame introduced the first commercially available stereolithography machine, the SLA-1.
Kip Hanson
By Kip Hanson Contributing Editor, SME Media
Using 3D Systems’ new Figure 4 Production Black 10 photopolymer, a single DLP engine produced these 1,200 plastic, finished, end-use components in 48 hours.

New Polymer Applications in Additive Manufacturing

February 24, 2020
The 3D printing of polymers has been around for over 30 years. And as Patrick Dunne, vice president of advanced application development for 3D Systems Inc., Berkeley, Calif., put it, there are significant applications across many different industries.
Ed Sinkora
By Ed Sinkora Contributing Editor, SME Media
Tang F Grip features a high-feed (HF) chip former that is tangentially mounted in the pocket.

Parting & Grooving: Advanced Tech Delivers Quality Parts, Results

February 25, 2020
One thing that’s certain in developing the most cost-effective solutions for part-off and grooving applications is that there is not just one way to approach the problem and meet basic process requirements for chip evacuation, tool life and surface finish.
Jim Lorincz
By Jim Lorincz Contributing Editor, SME Media
The Reviewer App in VERICUT illustrates a program showing that the machine spindle will collide with the part during the process.

Simulation Software For Error-Free Metalcutting

February 26, 2020
Manufacturers must avoid costly machine errors that cause catastrophic damage to both machine tools and expensive workpieces. Even a minor error in, say, a titanium aerospace component can be a major expense.
Pat Waurzyniak
By Patrick Waurzyniak Contributing Editor, SME Media

Shop Solutions

Advanced Manufacturing Now

  • Automation

    Are Cobots Inherently Safe?

    February 21, 2020
    The “Global Robotics Report 2019” found that 79 percent of automation distributors do not believe their customers understand the safety requirements of installing a collaborative robot, or cobot.
    By Nigel Smith - Managing Director, TM Robotics Inc.
  • Tooling & Workholding

    Gear Machining Made Easy: TNC Cycles for Skiving

    February 24, 2020
    Machining gears is still regarded by many machine tool operators as a true challenge and a realm reserved exclusively for specialists.

SME Speaks

Research Focus

  • Additive Manufacturing & 3D Printing

    Metal Additive Manufacturing on the Upswing

    February 25, 2020
    While it’s still considered early-stage, metal additive manufacturing/3D printing (AM/3DP) is an important part of the growth in the global additive manufacturing market as it helps manufacturers produce stronger and lighter parts, improve efficiencies, reduce waste, lower emissions, and increase speed to market.
    By Steve George - Business Intelligence Manager, SME

Workforce Pipeline

Viewpoints

  • Additive Manufacturing & 3D Printing

    How Viable is Additive Manufacturing?

    February 28, 2020
    In 1984, Charles Hull invented the first 3D printer, which used stereolithography to build up a plastic product layer by layer. Over 35 years later, additive manufacturing (AM) is drastically altering a range of industries, from manufacturing to the medical sector.
    By John Young - Asia Pacific Director, EU Automation

Software Update

  • Software

    Simulation Drives Advanced Manufacturing Trends

    February 27, 2020
    Simulation software has traditionally been used to predict the behavior of a product or system before designs are finalized and to understand the cause of failures after they have happened so that they can be avoided in the future.
    By Paolo Guglielmini - President and CEO , MSC Software