Diesel Propulsion Takes to the Skies January 8, 2019 In a small town in northwestern Wisconsin, a dedicated group of engineers, designers, and machinists are working with a visionary management team on a concept that could have a revolutionary effect on general aviation and impact other forms of flight.
Workhorse 7000 Series Aluminum in Search of Increased MRR January 3, 2019 It’s not too difficult to understand the importance of machining aluminum for aerospace applications. High volumes of aluminum are used, principally for structural components.
Helical Cutters Go Deep and Long in Tough Materials December 13, 2018 When it comes to achieving high material-removal rates in even the toughest materials, it’s hard to beat helical cutters. With the correct insert grades and cutting data, these cutters can achieve far greater depths of cut than non-helical milling tools without sacrificing reach or the ability to hold tolerance.
ISS Takes Manufacturing to New Heights November 29, 2018 Two entities are taking steps to form an interstellar economy with the ISS as an orbiting manufacturing hub—the Center for Advancement of Science in Space in Melbourne, FL, (managers of the ISS U.S. National Laboratory) and Made In Space, a Moffett Field, CA, firm.
Aircraft Primes: An Elite Club October 1, 2018 Despite the industry’s growth and prosperity, the number of aircraft industry players remains relatively constant. While the industrial consolidation of the last two decades has ceased, there are few signs of significant new market players. A very broad range of factors is responsible for this stasis.
The Quest to Maintain Consistency in AM Parts October 1, 2018 Additive manufacturing’s (AM) benefits have long been known to the aerospace industry. Industry leaders, like Boeing, Airbus and GE, have led the charge in using the technology for production parts. They’ve figured out how to increase efficiency and enable on-demand production, while saving money, by incorporating AM into their production process.
Superabrasives’ Virtues October 1, 2018 Increased demand for economically manufacturing challenging aerospace parts faster with higher quality surface finishes is spurring on the development of new bonds and grains for grinding wheels. The latest superabrasives can be an excellent choice for aerospace manufacturers doing production grinding.
It’s Volumetric! October 1, 2018 For aerospace part production, machine tool volumetric accuracy is vitally important. To define it, machine geometry is a function of moving a certain amount of mass along the way system. This movement of mass needs to move straight without pitch, yaw, and roll, because any variation of these three movements is amplified as you get further and further away from the machine tool’s way system.
Component Vision Check October 1, 2018 Automated industrial vision systems have become a key component of quality conformance inspection for many industrial processes. They are used to detect defects at high rates far exceeding the capability of the human eye in industries ranging from food processing to electronics and automobile manufacturing.
Fiber Laser Welding as a Change Agent October 1, 2018 Fiber laser welding is gaining attention in aerospace manufacturing. Manufacturers are looking for ways to automate manual arc-welding processes and to upgrade CO2 and lamp-pumped Nd:YAG laser welding processes to ensure greater consistency and to improve their productivity.