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Media
Manufacturing Engineering Magazine
April 2018
Manufacturing Engineering: April 2018
The April 2018 edition of Manufacturing Engineering is available as a digital magazine. Links to individual articles are below.
View Digital Magazine
AM Continues Rapid Ascent, Targets New Markets
March 30, 2018
Additive manufacturing (AM), commonly known as 3D printing, is a vibrant and dynamic field. Each year, developments in AM allow organizations to create products that were previously unthinkable.
By
Ray Huff
Associate Engineer,
Wohlers Associates, Inc.
By
Terry Wohlers
Head of Advisory Services and Market Intelligence,
Wohlers Associates
Additive Manufacturing & 3D Printing
Vision and Robotics: Happy Together
March 30, 2018
The next “dynamic duo” may not involve humans at all. “Machine vision and robots make for a perfect marriage,” stated Klas Bengtsson, global product manager, vision systems for ABB Robotics (Auburn Hills, MI). This is not new. Vision and robotics have gone hand in hand for years.
By
Bruce Morey
Senior Technical Editor,
SME Media
Automation
Sensor-Based Control of Cutting Tools, Machine Tools Moves From Drawing Board to Mainstream
March 30, 2018
A key success factor for Industry 4.0 and IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) initiatives is the emergence of more and better sensors in machining centers, and even in the cutting tools themselves. These sensors provide the data and connectivity that are the foundation for the “factory of the future.”
By
Robert Puhr
Contributing Editor,
SME Media
Controls
PLM’s Promise for a Connected Manufacturing Industry
April 2, 2018
Complexity is pervasive in today’s component design and manufacturing processes. In the latest product lifecycle management (PLM) software, manufacturers get more choices, with new functionality being added to help visualize manufacturing processes with technologies that include augmented reality (VR) and virtual reality (VR).
By
Patrick Waurzyniak
Contributing Editor,
SME Media
Controls
Hybrid Machines Make Parts Using Brand New and Tried and True Technologies
April 2, 2018
There will be a lot of success stories coming out soon featuring hybrid additive/subtractive machine technology. Still in its early development stages, hybrid machine technology is carving out—after carefully building up layer by layer—examples of complex parts, large repaired workpieces, and molds with process-enhancing conformal cooling channels designed in.
By
Jim Lorincz
Contributing Editor,
SME Media
Additive Manufacturing & 3D Printing
Shop Solutions
Engine Shop Goes Full Throttle with Five-Axis Machining
April 3, 2018
Deep in the heart of Texas (Weatherford to be exact), Frankenstein Engine Dynamics (FED) manufactures some of the best custom engine parts used in the professional auto racing industry. The company has an excellent reputation for what it does, and its components are well-known for their quality, impressive designs, and outstanding performance.
By
Jim Lorincz
- Contributing Editor,
SME Media
Motorized Vehicles
Service Bureau Invests in Advanced 3D Printing Technology
April 3, 2018
The 3D printing landscape has changed dramatically since the 1988 commercialization of stereolithography (SL). There have been substantial advances in software and materials that sync with increasing computer power and growth in the 3D CAD installed base.
By
Jim Lorincz
- Contributing Editor,
SME Media
Monitoring Relays Give Heater Heads-Up on Robotic Industrial Washers
April 3, 2018
Cleaning and surface processing are important production stages in many manufacturing industries. For automotive applications, machined parts and subassemblies must be thoroughly cleaned before they move into subsequent stages of assembly or coating.
By
Jim Lorincz
- Contributing Editor,
SME Media
Up Front
Additive Manufacturing & 3D Printing
Emerging Technologies are Already Here
April 3, 2018
Years ago, when I worked in New York City, I bought a Sony Walkman for my daily commute. It was cutting edge technology and I was an early adopter. I imagined that I looked pretty cool, listening to tunes I organized myself on a mix tape. Fast forward to today, where music is everywhere, on every conceivable device.
By
Alan Rooks
- Editor in Chief,
Manufacturing Engineering
Additive Manufacturing & 3D Printing
Expert Opinion
Advanced Manufacturing Now
Automation
Will Automation and Robots Change the World?
April 3, 2018
I’ve had quite a month, again, covering clever software and gadgets that continue to inch their way into performing tasks once reserved for humans. These tasks range from mundane material handling to highly skilled engineering design. It has made me think quite a bit about how our world of manufacturing and engineering will be affected by all this artificial cleverness.
By
Bruce Morey
- Senior Technical Editor,
SME Media
Automation
Expert Opinion
Additive Manufacturing & 3D Printing
Metal AM Class is in Session at Morf3D
April 4, 2018
In the near absence of academic programs to teach undergraduate engineering students additive manufacturing, a California-based startup has stepped in to help fill the void through internships.
By
Ilene Wolff
- Contributing Editor,
SME Media
Additive Manufacturing & 3D Printing
Expert Opinion
Materials
Controls
How Small Shops Can Go Digital — Economically!
April 4, 2018
In the early days at CNC Software, we saw that our Mastercam CAD/CAM system was only part of a larger manufacturing solution and that an open architecture foundation could allow seamless data communication with complementary devices and systems across the shop floor.
By
Stas Mylek
- Senior Product Specialist,
CNC Software
Controls
Expert Opinion
Tooling & Workholding
SME Speaks
The Additive Manufacturing Industry Is Growing Up!
April 4, 2018
The first time I saw the 3D printing technology working at McDonnell-Douglas Aircraft was in the early 1990s, and it forever changed the way I thought about manufacturing.
By
Jeff DeGrange
- CC Chair, TCLC Past Chair, 2023 SME Industry Award Winner, SME Fellow, Bright Minds Mentor, Chief Commercial Officer,
Impossible Objects Inc.
Additive Manufacturing & 3D Printing
SME Speaks
Tech Front
All Aboard the Additive Manufacturing Express
April 10, 2018
The past few years has seen the additive manufacturing (AM) industry making big inroads into areas previously considered the stronghold of high-precision, production-only metalcutting and metal-finishing processes.
By
Patrick Waurzyniak
- Contributing Editor,
SME Media
Research & Development
Software Update
Controls
Optimizing Component Designs with New Additive Manufacturing Tools
April 11, 2018
3DXpert for Solidworks is a complementary software solution for Solidworks, providing professional users, designers and engineers with a complete toolset to prepare and optimize their designs for additive manufacturing [AM]. This allows companies to be more competitive, expand the types of projects they can design, and enjoy the advantages that AM brings.
By
Patrick Waurzyniak
- Contributing Editor,
SME Media
Controls
Mfg Intel
Smart Manufacturing
Smart Manufacturing: Think Big, Start Small
April 4, 2018
Smart manufacturing is about making the best decisions in the shortest time possible based on the most accurate real-time data—whether those decisions are made by people, machines or cyber-physical systems.
By
Christine Longroy
- Automotive Industry Manager,
SME
Smart Manufacturing
Workforce Pipeline
Workforce Development
Inspiring Talent and Building for Performance
April 5, 2018
Like many around the world, I recently read about and watched with awe and appreciation at the performances of athletes from around the world at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in PyeongChang, South Korea. Most of these athletes were young: six of those competing were just 15 years old!
By
Josh Cramer
- Director of K-12 Educational Programs,
SME Education Foundation
Workforce Development
Viewpoints
Smart Manufacturing
AI Enables Smarter Assembly, Superior Products
April 6, 2018
The next cycle of technology disruption is upon us. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is taking hold in every industry and manufacturing is no exception. AI enables companies—from medical device and electronics manufacturers to pharmaceutical firms—to leverage their Big Data and IoT investments to see new patterns and insights and to perform tasks more efficiently and quickly than ever before.
By
Carlos Melendez
- Co-Founder and COO,
Wovenware
Expert Opinion
Smart Manufacturing
Laser Special Section
Laser Cutters Get Flexible, Economical
April 6, 2018
Several fiber laser-cutting machine builders are focusing on making their products more flexible and economical while at the same time including features usually found on higher end machines—all with the needs of contract metal fabricators in mind.
By
Ilene Wolff
- Contributing Editor,
SME Media
Lasers
Laser Welding Advances Fuel New Applications
April 6, 2018
From producing lithium-ion batteries to processing sheetmetal, new laser welding systems are “pushing the envelope” of light absorption, beam control, speed and programming flexibility.
By
Geoff Giordano
- Contributing Editor,
SME Media
Lasers
Lasers
Innovations Enable Faster Beam Delivery, On-the-Fly Welding
April 6, 2018
For ABB, robotic welding comes down to a never-ending process of ensuring parts are suitable for laser joining and developing the appropriate processes. To that end, ABB is refining a recent innovation to improve beam delivery speeds and has developed software for on-the-fly welding in tandem with Trumpf’s Intelligent Programmable Focusing Optic (IPFO).
By
Geoff Giordano
- Contributing Editor,
SME Media
Lasers
Lasers
Performance Breakthroughs Drive Laser Marking
April 9, 2018
While laser marking and engraving are well-established processes, innovations and investments in the sector are continuing to push performance boundaries.
By
Geoff Giordano
- Contributing Editor,
SME Media
Lasers
Lasers
New Chiller Technology Helps Industrial Lasers Keep Their Cool
April 9, 2018
Industrial lasers require cooling to remove excess heat generated in the resonator power electronics and the optics system. The type of cooling required is determined by laser wattage, resonator efficiency, resonator and optics temperature requirements, and ambient temperature.
By
Josh Roby
- Director of Engineering,
Glen Dimplex Thermal Solutions
Lasers
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