Thick Plate, Tube and More: Laser Cutting Advice from the Pros September 28, 2018 From cutting various thicknesses of sheet metal and metal plate or different widths of tubing to navigating intricate materials or process issues, some of the laser industry’s leading suppliers have weighed in with tips and insights into their novel solutions.
Sharpening the Point of Attack of Automation on the Shop Floor June 28, 2018 Flexibility has come to automation, perhaps as never before. And for industries that require precision machining, assembly, and measurement, automation technologies have never been more available.
Speeding Up the Additive Manufacturing Design Process with New CAD/CAM Tools June 5, 2018 PowerMill 2019 provides a dedicated suite of tools to program high-rate additive processes—commonly known as directed energy deposition [DED]. The DED process utilizes a CNC machine tool or industrial robot that can focus a power source—typically laser, arc or electron-beam—at a point in space.
Shop Thrives on Advanced Manufacturing and Machining Technologies June 29, 2018 DP Tool & Machine Inc. (Avon, NY) is a contract machine shop that benefits from a well-rounded array of advanced machining and manufacturing technologies. These include multitasking and five-axis machines as well as automation and some digital connectivity.
Real Thinking About Artificial Intelligence June 1, 2018 My instincts tell me we need a sense of urgency around the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in manufacturing. The urgency is driven by how quickly technology can move today, and how an unexpected breakthrough can quickly dominate.
Lasers Target New Medical Applications November 2, 2017 Lasers — well-established tools in the manufacture of medical devices—are continuing to break ground by producing smaller, more precise and more functional parts thanks to faster pulse speeds at lower cost, new applications and the marriage of laser processing to Swiss-style machining.
New Automation Makes EDMs Faster, More Efficient November 1, 2017 While EDMs offer the benefits of holding tight tolerances, working on nearly any metal, and being well suited for delicate or fragile parts, knowledgeable operators for the machines are increasingly hard to find and robots can’t always fill the gap. Automated processes in the machines, newer designs and features of Industry 4.0 are helping to solve the problem.
The Quest for Safer 3D Printing Materials October 18, 2017 When Desktop Metal introduced its “office-friendly” Studio metal prototype printer earlier this year, the company renewed attention on the issue of safer materials for binder jetting, an additive manufacturing method.
Products from Three Additional Tool Companies Available on MachiningCloud November 20, 2017 More than 4,600 cutting tools items from M.A. Ford (Davenport, IA) are listed on MachiningCloud (Camarillo, CA), with more to come. M.A. Ford manufactures standard, high performance and custom cutting tools with worldwide manufacturing and distribution facilities. MachiningCloud is a product data provider for cutting tools, CNC machines and workholding.
To program robots is human, to problem-solve is divine December 17, 2020 The COVID-19 black swan event disrupted the global economy and forced companies to rapidly rethink their processes, operations and supply networks.