Simulation tools are making it much easier for manufacturers to optimize their processes, visualizing the entire path of production from NC metalcutting simulations through 3D design and factory-floor imaging.
German auto supplier boosts use of 3D printing
Researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology (Atlanta) and two other institutions have developed a new 3D printing method to create objects that can permanently transform into a range of different shapes in response to heat.
United Grinding North America will close its Fredericksburg, VA, office on July 1 and move those operations to its headquarters in Miamisburg, OH. “This tactical move is part of an overall strategy designed with the customer at the forefront,” said Theodore Neckel, director of corporate marketing for United Grinding North America.
“We expect to see the world machinery market grow in the next five years,” said Arun Kumar a director at AlixPartners in a discussion he and I had recently.
The nexus of cyber and physical security threats is the stuff of nightmares, and while manufacturers are waking up to it as a reality, experts worry that the awakening is happening too slowly.
Additive manufacturing firms are focused intently on speeding up the 3D printing process, radically expanding the development of printing materials, printing larger parts, wasting less material, reducing the cost of capital equipment overall and addressing issues that will lead to the move from prototyping to rapid manufacturing.
Many people want to implement IoT in their factories, and with the abundance of IoT platform technologies out there, they think it’s a breeze. But many challenges await those who don’t think things through carefully—challenges for which traditional IoT platforms do not have effective solutions.
The integration of additive and subtractive enables product designers to pursue product enhancements that could not be manufactured in any other process. At the same time, this combination is reducing the time it takes to prepare for parts production, including acquiring the necessary tooling.
Faurecia decided it needed to get serious about Industry 4.0 fast. To show the way, the French automotive supplier built a $64 million factory in Columbus, IN.
