Prototyping & Design

Machine tool builders, tool suppliers and software developers now deliver technology that makes it possible for CNC operators to set up jobs in minutes rather than hours, and deliver parts in days instead of weeks.

A new breed of 3D printers has begun producing parts made of engineering-grade plastics and fully dense metals suitable for long-term use in a variety of applications. These include jet engine components, engine mounts, medical implants and a host of other products that were once machined or fabricated by conventional means.

To spur significant innovation and growth in advanced manufacturing, as well as save over $100 billion annually, U.S. industry must rectify currently unmet needs for measurement science and "proof-of-concept" demonstrations of emerging technologies.

As component design optimization tasks flow down the supply chain, finite element analysis programs proliferate.

EWI, a non-profit organization dedicated to innovating and implementing advanced manufacturing technologies for industry, soon will add an Electron Beam Additive Manufacturing (EBAM) system to its R&D toolbox. Chicago-based Sciaky Inc. announced the sale of its EBAM system in a news release issued July 20.

Once word got out that PTooling, a self-described small, family-owned machine shop in Amherstburg, Canada, had added a Lasertec 65 3D laser deposition welding and milling machine to its arsenal, major aerospace manufacturers began knocking on its door.

Lindquist Machine Corp. is a custom-machinery builder that relies on its CAD/CAM system to keep its workflow flexible, break bottlenecks and reduce lead times. The Green Bay, Wis., shop has one programmer to do complicated programming, but most of the workers on the shop floor can write, or at least modify, programs.

CAD/CAM software developers are no longer competing only with each other. They are also competing with their customers' expectations of what a satisfying user experience (UX) should be.

The benefits of creating and using a virtual machine tool. At trade shows and elsewhere, people on the cutting edge of manufacturing are touting the benefits of digitalizing the machine tool environment, where technologies are employed that make use of digital data. It's at the heart of the much-discussed drive toward Industry 4.0.

Fallbrook Technologies' shop continues to produce prototypes for licensees of the company's continuously variable planetary technology while performing commercial jobs.

Solid-state LED lighting in machine tools allows for increased visibility, reduced downtime and lower power consumption.

Manufacturing consultant leverages CAM software to help customers adopt transformative technology.