On race day, everybody sees the race on TV, but behind the scenes there’s a competition going on between shops where time is everything, according to Matt Gimbel, Team Penske’s production manager. Fifteen little things could add up to the half a second we need on the track to hit our goal. Whoever can implement changes the fastest will typically have the advantage, but Read More
Digital Tool Data Refines Machining, Helps Industry 4.0 Find Its Way
Digital tool libraries emerge as a key part of advanced manufacturing It’s said you don’t know where you’re going if you don’t know where you’ve been. For Industry 4.0 and advanced manufacturing, digital libraries provide that map. “We are talking about tooling standards,” said Alexander Zoller, president of Zoller Inc. (Ann Arbor, MI). “Besides the tooling standards there Read More
Replaceable Tip Drills Offer Versatile Design Improvements
New chip geometries, coatings rival performance of solid carbide drills Since their introduction about 20 years ago, replaceable-tip drills have become increasingly accurate and cost-effective alternatives to solid carbide units. New tip geometries, coatings and other modifications are enhancing their useful range, particularly when processing new alloys. And, as Read More
Aerospace, Defense See 3D Printing as Vital, Executive Says
FORT WORTH, TX -- The aerospace and defense industries see 3D printing as important to making new designs practical and for holding the line on costs, a Lockheed Martin executive said today at SME’s RAPID + TCT. “It continues to accelerate the speed we can turn ideas into reality,” Michael Packer, director of advanced production programs at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works, said Read More
Workholding Solutions to Reduce Costs, Increase Throughput
A focus on fixtures and workholding pays off At the Nirvana Machine Shop on planet Perfection, every workpiece is clamped to a custom-built fixture mounted on a dedicated machine tool. Each workpiece is dimensionally identical to the one before and the one after. All the fixtures are totally automatic—instantly positioning, clamping, machining, inspecting, and releasing Read More
Creaform, Metrologic Group Announce Partnership Agreement for Automated Quality Control Solutions
Metrologic Group and Creaform have entered into a partnership in which Creaform integrates Metrologic Group’s software suite with its new CUBE-R 3D automated dimensional inspection solution. This laser scanning, all-in-one solution features Metrologic Group’s advanced 3D measurement programming and inspection software packages, Silma and Metrolog X4 i-Robot, and combines Read More